<p>Oh wow! Higher than Dallas? Is it because of the “ruralness” of the area with getting products moved about?</p>
<p>Honestly, I would not mind living in a state like Maine, Vermont, or NH; wife and I are planning to FLEE this damned city after we are done with undergrad, and maybe go to upstate NY, Virgina, or any other semi-rural place in the Eastern Seaboard. </p>
<p>I think I read an article some time ago that suggested Maine might be experiencing a critical shortage of medical professionals [mainly general practitioners?]. If wife wants to go there, I’ll happily follow.</p>
<p>Enginox, you do not need a family income of 200k to live a “decent lifestyle”. If you really believe this, you need a reality check. A salary of 100k in almost any part of the country does not put you in the “middle class” either. In fact this will put you quite far above the average income in this country. Most jobs will never even reach six figures. Why do some people think that unless you are in the top 1% of earners, your life is destined to be miserable? Keep things in perspective. If you are an engineer making 100k almost anywhere in the country and you know how to manage money, you can live a very comfortable life.</p>
<p>And again, that depends on specific circumstances. Debt levels, geographical location, cost of living, etc. </p>
<p>Like you mentioned, most jobs do not reach 6 figures but most debt does reach 5 figures. Many Americans have significant debt; many undergraduate students graduate with debt around $15k. Mortgage? Car loan? Debt, debt, and more debt.</p>
<p>He is right, though. In MOST areas of the country, $100k would put you in the upper middle class, especially considering that you most likely will have a spouse who also works for at least a few peanuts. Of course NYC or San Fran or similar places are different, but those places also generally have higher pay.</p>
<p>Enginox, I think the cost of living is higher here due to the state income tax (top rate is 8%) and cost of housing. I have heard that there are shortages in some medical fields, but I know a couple of recent nursing school grads with good stats who couldn’t find a job and had to move out of state. There are too many nurses, all of a sudden! GPS and dentists are in very short supply. We just passed a bond to try to get more dentists here.</p>
<p>Enginox, well by your logic then engineering is probably one of the best options. If debt is such a concern then I guess medical school is not very practical since many med students graduate with 200-300k in loans. I’m not saying that location and other circumstances don’t play into it but your statement that you need a family income of 200k to live a “decent lifestyle” is not accurate and implying that 100k is “middle class” is also misguided. Everyone has certain expenses but at the end of the day, any six figure salary is far above what the average person makes. Engineering can give you the opportunity to live a very comfortable lifestyle and earn an above average income.</p>
<p>Of course ME76 is right. But do most areas of the country pay $100k? Now, if one earns $60k and the spouse makes $50k, then we are “good to go”. He is indeed correct that making $100k would afford a family a comfortable lifestyle in most of the US. The problem here is that most Americans do not live in most of the US; most Americans reside within 100 mi of either coast, where the cost of living is significantly higher than in most of the US.</p>
<p>Ironically, Alaska is a huge chunk within most of the US.</p>
<p>Engineering is the #2 best option for anyone who is concerned about debt. No debate there. To the point, I concluded that pursuing electrical engineering is my best option, since it mixes physics and math with a relatively stable food acquisition tool [i.e. a decent salary] that will feed my family.</p>
<p>I was simply specifying a few generalities within Andrewsky’s post above. My job in these boards is to sweep in, make a controversial, semi-accurate statement, and promote debate. Thankless job, but someone has to do it.</p>
<p>And really… if I had a 100K a year job, I would not know what to do with all the money. I don’t know how other people define living comfortably though…</p>
<p>I am living just fine on roughly $22,000 worth of graduate student stipend right now. Admittedly I can only buy like one nice bottle of scotch per year and have to ration my steaks and I live in CSTX, which is very very cheap, but I don’t feel impoverished or anything. Still, a lot of “living well” is all about what you are used to. If you grew up in a family that had a fairly large income, chances are that you are going to have a very different idea about what it is to “live well” compared to someone who grew up in a family that just got by, or worse, didn’t really get by at all.</p>
<p>I would say the #1 option for those who are conscious about debt levels would be Physician’s Assistant. The training is rigorous, based on a similar model used to train medical doctors, and best of all, is short in duration (3-4 years). I would classify it as the “engineering” of the medical professions.</p>
<p>A $100k job likely means someone is paying you that amount for very important work. It may also mean you are relatively close to a densely populated area and the salary reflects the costs of living in such an area (alternatively, it may also may you reside in Middle-of-Nowhere).</p>
<p>@Boneh3ad:</p>
<p>You are single, no children, and no significant financial responsibilities beyond student loans (perhaps). Certainly, that stipend will suffice for your current economic needs, which appear to be reasonable. I actually commend you for choosing to live responsibly.</p>
<p>The rest of us have other financial, social, and economic responsibilities to tend to. You are correct that “living well” is highly subjective. In my case, living well means an upper middle class lifestyle because that is the lifestyle I had until I was 18 and my parents kicked me out into the world for not wanting to become a medical doctor like my father. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am now working-class, and while my life experiences have humbled me significantly, I would prefer if I returned to my previous standard of living, something highly unlikely to happen, but worth a try, no?</p>
<p>It became a moderate salary immediately after Americans began accumulating high levels of credit card debt, new car debt, mortgage debt, etc. </p>
<p>A $100k/year salary is a professional’s salary. The vast majority of professionals reside in or near large urban areas precisely because these urban areas are the ones where jobs for these professionals will be concentrated. The high cost of residing in or near these large urban areas is part of the reason these professionals are offered $100k/year.</p>
<p>I am single but engaged and planning a wedding currently. I have fairly small student loan debt admittedly but it isn’t like I have no financial responsibility. I have the same ones that everyone else has: rent, insurance, food, other random bills, gas, what have you. I was used to growing up with a straight middle class lifestyle, yet I don’t have a problem living the way I am now. Admittedly, I probably spend a little less than I otherwise would on things like music, bars, video games, new surround sound or any of the other things I want, but honestly, while I want those things, my needs are provided for on that modest sum of money.</p>
<p>I certainly agree that it is fine to strive for more, as I plan on doing when I eventually get done with this degree. All I am saying is you aren’t going to go hungry on $100k in almost any city you live in. Not even close.</p>
<p>Oh no doubt, $100k will keep a roof over your head, put food in your stomach, and put clothes over your body. But I’m looking beyond that: I’d like to travel to France, Japan, Eastern Africa, and South America; I’d love to buy a BMW, well, because BMWs are freaking sweet; I’d like to take the wife on a cruise of the Mediterranean. You get the idea. Will $100k provide me with that type of lifestyle? Maybe, maybe not. Will I even earn $100k/year? Probably not. But I guarantee you I’ll take the wife on that cruise (and steal a BMW :D)).</p>
<p>Btw, congratulations on your future wedding. I wish you and your soulmate a happy, communicative, and financially stable marriage with lots of coitus well into advanced age! May you not need Viagra by the age of 60! :D</p>
<p>"Only 5% of the US makes over $100K a year. "
"A $100k job likely means someone is paying you that amount for very important work. "
Pharmacists make $100,00+.
Are there only 5% of pharmacists in the US?
Would you consider a pharmacist’s job worth $100,000, considering most of a pharmacist’s job consist of counting pills?</p>
<p>The pharmacists main job is making sure they give you the right dosage. </p>
<p>Pharmacy majors take approximately 6 chemistry classes over 8 semester. If I’m not mistaken, chemical engineers take a similar amount of chem classes.</p>
<p>You bet I want to make sure the guy giving me pills is well paid.</p>
<p>my parents make total $130k but they were raised on great depression style budgeting… so I was too. $100k is enough for me but that wont stop me from striving for more (owning a business, investing, etc). but the $50k starting is gonna let me get a ballin car first, then its probably paying off student loans.</p>
<p>edit: my dad is a software engineering manager at $90k. 35 years in the company, 20 or so years doing the engineering stuff</p>
<p>Any salary over $100,000 will have you living well…even in the metro area that I live in (Washington DC)…as long as you manage your money correctly and not have some spouse that sits home all day…who fooled you into exchanging for a few prepared meals and some shirts ironed a 2nd income.</p>