Personal Finance

I need a job that pays more than $100k, is low stress, and has good work life balance - where should I look?

Personal Finance
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Many people seek jobs that offer a good combination of high pay and low stress. While most jobs require giving up at least one of those conditions, it is possible to find 6-figure careers that offer relatively low stress.

A Redditor is looking for this type of job and posted in the Career Guidance subreddit. The individual has a bachelor’s degree and graduate credits and lives in a high cost of living area. The Redditor pulls in a little under $60,000/yr while staying in the office until 7-8 pm.

Other Reddit users left comments on the post, explaining the types of jobs that offer 6-figures with flexible hours. These are some of the highlights.

Key Points

  • you don’t have to stay at your current job forever, especially if better opportunities exist.

  • You can choose from several 6-figure jobs that have relatively low stress, including the five highlighted in this article.

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Get Out of the Nonprofit Sector

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An immediate red flag is that the Redditor works in the nonprofit sector. Most nonprofit jobs work you hard without paying as much as regular jobs. The idea of supporting a good cause makes many workers content with not receiving as much of a salary.

The Redditor could probably earn more and work fewer hours just by looking for a similar job in the private sector.However, fellow Redditors provided him with several job ideas that can result in a comfortable 6-figures. Some of the top picks are below.

Mortgage Underwriting

A Redditor who goes by Amb743 recommended mortgage underwriting when commenting on the post. The individual has made between $100k-$190k each year for the past five years while only working 40 hours per week. 

One Redditor mentions that you don’t need a college degree to get into the field and refers to it as “the greatest meritocracy in the country.” This individual has been in the mortgage industry for almost a decade and has their ownbranch. 

Production at a Pulp and Paper Mill

Portrait of warehouseman with clipboard checking delivery, stock in warehouse. Warehouse worker preparing products for shipment.
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Redditor Ok_Development_7271 suggested that the original poster consider a production job at a pulp and paper mill. These manufacturing facilities produce cellulose-based products like paper. While the job has 12-hour shifts, you don’t work five days a week.

The Redditor who left the comment mentioned that they earn $110k per year while only working 150 days per year. The individual mentioned that the job has no stress and that they don’t think about work when they leave. Workers can earn $150k-$200k per year with more overtime and less time off. The Redditor wraps up his recommendation by saying that blue-collar work is the most rewarding and that the pay is always strong.

Tech Sales

A Redditor with the username Prize-Pay3038 recommended tech sales as another 6-figure job opportunity that doesn’t have much stress. The Redditor earns $135,000 as his base pay and ends up with about $265,000 in total annual compensation. 

The Redditor regularly plays golf but has to have his phone around at all times. You have to make plenty of calls, receive them as they come, and continue to prospect. He has almost a decade of SaaS experience and does enterprise sales for a “data/analytics/AI solution company.”

Data Analyst

A data analyst who goes by the username Steel_Reign posted in the comments that an analyst can make between $100k-$140k per year. The Redditor doesn’t have a computer or math related degree but has earned certificates and learned how to use the most popular business intelligence platforms.

If you can get over the learning curve, you can make a good living in the industry. The Redditor mentions that there’s more to data analysis than putting in a number of numbers. They also mention that you have to decipher data, explain why it’s important, and use data points to make predictions about the future.

Cybersecurity Engineer

Redditor Ghawblin recommended a cybersecurity engineer job for 6-figures and relatively low stress. The individual enjoys a fully remote job with flexible jobs and earns approximately $150,000.

It’s surprising that the Redditor landed this solid job at a nonprofit and labeled it as the “perfect work/life balance.” Work starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm.

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