Personal Finance

I’m unhappy making $215k as a construction superintendent. How can I make $300k in a different career?

Rich Duprey

Published: November 23, 2024 7:24 am

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

• Finding a dream job where we can earn what we think we are worth doing the sort of work we enjoy is the goal of many people.
• To achieve that position, oftentimes we need to compromise and take two steps back before we can move one step forward.
• Being too rigid and uncompromising in our demands and expectations can undermine the goal we hope to reach.

At some point, everyone’s job gets to them. Even those who absolutely love their job find some days a grind. For others, though, every day is a new trip to the salt mines and they dream of doing something different.

Fortunately, switching jobs is a possibility. For someone willing to work, there is a job available. But most people don’t want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. If you don’t like where you are you don’t want to work someplace worse. 

And then there is the problem that comes when we start imposing limitations on the sort of jobs we will accept or if we have expectations that are too high for what we can get. That was the initial reaction I had to this Redditor’s post on r/HENRYfinance, a group who earn a lot of money, but aren’t yet rich.

The situation

The Redditor is a superintendent in the construction industry who is looking to get out of the trade for something that pays more. He makes $130,000 a year, but his total compensation is closer to $215,000 annually when you include housing, benefits, company car, gas, etc.

He took a big pay cut last year of $50,000 plus reduced benefits so that he could live in the state he wanted, but that’s been grinding his gears and now he wants to switch to the tech industry or some other field. 

The problem is, that he wants to be earning $300,000 within two years, doesn’t want to work in the field anymore, and won’t accept any pay cuts even for a limited amount of time. To me, the Redditor is simply being too demanding and his expectations are not aligned with reality.

The conflict

While the Redditor definitely has significant experience, and he’s achieved it rather early in life too as he is seemingly in his mid- to late-20s, there are hurdles he needs to get over.

First, he has just one year of college so he doesn’t have an education or degree that could be transferable to a new position. Second, his supervisory skills aren’t necessarily transferable to a whole new industry, at least not without some time taking a position that requires him to learn his new industry.

Because the Redditor refuses to accept any field work, he is closing off potential jobs that need to see he is proficient in the position. And while he maintains his location can support the salary he wants, without requisite experience and time in the trenches, it seems doubtful he will be able to simply flip to a new job and continue on an upward trajectory.

There are options

Fortunately for the Redditor, he has options available to him. He previously obtained a general contractor’s license and has a little experience in building homes as a GC, so he could start his own business.

While he does consider that as a backup plan, it will likely mean the pay cut he so desperately wants to avoid will become a reality. It takes some time to get a business off the ground. Many entrepreneurs find they have to plow any income right back into the business to grow it to the point where they can begin taking a salary let alone earn excess profits.

Only a relatively rare, lucky few are able to hit the ground running and make a successful go of it.

Key takeaways

Switching careers or jobs is possible and one can ultimately make more money by making the change. Yet being somewhat flexible in your demands is key to being successful.

It is commendable the Redditor has a clear goal of where he wants to be in the future. That’s often critical to achieving success. But being too rigid and uncompromising can undermine the plan.