9 Steps On How To Get A Six Figure Job

With ramping inflation eating up your monthly paycheck, you need to know how to get a six figure job.

Luckily, we’ve laid out the foundation on how to get a six figure job below. Keep in mind – it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have a ton of frustrating nights and you will go through a lot of self doubt. If you stick with this roadmap, we guarantee that you will land a six figure job in 1-5 years starting from where you are today.

This is not THE way to get a six figure job, but it is A way.

There are millions of ways to make money out there, but this is a clear cut, low risk path that you are able to take. You will be guaranteed a job provided you follow this framework.

February 29, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto

1. STEM Degree / Trade School

Step 1 is go to university to study STEM or trade school.

STEM or trades such as machining, fabricating, or welding are skills in demand and they will be for the foreseeable future. Our vision of the future is that more machine learning and artificial intelligence will be integrated into our day to day lives. It already has been if you’re using applications such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. (Hello Algorithm)

Engineering jobs will have high starting salaries, which is a great way for a six figure income.

2. Build skills and projects in spare time

In your spare time, you are going to be working on projects.

Working on projects related to what you’re studying gives you the following advantages:

• Practical experience pertaining to your industry and niche
• Building up skillsets that you can then add onto your portfolio
• Gives you an edge on your competition that only has theoretical work
• Develop stronger problem solving skills this way
• Brush up on industry trends such as manufacturing methods

Assuming you’re going to be taking a normal course load in school, you will have room for some projects to add onto your resume.

3. Build a network

If you build a strong network of colleagues, mentors, professors, you are going to be set into getting a high paying job.

A network allows you to:

• Develop a study group with like-minded individuals
• Understand what the common industry trends are
• Gives you a group of people to socialize with
• See and discover job opportunities

The reasons why you need to build a network are:

Colleagues

This is both for making friends and being in the loop regarding what is going on.

You will form study groups with your friends, talk shop with your friends, and hear about job opportunities with your friends.

Do not go about doing all of this alone – you will need to build a network of friends.

They will support you throughout your academic career.

Mentors

A mentor will save you so much time and headache in life.

They will be able to provide you direction based on their experiences.

Mentors will also have a strong network already built throughout their years of experience.

If they figure out you need help and you’ve proven to them that you’re a go-getter?

You’ll be set in life if you have a solid mentor to back you up.

Professors

Similar to mentors, your teachers and professors in school have connections to those in the industry.

If you do well in your classes, ask questions, be engaged in class, and your professors will like you.

4. Internships

Do not be the kid with the high GPA, but no practical experience.

You will need to do some sort of co-op or internship.

Getting an internship gives you a foot in the door and allows you to build some contacts.

You will develop skills, shadow those in the industry, and gain practical experience.

This will give you an edge over your colleagues that don’t have practical experience.

Getting an internship is also like getting a job – the process is very competitive, but worth it.

Note that if you get an internship in tech job, you may already achieve that high paying six figure job in step 4!

5. Apply to jobs

6 months prior to graduating, you need to start applying for jobs.

Do not make the mistake of waiting till you graduate before you find a job.

Job searching is difficult and takes time – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

If it’s easier than you thought, great.

If job searching is more difficult than you thought, this will create a negative feedback loop for you.

To apply for jobs, make sure you have the following 2:

1. A solid resume detailing keywords, skills, projects, and quantitative results and accomplishments
2. An understanding of framework for job interview questions

You’re going to apply for as many jobs as possible.

Apply for anything that you’re remotely qualified for – don’t let job requirements scare you.

You do not need to meet all the job requirements to get a job.

This is going to be a numbers game, so expect to apply for hundreds of jobs.

6. Initial Job

If you followed the last 5 steps, then congratulations on your offer!

Depending on the specific role, your salary will be 60K~170K+ (if you chose to study STEM or pick up a trade)

Note that if you pick up the trade, you have the capabilities of multiple contract jobs or overtime. (This also applies for certain STEM jobs too, but those come fewer in between)

7. Graduate

If you’re following this guide – you’re going to be taking a steady course load, building projects, building a network, and get practical experience.

You’re going to grind through the prior steps and you’ll see that time is going to fly and it is time to graduate.

That high paying six figure job is almost there for you.

8. Job hop

If you don’t have an offer for a six-figure job at this point, no worries.

This is why you are going to job hop every 2 years at minimum.

Companies do not incentivize you to stay in your current position.

In 2022, there are no pension plans offered by employers and annual raises come out to 3~5%.

If you stay at a company for a few years with an average raise of 3~5%, you will be losing money due to inflation.

9. Repeat Step 8

You’re going to repeat Step 8 as needed and you will land in the six figures.

If you’re a Software Engineer or in tech at all, you will clear this number easily in your first year.

If you’re a different discipline – it will take a little longer, but the end result is all the same.

Do not underestimate money having a positive effect on your life.

A high paying job will provide you more security and comfort.

I’ve laid out the foundation for you, now it is your turn to execute.

This will not happen over night and will take the course of a few years at minimum.

If you have no direction and want to know how to get a six figure job – the 9 steps I laid out is one way of doing so.