Takeaways
- Earning more than $100,000 can quickly accelerate reaching your financial goals.
- Use a job search platform like Ladders, which is dedicated to high-paying jobs.
- Only 21% of all individual workers made $100,000 or more in 2024.
- Skill development and a polished resume are key ingredients to success.
- Increasing your income can reduce the stress of day-to-day living costs, boost your savings, and allow you to afford milestones like buying a new car or home.
Most U.S. workers consider making more than $100,000 a badge of honor. Getting to the six-figure mark can take years of dedicated sacrifice, hard work, and planning. Once you get there, you will be in rarified but good company.
According to recent employment data, roughly 21% of all individual workers earn $100,000 or more, and 3.4% earn $250,000 or more.[1] For most people, that is a jaw-dropping amount of money. The question is, how do you get there?
Here we explore the steps to get yourself ready to earn $100,000 or more, how to maintain that level of earnings, where to look for high-paying jobs, and how that income level can change your life. Let’s get started.
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9 Steps to Make Over $100,000
Here are the nine steps you need to take to put yourself in the best position to start earning six figures:
1. Create a Career Plan
Making a career roadmap helps contextualize progress. Recent college graduates need to analyze the typical career path in their field, and experienced workers can assess what it takes to get to the next level.
To help visualize your goals, you can create 5- and 10-year career plans. These plans will allow you to articulate what you want out of a career and see the accompanying financial rewards that come with that progress.
For example, if you are a computer programmer, you might want to land a high-paying job at a large technology company within one year. This means you might need to move to a tech hub or negotiate to work remotely. From there, you can stair-step your career progress over the next three to four years by aiming to become a lead project programmer or pivot into company management.
Mapping out these goals will allow you to articulate why you are applying to specific positions to recruiters. Importantly, it also lets you know how to spruce up your resume to put your best foot forward.
2. Polish Your Resume
It’s time to dust off your resume. When did you last update your resume to reflect your career progress? Now is the time.
Whether you are just starting your career or have been in the workforce for decades, you undoubtedly have an opportunity to improve your resume. For those starting their careers, you might have had recent and relevant projects you have completed, attended conferences, or gained key certifications.
More experienced candidates can tailor their resumes by trimming them down to include only high-impact accomplishments, recent significant sales, or career-changing transactions.
Based on the job you are applying for, it’s a smart move to adjust the language and accomplishments to fit the position you are applying for.
3. Start Developing Skills
Once you determine what you want out of your career and review your resume, you might realize there are some gaps you need to fill. This could mean rounding out a particular skill set or getting a much-needed credential.
You can start developing skills independently, research industry-specific courses, or ask to be staffed on projects that improve an existing skill.
Your company might offer an educational stipend that reimburses you for certification courses and testing expenses, fees to attend industry conferences, or other continuing education expenses.
4. Search in the Right Places
You must look in the right places to land a job that pays six figures. You should evaluate your field of work, find companies that pay lucrative salaries, and level up your resume and interviewing skills.
At the end of the day, you might even decide to make a career shift towards higher-paying positions. You need to pick a career that pays well.
5. Apply for Top-Paying Jobs
You don't need to wait decades to work up to a high-paying job. Using resources like Ladders, you can use a shortcut by applying for high-paying jobs. Using filters, you can search for lucrative opportunities and exclusively focus your job search on high-paying companies.
Targeting opportunities that are already paying north of $100K gives you two advantages. First, you position yourself to achieve your goal of winning a high-paying job. Second, if you can't get those positions right away, it will give you feedback on how to land these opportunities later.
Once your resume makes its way to the right person, you need to be prepared for the interview.
6. Crush the Interview
You have submitted your resume and landed an interview. Now what? To navigate the interview process, you must do your homework on the company and position. Interviews can range from virtual Zoom calls to more formal in-person office meetings.
To get the most out of your interview, you make sure to:
- Dress appropriately
- Arrive early
- Research the company
- Know your interviewers
- Prepare questions
The interviewing process usually happens in a stage-gate fashion. Once you pass the first test, you are on to the next round. There could be several rounds of interviews before you are finally presented with an offer letter.
7. Negotiate Your Offer
If you use a website like Ladders to find your job, you could get a sense of how much a position pays. Once you nail the interview, you will get a job offer from the recruiter. From there, it is incumbent on you to make sure your offer includes everything you want. Here are some items to consider:
- Employment Title: Getting a title bump can be a major career-advancing moment, especially if you are trying to level up your career quickly.
- Overall Compensation: Your offer should include your salary, bonus, equity compensation, and more.
- Work Location: Set clear expectations on whether your position will be in the office, hybrid, or remote. Read more about working from home.
- Travel Expectations: Depending on your career, you might be expected to travel to meet with clients, promote products, or attend conferences. Ensure this fits with your lifestyle.
>> Read More: 7 Non-Cash Ways Employees Are Compensated
Review your offer letter to ensure it encompasses everything you want in this role. This part of the process ensures there are no miscommunications and allows you to negotiate with the recruiter to get the best offer for you.
8. Consider Your Full Compensation
Many people forget to consider their full compensation package when negotiating a new job offer. While the shiny $100,000 salary might be a draw, don’t forget to focus on other critical pieces of your job offer.
Key components of an employment letter include:
- Salary (above or below market)
- Bonus (quarterly or annually)
- Equity compensation (stock options, RSUs)
- Medical and dental benefits (review their options)
- Paid time off (limited or unlimited)
- Retirement plans (401(k) plans, 457(b) plans)
By boosting these benefits to your advantage, you can quickly increase your overall compensation package to well above six figures.
>> Read our Equity Compensation Guide
9. Start Your New Position
Once you start your new role, you will quickly realize that getting into your new position might have been the easy part. With a job that pays $100,000 or more, you will need to keep pace with the demands of the position.
Successfully transitioning into a new role might take some time, so give yourself time to acclimate, especially if you are starting a job at a new company. You can create a smooth on-ramp to your career by focusing on how to tackle the first 90 days. Here, you will want to shine.
How $100K Changes Your Financial Life
According to a recent report by Edelman Financial Engines, 58% of Americans believe earning $100,000 is what it takes to avoid worrying about day-to-day living expenses. Higher incomes can usher in a wave of financial relief and set you up to tackle life's major financial milestones.
Here's how earning more money can be a game changer:
- Create an Emergency Fund: One of the fastest ways to reduce financial anxiety is to create a small financial cushion. An emergency fund of $1,000 to $3,000 does precisely that. Plus, you can stash your savings in a high-yield savings account.
- Pay Off Debts: Whether you are eliminating pesky student loans, paying off a car loan, or getting rid of old credit card debt, a higher income can help you pay off debt faster.
- Build Your Slush Fund: To create real distance from financial stress, you can leverage your ability to save cash and start a slush fund. A slush fund is savings of at least 3 to 6 months’ worth of living expenses. You can earn interest in your slush fund using a high-yielding CD.
- Start Investing: There is no better way to increase your net worth than investing in stocks, bonds, real estate, or alternative investments (like Bitcoin). You can use an online brokerage account to get started today.
- Buy a House: Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest challenges in home affordability. Earning more than $100,000 can help you do this quickly. Check out our tips on how to save for a down payment.
- Get the Best Credit Products: Banks and credit unions often pre-qualify high earners for the best personal loans and credit cards. This means better APRs, terms, and rewards programs that can save you money in the long run.
What Is a HENRY?
A HENRY – or High Earner, Not Rich Yet – generates significant income but is not quite rich. Depending on where you are in your career, this could be you.
For example, you could have just started your six-figure job or needed to pay off student loans before yielding real savings. Once you earn a high salary, you can leverage your high income to increase your net worth.
>> Related: Top 10 Popular Freelance Jobs
Smart Summary
Making over $100,000 is a huge accomplishment that can increase your net worth and financial health. If this is one of your financial goals, you must create a plan, interview at top-paying jobs and companies, and excel during the interviewing process. Making more money can pave the way to reach other goals, like paying off debt, saving, investing, or accessing the best credit cards.
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(1) Don’t Quit Your Day Job Yet.com. Income Percentile Calculator in the United States. Last Accessed May 7, 2025.
(2) Edelman Financial Engines. Everyday Wealth In America. Last Accessed May 7, 2025.
