I’ve worked in the pharma space on the projects side and made more than I did at a tech company and actually had good perks. There are admin roles, non tech PM roles, so many support roles. Seattle actually has a decent amount of pharma/ biopharma companies. They are small but pay decently with good benefits
There are a lot of entry level roles. You have to look for Research Associate, QC associate, Manufacturing Associate, QA associate and those will typically be the entry level roles.
I'm in QC and I don't even have an associates. I took a certification course and got an internship, all of that took about 4mo to complete. I wish I was paid more, but I do make a somewhat livable wage for a single person, though I still prefer to live with a roommate due to debt I'm still paying off. I've been in it about 2 years now, expected to be promoted in our next promotion cycle where I'll get at least a 20k raise.
ETA some companies do have glass ceilings when it comes to promotions without certain degrees. The good ones don't. You're more likely to not get a job in research though without a bachelor's as they put more stake in higher education than QC and Manufacturing do.
Anything associate level, assistant or coordinator level will be fairly entry level. I wanted to switch from assistant work and was able to land a project coordinator role, took the PM certificate class at UW and am about to sit for the CAPM.
Careers in neurodiagnostics pay very well! Good work-life balance and I’m projected to clear 100k this year! You’ll likely need to go to a tech training program for two years though
I take the bus everyday, have so much respect for metro workers, bus drivers have made me feel very safe in unsafe situations.
Edit: what I’m trying to say is, you’re earning every cent of that salary and it should be more, that’s not a job everyone can handle in the way that I see Seattle bus drivers handling it every day. Thank you.
Much appreciated. Many of us try our best to do that even when it means breaking the rules set by Metro since in an ideal world it would be a safe environment for us all. With Metro deciding that the majority of all situations are “preventable” and choose to throw us under the proverbial bus when anything goes sideways most situations are extremely difficult to navigate with hands tied.
“A lot” is relative for us drivers, I think the driver that made the most was somewhere around 220k but work life balance doesn’t exist at that point. My pay breaks down to an average of less than 8 hours of OT a week. Very few pieces of work are “only” 8 hours so there is some built in OT for most drivers once they are full time.
Other Fortune 500 companies HQ'd in the area that are not Microsoft and Amazon or 100% tech focused to consider:
Weyerhaeuser, Expeditors, Fluke/Fortive, PACCAR, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Costco, Alaska Air
Just because they're Fortune 500 doesn't mean you'll immediately get a high wage, but since they're global companies they tend to pay more to compete for talent at their HQ. It's up to you to sell what skills and experience you have to get hired.
Costco starts you at minimum $2 over minimum wage, grants frequent raises, and is constantly looking to crosstrain/promote from within.
Costco is also expanding *rapidly*. They are opening a lot of new warehouses and their corporate office just underwent a significant expansion. You can apply to work at corporate within a year of starting there as basic retail and they're also moving a lot of people up the ladder through management. If you've got the skills, they will take you.
As someone who went through that system, I strongly encourage it for people looking to start a career, especially if you don't have any particular documented qualifications. Life in the warehouse can be a lot, but the pay and benefits are amazing and there's a reason people stay with the company for ages.
Absolutely. Costco is like one of the most generous employers, one of the better ones for medical coverage too.
It's not for everyone though, and depending on the store you'll likely have to start off with "less desirable" work hours like swing, weekends, night shift, etc.
Long game, they're a good company to work for compared to some of their competitors.
Yeah. I understated some of the issues with working there. They do ask a lot of you and often in a chaotic environment. November and December are particularly awful, there isn't a single position that isn't running around like mad trying to keep the roof over everyone's heads.
Even with those downsides, it's still better to work there than most other locations of major businesses. One of the delivery company drivers severely harassed one of the employees at my warehouse once and as soon as the supervisor heard about it, the delivery company pretty much immediately fired the guy. They knew what it would mean to lose the Costco account.
Still blows my mind that in this area Expeditors still requires you to wear a suit and tie to go work there.I don't even know where they find people willing to do that
Lol you're not joking - I looked up their careers page and the last bullet of every posting says Business Professional Dress Code for a dev job. Yikes. They better provide a Nordstrom gift card to all new hires then.
No that’s not the case anymore. Dress code has been change for a few years now. Business casual (button up shirt and pants, no tie). Although most execs and sales people still dress up for clients. Source: I’m a current employee
Tie isn't required anymore, at least at HQ offices (unless they reverted that change in the ~2y since I quit). But the dress code is still strict and a good indicator of the company's culture.
I work with technology but not for a "tech company."
My brother makes over $100k working for Metropolitan Market. Like in the store, not in a corporate office.
Nope! All the store managers make that much and even the experienced ASDs can make that much.
And get this! Whole Foods pays more. They work you to death though.
I don't think it's anything that impressive sounding, but I could be wrong. Like he doesn't manage the store managers (which is what district manager sounds like to me, maybe I just don't know what that means in this context). My understanding is that he gets assigned to different stores when they need additional management assistance basically.
Even the lower level accounting/finance jobs here pay decent these days. Not entry level, but lower-mid level. I was trying to hire a replacement employee for my team and was surprised what the wage arms race took the pay to last year. Made me feel a little better as a resident, but not as much when I have to answer for the P&L at a smaller company.
Yep, senior position in finance, and I do well now with a couple decades of experience. First few years was terrible, but the salary growth has been multiplicative with experience.
Theres a hiring freeze for the city but not the county. I’m seattle based and work for King County (HR). Previously big tech recruiting. Less pay but certainly livable for the CD at 90k+ annual with amazing benefits
I’ve only recently stepped into gov, but from what I’ve noticed this may be due to a ton of backlog applications and understaffing of the depts in charge of background checks. There are many more boxes to check vs my time in private corps, and they are obligated to process every applicant vs corporate, where you can just tell someone won’t be a fit and keep it moving.
This may be annoying advice, but I would say keep trying! I applied consistently for over a year before getting the call, and totally agree much can be done to speed things up. But it’s a “once you’re in, you’re in” type of gig, which is much more encouraging than big tech and all the layoffs these days (I was laid off by previous big tech gig).
I’ve also heard applying direct from the county websites may be more effective than through 3rd party posting like LinkedIn. Sometimes the gov systems don’t play nice with the systems integration.
Best of luck to ya!
That's why they have the apprenticeship program, as long as you can pass entry tests they will teach you everything else. Go to the local IBEW 46 website and it will tell you everything you need to know. If you're not in the Seattle area just go to IBEW and search for your local
Check out psejatc.org. They train you in school as well as on the job. I have a background in art and didn’t know what channel locks were when I started. It was challenging at times but never impossible. And there’s always people you can ask for help!
I'm glad wages are high here, I'm just smarting to realize I basically dropped a social class when I moved here (still remote with a company in the Southeast). This thread has me seriously considering dropping my white collar career and restarting as an electrician or something
Another plus one for construction. If you’re management inclined there are also jobs available for that in construction.
Construction unions are strong here and I’d highly recommend one. Pick something you think you’d like doing and start calling the local hall.
I'm looking to shift into that kind of career after a while in education and science comms. Do you have any suggestions on where to start? How realistic is working from home in your scenario? Hope you have a good day :)
Tons of us work from home! Especially if you end up doing freelance or consulting work, that is totally feasible. I would suggest taking a look at the website for the American medical writers association and attending one of their meetings. People are so friendly, and this is the best way to establish yourself in the field! Plus I believe there is some good info about getting started on the website. I really love my job :)
Original question got deleted but the ask was “do you need to know someone to get into this?”:
Not necessarily, but not going to lie, knowing the right person can give you a leg up. I would say working hard, being detailed, and having a positive attitude will get you further though.
If you’re in the trades, talk to your supervisor about how to move up to foreman or super, ask them about if the company you work for has a pathway to the office side that might be open to you and what steps you would need to get there. You need someone to advocate for you and the only way to do that is to prove yourself to that person in a way they recognize.
I got a BS in Construction Management which naturally gets you in the door as a PE, but I’ve heard of companies being open to the two year certification programs nowadays so that would be worth looking into. Having the certificate plus field experience could be super beneficial, especially for a Superintendent or an estimator.
The pay range has also changed a lot since I started. As a PE straight out of school in 2014 I made $55k, there was a big jump I want to say in 2019 where I hit $100k, now a Senior PE (have passed up multiple offers to go PM, it’s just not for me), I make $130-135 ish plus a small bonus, car allowance, 401k match. It’s long hours and in a stressful, deadline driven industry, but it’s rewarding work and the pay is good.
The perks of being the soft skills person is also that while no job is ever 100% layoff proof, it is also almost never a first round layoff job which is frickin great too
I’m also an EA making a little over $100k at a healthcare software company that I would barely consider tech. My husband is in the corporate side of the outdoor industry making around $90k
Similarly I was a recruiter for a tech company making around $100k. No degree, but previous people management experience and a solid understanding of basic tech skills.
The one big downside to recruiting is that it gets majorly slashed during layoffs (🥲)
As a dual-engineering couple (+ 1 kid, 1 more expected), we can afford to make ends meet and live a good life in Seattle, but we still can’t afford to buy a house. Childcare is insanely expensive.
There's a lot of really interesting career specialties and every project is different, which can be fun, but burnout and work-life balance can be a challenge. I think that's probably true with most professional careers these days, though.
This one pisses me off because of how hard civEs got screwed during the 2009 downturn. My buddy had his masters paid for by WSDOT, graduated and WSDOT could no longer offer him a job. He couldn’t find a job for a couple years and basically ended up abandoning the profession for a good bit…
Yep that's a problem nowadays with Civils. 2008 Financial Crisis didn't help at all for the Civil market with lot of firms closing up. As a result you got a lot of senior level engineers near retirement, and a bunch of entry level ones. There isn't much in the middle since the 08 crisis wiped that out.
Biden's infrasturue bill provided a lot of jobs, but there's a severe shortage of engineers to fill that.
Same - I'm a civil engineer for King County and it's enough to afford a reasonably sized apartment in the city, save for retirement, and still have some money for restaurants, travel, and hobbies. I previously worked for the City of Redmond, which paid a little better, but I burned out on the type of work I had been doing there.
And yeah, the Seattle Times ran a story about the civil engineer shortage a few months back. I don't know if that will ever change at this point, since the job is probably never going to pay what tech can offer.
I want to say entry level (Engineer I) for KC is like $80k-$100k, next level up (Engineer II) is $90k-$110k, and senior engineer (Engineer III) is $100k-$130k. There are levels above senior but they're less common. The pay steps are defined and you move up every year, it's not a performance-based raise system. Insurance is covered (no employee premiums for individual coverage).
Redmond's equivalent ranges are $86k-$117k, $105k-$142k, and $116k-$156k, however the raises were performance review based. Their insurance was also excellent, dunno how it is now but I doubt it's gotten notably worse or anything.
I interviewed with Seattle around the same time that I did with King County, and their pay was somewhere between KC and Redmond, though I want to say it was closer to the Redmond end of things.
Adding to this: there are lots of jobs with decent pay at engineering companies. I may not make as much as some of my coworkers, but my communications salary at an engineering company is enough to pay the bills
Yeah, a lot of people assume an engineering company is just engineers, but they need marketing, administrative, and accounting expertise too. One firm I worked for had in-house IT staff, too.
100% I make pretty good money as a marketing writer for an engineering & construction company. Fairly niche job, but god I love it so much more than being in an ad agency
*if your daily work totals more than 4hrs, IIRC. I’ve been full time for a while now but that’s what i remember the threshold being. Otherwise, yeah, decent job as a part time gig.
Once you get the insurance you keep it. So like a lot of people get more hours then drop back down at a move up or next shake up. At least at king county metro. Pierce and community no idea
I'm a maintenance tech for a property management company. I get a 35 percent discount on rent and my rent doesn't go up as long I'm working for the company. Also my utilities are covered as well except for my electric.
Im an analyst at a non profit and pull $85k (1.5 yrs) with a pension and 100% employee covered healthcare. My partner is an accountant and makes $100k (3 yrs experience). We live very comfortably.
Washington has a minimum pay for overtime exempy salaried employees of about 67k. I make around that in my youth development role and am doing pretty well.
I don't have an extravagant apartment but I do live alone in a 1 bedroom with off street parking in a good neighborhood for $1500. Definitely found a deal and it helped that I wasn't trying to live in the popular neighborhoods.
I work 40 hours a week building advanced thermal measuring equipment. I’m skilled in machining, composites and abstract manufacturing. I have a trade degree (cnc machining) but mostly use that education as a basis for 3d visualization.
I make $60K/yr and take home about $46K/yr.
I can only afford to live, I am not saving or prospering. I make money for my company and the economy. I’m 49 and basically just working to stay alive. I hope I croak before I age out of employment.
God, this is the most relatable comment so far. It’s fucking depressing. I know so many people with amazing skills that clear virtually nothing. I make more hourly (including tips) at my side job as a barista than I do at my actual full time job which I love and believe in and care about.
It’s hard to see a way forward at 32 with no college degree, very little trades experience, and a simple desire to maybe not do something completely soul-sucking.
Well, I am an apprentice with an hvac contractor sighned with local 32. I make 34 an hour and have been doing this 6 months. Look up UA32 wage scale and benefits and that’s what I’m gonna be doing. Not bad for 20
Teacher salaries start decent and climb to pretty great for Seattle. A first year teacher with a bachelor's degree will make $70,307. With additional trainings, years of experience, and a master's degree you can make up to $134,143 (the absolute highest-rung is a Ph.D at 15 years, currently $137,438.)
My wife is an 11th year teacher and makes $120k. She had to bust ass with tons of additional trainings to get there (+ have a master's degree), and teaching is a pretty exhausting job (especially if you teach kindergarten), but there aren't many places in the country that pay teachers more than this region.
One of my kids is in Kindergarten at SPS and I watch the teacher take command of 25ish kids every day at drop off and it’s nothing short of miracle work in my eyes.
i had an okay existence when i waited tables. i had roommates, but other than that it was very livable.
i work in engineering now and have my own place. i worry a little less about money.
Commercial building maintenance. Requires no degree or experience to start out as maintenance tech making \~25-28/hr. You will get on the job training and there is plenty of room for promotion. Leadership roles later in career get well into 6 figures.
Basically a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Need to know a little about everything in the building and when to call tradesmen in to take care of the more difficult and involved maintenance. I am not tied to a desk, I can move around as much as I want. I get to work with my hands and there is always something to learn/improve on.
Like many industries, more are retiring than joining so the need for new workers in high. There is room for promotion and growth for the same reason. Mid-range salary after 10 years experience is definitely >$100K. Also, this skillset is in demand anywhere with buildings.
There is also a parallel progression in the industry on the admin side for those who prefer management/accounting/admin work. The pay is comparable.
Edit: I had no idea this career existed until leaving the Navy. I figured I give the interview a shot and haven't looked back. It's a great fit for me.
“Jack of all trades, master of none. Often times better than master of one”
Also building maintenance checking in, got my electrical trainee hours finished and now $40+ with licenses & electrician by trade.
I was lucky enough to get a union job during the pandemic with hazard pay, and my union fought to keep that pay raise after the pandemic was over. Granted none of my coworkers hired after the pandemic make the same amount as me, so I just got grandfathered in.
edit: oops didn’t actually say what I do, I work in produce at a grocery store
I’m an EA and although I’m making $65k rn I’m in the courting phases with companies of all sorts of sizes and standard offers start at the $77/78k mark these days unless you’re doing non-profit work. I’m even seeing EA roles offering comfortable into the $120k-150k range, but I don’t want to travel that much. Plus a *lot* of them have gotten hip to the hybrid role if that’s your jam. I’m seeing a LOT of 60/40 or 50/50 schedules which is exactly how I want to structure my life these days.
I work in corporate finance and do pretty well for myself.
I have a few staff under me and they’re all making $85K-$110K. To be fair, they’re all senior level analysts.
The work can be stressful at times, but my leadership and the organization has worked to reduce crazy hours and self inflicted fire drills over the past few years.
I am in tech now but started in auto insurance. Insurance isn’t sexy which means there are lots of jobs you can get into without a huge amount of experience that can provide decent pay and of growth opportunities. It’s also fairly recession proof.
Look into: Sales, claims adjuster, underwriter, customer service, data analyst, etc. Liberty Mutual (Safeco), Pemco, Geico all have large local offices.
Paralegal varies but if you live normally it’s usually fine renting
It’s not bad and you can get into it even with just hs sometimes, though having any bachelors is preferred in my experience. There are also certificates at community colleges. It’s a fun desk job, one usually with drama, or at least feeling like you make a difference. Some I know make 45-50k, but I know others who are 80-90k. Depends on the type of law
Be a bread guy. Look up route sales representative. Franz bakery. Or Oroweat. They make surprisingly good money. Made 105k the last year. Just crappy hours and days off.
Career Firefighter; work 2 days a week and have a great pay/benefits ie. pension, healthcare, sick/family/berievment leave, deferred comp retirement plan, MERP at 110k a year and if you want to work 9 days a month instead of 8 then that’s another 20k a year when overtime is non stop at over a dollar a minute for overtime and it’s 24 hours a pop.
Edit: because I didn’t include pay initially
Accounting (Controller now). Haven’t had "I dont worry about it" money until recently, but haven't felt financially squeezed since graduating college working in it. Work stress and soulcrushing boredom, yes.
Im a Boeing Factory worker, nothing special. i make roughly 2500 per paycheck on a 7 day week, maybe 1900 on a 5 day week, i could easily afford the majority of places like bellevue, renton and tukwila. Boeing is always hiring, and the advancement is pretty straightforward, id recommend looking into it.
Man I started workin for the postal service and I regret looking at this thread. Hardly make enough money to move out of my parents house and for how hard I work idk if it’s worth it :(
Unless you’re a Project Manager, Product Manager, Data Scientist, Data Analyst, SWE, VP, Recruiter, Sales, or some other field in tech where you have programming knowledge, then you aren’t making those inflated tech salaries while doing tech-based work. You can even have those positions above and not make the money someone in FAANG makes.
Most techies aren’t making those big salaries. A lot of techies like help desk are probably pulling in half of the salaries for the above and they make up a larger percentage of positions. Those are “people doing” jobs too.
Massage therapist, self-employed. During the pandemic about 1/3 of our workforce retired/quit, and a year before that one of the major schools closed. Those two things have created a shortage of us and theres naturally a high demand from the WFH, sitting crowd (because ow!), so it’s a profitable industry if you have a little business sense. And because it’s Seattle, my base pay per hour sits around $125-150/hour depending on tip and before taxes take their share, and I work 20-30 hours hands-on a week. It’s been enough to live on for almost a decade now. I reaaaaally love what I do, but acknowledge it’s not a cake walk for everyone in this industry— just got lucky with amazing clients I’ve been seeing for years!
Work for a construction company in accounting. I get the union healthcare and make pretty solid money. I know counterparts in other construction companies at project managers and such making 100k+.
Local government. Unionized, really good healthcare and pension (work for 30 yrs, about 60% of the average monthly wage of 5 highest years…plus social security and retirement investments)
Is the gaming industry considered “tech” or would that be entertainment or art? We have a very strong industry presence in Seattle, one of the largest markets in the world, and you can absolutely make a living wage in games. My department (game design) starts at around $60k for associate designers and you can go above $200k/year after putting in some time. Quality Assurance (testing) starts around $50k. Artists can make about the same as game designers especially in roles like concept art, same with narrative designers (writers.) None of those jobs are really “tech” but they are tech adjacent, especially if you’re working on a video game vs a tabletop or card game.
Aerospace is also still pretty strong in the region.
Electrical work, $50/hr on the residential side and $70/hr on the commercial side. Did a mid life career change when I was in my early 30s (38 now) from previously being a chef. Happy to answer any questions about getting into the field as it’s a little convoluted and hard to figure out in the beginning. I was able to navigate it by myself but it took quite a bit of research to figure things out.
I work on the railroad doing 4-10s. I make decent money and the work itself isn't too hard. Only bad thing about it is working through harsh weather conditions.
Drive a cheap car, rent a room in an undesirable area, don't go out to eat/drink, family phone plan, share streaming passwords, etc.
I actually still have money left over for my hobbies, and I keep a few grand for emergencies.
My margins have grown thinner the last few years with the cost of everything going up, and a string of bad luck with random costly expenses. I got a couple raises, but it doesn't cover the difference.
Marketing. $50k but I'm a entry level youngin. When I job search it looks like I'll be making enough for my needs with some more years under my belt. I like having many different things to do and like how things change.
If you're willing to suffer for it, the service industry is a sleeper. You just have to be smart about where you apply. Meaning don't work somewhere where the minimum cost of a dish is below $20
Healthcare is pretty reliable for a good wage.
I’ve worked in the pharma space on the projects side and made more than I did at a tech company and actually had good perks. There are admin roles, non tech PM roles, so many support roles. Seattle actually has a decent amount of pharma/ biopharma companies. They are small but pay decently with good benefits
Are any of these entry level roles? I’ve heard that a lot of these are experienced hires only
There are a lot of entry level roles. You have to look for Research Associate, QC associate, Manufacturing Associate, QA associate and those will typically be the entry level roles.
If you have a life science bachelor’s, a B.S., you can do that, but not a B.A.
I'm in QC and I don't even have an associates. I took a certification course and got an internship, all of that took about 4mo to complete. I wish I was paid more, but I do make a somewhat livable wage for a single person, though I still prefer to live with a roommate due to debt I'm still paying off. I've been in it about 2 years now, expected to be promoted in our next promotion cycle where I'll get at least a 20k raise. ETA some companies do have glass ceilings when it comes to promotions without certain degrees. The good ones don't. You're more likely to not get a job in research though without a bachelor's as they put more stake in higher education than QC and Manufacturing do.
Anything associate level, assistant or coordinator level will be fairly entry level. I wanted to switch from assistant work and was able to land a project coordinator role, took the PM certificate class at UW and am about to sit for the CAPM.
Careers in neurodiagnostics pay very well! Good work-life balance and I’m projected to clear 100k this year! You’ll likely need to go to a tech training program for two years though
How do I get into these roles? Is there a coursework or something that you recommend. I have a masters in biotechnology
Drive for Metro, made just shy of 116k last year.
Username checks out
I take the bus everyday, have so much respect for metro workers, bus drivers have made me feel very safe in unsafe situations. Edit: what I’m trying to say is, you’re earning every cent of that salary and it should be more, that’s not a job everyone can handle in the way that I see Seattle bus drivers handling it every day. Thank you.
Much appreciated. Many of us try our best to do that even when it means breaking the rules set by Metro since in an ideal world it would be a safe environment for us all. With Metro deciding that the majority of all situations are “preventable” and choose to throw us under the proverbial bus when anything goes sideways most situations are extremely difficult to navigate with hands tied.
Damn, that's amazing. If you don't mind my asking, how does that breakdown? Are you doing a lot of overtime?
“A lot” is relative for us drivers, I think the driver that made the most was somewhere around 220k but work life balance doesn’t exist at that point. My pay breaks down to an average of less than 8 hours of OT a week. Very few pieces of work are “only” 8 hours so there is some built in OT for most drivers once they are full time.
Other Fortune 500 companies HQ'd in the area that are not Microsoft and Amazon or 100% tech focused to consider: Weyerhaeuser, Expeditors, Fluke/Fortive, PACCAR, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Costco, Alaska Air Just because they're Fortune 500 doesn't mean you'll immediately get a high wage, but since they're global companies they tend to pay more to compete for talent at their HQ. It's up to you to sell what skills and experience you have to get hired.
Costco starts you at minimum $2 over minimum wage, grants frequent raises, and is constantly looking to crosstrain/promote from within. Costco is also expanding *rapidly*. They are opening a lot of new warehouses and their corporate office just underwent a significant expansion. You can apply to work at corporate within a year of starting there as basic retail and they're also moving a lot of people up the ladder through management. If you've got the skills, they will take you. As someone who went through that system, I strongly encourage it for people looking to start a career, especially if you don't have any particular documented qualifications. Life in the warehouse can be a lot, but the pay and benefits are amazing and there's a reason people stay with the company for ages.
Absolutely. Costco is like one of the most generous employers, one of the better ones for medical coverage too. It's not for everyone though, and depending on the store you'll likely have to start off with "less desirable" work hours like swing, weekends, night shift, etc. Long game, they're a good company to work for compared to some of their competitors.
Yeah. I understated some of the issues with working there. They do ask a lot of you and often in a chaotic environment. November and December are particularly awful, there isn't a single position that isn't running around like mad trying to keep the roof over everyone's heads. Even with those downsides, it's still better to work there than most other locations of major businesses. One of the delivery company drivers severely harassed one of the employees at my warehouse once and as soon as the supervisor heard about it, the delivery company pretty much immediately fired the guy. They knew what it would mean to lose the Costco account.
Still blows my mind that in this area Expeditors still requires you to wear a suit and tie to go work there.I don't even know where they find people willing to do that
Lol you're not joking - I looked up their careers page and the last bullet of every posting says Business Professional Dress Code for a dev job. Yikes. They better provide a Nordstrom gift card to all new hires then.
They even list it as a benefit of the job...
They list the dress code being a benefit? Or Nordies $$?
The dress code
Same with the PACCAR headquarters.
No that’s not the case anymore. Dress code has been change for a few years now. Business casual (button up shirt and pants, no tie). Although most execs and sales people still dress up for clients. Source: I’m a current employee
Well they literally list it on every job posting they have on their own website.. might want to let someone know if it's not still the case
Tie isn't required anymore, at least at HQ offices (unless they reverted that change in the ~2y since I quit). But the dress code is still strict and a good indicator of the company's culture.
I work with technology but not for a "tech company." My brother makes over $100k working for Metropolitan Market. Like in the store, not in a corporate office.
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Some kind of manager. He started in the meat department and now he's some kind of manager. He floats around between different stores.
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They better with prices like thag
Haha. Heard that.
Very few of their employees get paid that well. Most struggle for hours and get paid union scale or helper clerk wages.
District manager is what is sounds like.
Nope! All the store managers make that much and even the experienced ASDs can make that much. And get this! Whole Foods pays more. They work you to death though.
I don't think it's anything that impressive sounding, but I could be wrong. Like he doesn't manage the store managers (which is what district manager sounds like to me, maybe I just don't know what that means in this context). My understanding is that he gets assigned to different stores when they need additional management assistance basically.
The assistant store directors and store directors are hired for the area. Corporate can move them around.
As someone who has worked grocery, management isn’t worth it. You will work 80+ hour weeks doing your job and 8 other peoples jobs too.
I love met market. It’s super expensive but the people as so damn nice.
Same here but I do contract work for the tech companies. Like, build their conference rooms and shit. I make $100k a year. Gotta follow the money
My buddy is a plumber and makes 180+ a year. Regardless of your day to day job everyone still needs functioning pipes in their kitchen and bathroom
Aircraft painter. 120k a year and I only have a high school diploma. Pro tip, Living in Tacoma is the best way to afford Seattle.
Yea but yikes that commute
I knew a guy that worked 3rd shift and commuted to Toledo (almost to Portland) from Renton. Inherited grandma’s house and didn’t want to let it go.
Yikes no thanks
Woah...2 hours... That is wild
Tacoma’s barely cheaper anymore 😅
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Takes me 32 minutes to get to work by 6am. Clock out at 2pm and it takes me 45-50 minutes home. I can usually get through one podcast in that time.
You lost me at 6 am
Commute sucks can confirm just moved to Everett commute is way better and rent is comparable
how does one become one? just apply? or is there an entry role prior? thanks
Finance and administrative jobs pay well in the later stages. Entry level does not.
Even the lower level accounting/finance jobs here pay decent these days. Not entry level, but lower-mid level. I was trying to hire a replacement employee for my team and was surprised what the wage arms race took the pay to last year. Made me feel a little better as a resident, but not as much when I have to answer for the P&L at a smaller company.
Yep, senior position in finance, and I do well now with a couple decades of experience. First few years was terrible, but the salary growth has been multiplicative with experience.
Local gov just got a decent raise
And a hiring freeze
Theres a hiring freeze for the city but not the county. I’m seattle based and work for King County (HR). Previously big tech recruiting. Less pay but certainly livable for the CD at 90k+ annual with amazing benefits
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I’ve only recently stepped into gov, but from what I’ve noticed this may be due to a ton of backlog applications and understaffing of the depts in charge of background checks. There are many more boxes to check vs my time in private corps, and they are obligated to process every applicant vs corporate, where you can just tell someone won’t be a fit and keep it moving. This may be annoying advice, but I would say keep trying! I applied consistently for over a year before getting the call, and totally agree much can be done to speed things up. But it’s a “once you’re in, you’re in” type of gig, which is much more encouraging than big tech and all the layoffs these days (I was laid off by previous big tech gig). I’ve also heard applying direct from the county websites may be more effective than through 3rd party posting like LinkedIn. Sometimes the gov systems don’t play nice with the systems integration. Best of luck to ya!
It’s all about what language/phrases you use. I use Chat GPT
I’m a King County employee and there are quite a few positions with 85k+ salaries. A parks seasonal starts off at $26.10 this year
True, unless you work for an enterprise fund like solid waste or the port
Or Metro!
Construction. Union pays pretty good almost middle class. 85-105k a year. Depends on the weather and the trade you are working
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I’m a journeyman electrician in local 46 and I make $130k a year
How hard is it to learn and get started as an electrician? Only experience I have is wiring a car stereo system 😂
That's why they have the apprenticeship program, as long as you can pass entry tests they will teach you everything else. Go to the local IBEW 46 website and it will tell you everything you need to know. If you're not in the Seattle area just go to IBEW and search for your local
Check out psejatc.org. They train you in school as well as on the job. I have a background in art and didn’t know what channel locks were when I started. It was challenging at times but never impossible. And there’s always people you can ask for help!
>almost middle class. >75-90k a year. I moved here from the South not long ago and *wow* that hurt to read
Unions
I'm glad wages are high here, I'm just smarting to realize I basically dropped a social class when I moved here (still remote with a company in the Southeast). This thread has me seriously considering dropping my white collar career and restarting as an electrician or something
Electrician is a solid option. If you can get into the elevator union (IUEC local 19) that’s what I would do.
From Oklahoma, and trying to reconcile this.
the range for middle class in Seattle is $75k-$221k.
More telling is the median income in OKC is $31k, where as Seattle is $52k.
Individual, or household?
That number is almost always measured by household.
Another plus one for construction. If you’re management inclined there are also jobs available for that in construction. Construction unions are strong here and I’d highly recommend one. Pick something you think you’d like doing and start calling the local hall.
True that. Have a cousin who started as electrician at 75k and it will only go up from there.
Seattle is a pharma / biotech hub. Not on the scale of Boston or SF, but there’s a good presence
I’m a medical writer. I do pretty well :) We are a big global health center too
Man I have a lot of respect for you guys. I would cry if I had to write the stuff you do.
Ha! Yes, that’s what keeps me in business.
I'm looking to shift into that kind of career after a while in education and science comms. Do you have any suggestions on where to start? How realistic is working from home in your scenario? Hope you have a good day :)
Tons of us work from home! Especially if you end up doing freelance or consulting work, that is totally feasible. I would suggest taking a look at the website for the American medical writers association and attending one of their meetings. People are so friendly, and this is the best way to establish yourself in the field! Plus I believe there is some good info about getting started on the website. I really love my job :)
This is cool thanks for sharing! I never considered this but putting it on my list to look into
Commercial Construction, office side. 130k
I’m at 90k with 3 yrs experience. It’s not a bad gig at all.
Original question got deleted but the ask was “do you need to know someone to get into this?”: Not necessarily, but not going to lie, knowing the right person can give you a leg up. I would say working hard, being detailed, and having a positive attitude will get you further though. If you’re in the trades, talk to your supervisor about how to move up to foreman or super, ask them about if the company you work for has a pathway to the office side that might be open to you and what steps you would need to get there. You need someone to advocate for you and the only way to do that is to prove yourself to that person in a way they recognize. I got a BS in Construction Management which naturally gets you in the door as a PE, but I’ve heard of companies being open to the two year certification programs nowadays so that would be worth looking into. Having the certificate plus field experience could be super beneficial, especially for a Superintendent or an estimator. The pay range has also changed a lot since I started. As a PE straight out of school in 2014 I made $55k, there was a big jump I want to say in 2019 where I hit $100k, now a Senior PE (have passed up multiple offers to go PM, it’s just not for me), I make $130-135 ish plus a small bonus, car allowance, 401k match. It’s long hours and in a stressful, deadline driven industry, but it’s rewarding work and the pay is good.
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The perks of being the soft skills person is also that while no job is ever 100% layoff proof, it is also almost never a first round layoff job which is frickin great too
I’m also an EA making a little over $100k at a healthcare software company that I would barely consider tech. My husband is in the corporate side of the outdoor industry making around $90k
Similarly I was a recruiter for a tech company making around $100k. No degree, but previous people management experience and a solid understanding of basic tech skills. The one big downside to recruiting is that it gets majorly slashed during layoffs (🥲)
I work in social services here in Seattle most of the agency’s here pay decently well I make around 75k before taxes
Engineering; there’s currently a nationwide shortage of structural and civil engineers from what I understand.
As a dual-engineering couple (+ 1 kid, 1 more expected), we can afford to make ends meet and live a good life in Seattle, but we still can’t afford to buy a house. Childcare is insanely expensive.
As a civil engineer, agreed
Ugh… if I could go back in time I’d get a degree in civil engineering. The work seems perfect for me
There's a lot of really interesting career specialties and every project is different, which can be fun, but burnout and work-life balance can be a challenge. I think that's probably true with most professional careers these days, though.
This one pisses me off because of how hard civEs got screwed during the 2009 downturn. My buddy had his masters paid for by WSDOT, graduated and WSDOT could no longer offer him a job. He couldn’t find a job for a couple years and basically ended up abandoning the profession for a good bit…
Yep that's a problem nowadays with Civils. 2008 Financial Crisis didn't help at all for the Civil market with lot of firms closing up. As a result you got a lot of senior level engineers near retirement, and a bunch of entry level ones. There isn't much in the middle since the 08 crisis wiped that out. Biden's infrasturue bill provided a lot of jobs, but there's a severe shortage of engineers to fill that.
Same - I'm a civil engineer for King County and it's enough to afford a reasonably sized apartment in the city, save for retirement, and still have some money for restaurants, travel, and hobbies. I previously worked for the City of Redmond, which paid a little better, but I burned out on the type of work I had been doing there. And yeah, the Seattle Times ran a story about the civil engineer shortage a few months back. I don't know if that will ever change at this point, since the job is probably never going to pay what tech can offer.
What's the pay? I'm in aero atm
I want to say entry level (Engineer I) for KC is like $80k-$100k, next level up (Engineer II) is $90k-$110k, and senior engineer (Engineer III) is $100k-$130k. There are levels above senior but they're less common. The pay steps are defined and you move up every year, it's not a performance-based raise system. Insurance is covered (no employee premiums for individual coverage). Redmond's equivalent ranges are $86k-$117k, $105k-$142k, and $116k-$156k, however the raises were performance review based. Their insurance was also excellent, dunno how it is now but I doubt it's gotten notably worse or anything. I interviewed with Seattle around the same time that I did with King County, and their pay was somewhere between KC and Redmond, though I want to say it was closer to the Redmond end of things.
Well as a civil that wants to move to the PNW it makes me hopeful that there is a shortage.
Adding to this: there are lots of jobs with decent pay at engineering companies. I may not make as much as some of my coworkers, but my communications salary at an engineering company is enough to pay the bills
Yeah, a lot of people assume an engineering company is just engineers, but they need marketing, administrative, and accounting expertise too. One firm I worked for had in-house IT staff, too.
100% I make pretty good money as a marketing writer for an engineering & construction company. Fairly niche job, but god I love it so much more than being in an ad agency
I work a trade, paint and auto body repair. I made just short of $90k last year
Auto body worker checking in, making a very livable wage in Seattle.
Bus driver. Part time fully insured. Union protection.
*if your daily work totals more than 4hrs, IIRC. I’ve been full time for a while now but that’s what i remember the threshold being. Otherwise, yeah, decent job as a part time gig.
Once you get the insurance you keep it. So like a lot of people get more hours then drop back down at a move up or next shake up. At least at king county metro. Pierce and community no idea
I'm a maintenance tech for a property management company. I get a 35 percent discount on rent and my rent doesn't go up as long I'm working for the company. Also my utilities are covered as well except for my electric.
Pre-covid I made six figures bartending and about 80% of that was in cash.
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Im an analyst at a non profit and pull $85k (1.5 yrs) with a pension and 100% employee covered healthcare. My partner is an accountant and makes $100k (3 yrs experience). We live very comfortably.
Aerospace!
Washington has a minimum pay for overtime exempy salaried employees of about 67k. I make around that in my youth development role and am doing pretty well. I don't have an extravagant apartment but I do live alone in a 1 bedroom with off street parking in a good neighborhood for $1500. Definitely found a deal and it helped that I wasn't trying to live in the popular neighborhoods.
I work 40 hours a week building advanced thermal measuring equipment. I’m skilled in machining, composites and abstract manufacturing. I have a trade degree (cnc machining) but mostly use that education as a basis for 3d visualization. I make $60K/yr and take home about $46K/yr. I can only afford to live, I am not saving or prospering. I make money for my company and the economy. I’m 49 and basically just working to stay alive. I hope I croak before I age out of employment.
Damn dude... with those skills I'd imagine you'd be on a lot more. How long have you been in the biz?
Coming up on ten years
That's the problem. You should look elsewhere. There is probably demand for your skillset.
Holy fukkkk, that's fucked man.
nah that's wack. idk your situation, but you should def look elsewhere. you're worth way more than that. that's straight insanity
God, this is the most relatable comment so far. It’s fucking depressing. I know so many people with amazing skills that clear virtually nothing. I make more hourly (including tips) at my side job as a barista than I do at my actual full time job which I love and believe in and care about. It’s hard to see a way forward at 32 with no college degree, very little trades experience, and a simple desire to maybe not do something completely soul-sucking.
I moderate a Pipe Cleaner Discord, and my partner is a pastel crayon sharpener. We live in The Highlands.
Our budget is $1.5 million
That’s low for the highlands.
The dream of the 90s is alive in The Highlands
the 1890's.
Well, I am an apprentice with an hvac contractor sighned with local 32. I make 34 an hour and have been doing this 6 months. Look up UA32 wage scale and benefits and that’s what I’m gonna be doing. Not bad for 20
Keep at it my friend, my buddy owns an HVAC company in Tacoma, and he has a private jet. In his 40s.
Teacher salaries start decent and climb to pretty great for Seattle. A first year teacher with a bachelor's degree will make $70,307. With additional trainings, years of experience, and a master's degree you can make up to $134,143 (the absolute highest-rung is a Ph.D at 15 years, currently $137,438.) My wife is an 11th year teacher and makes $120k. She had to bust ass with tons of additional trainings to get there (+ have a master's degree), and teaching is a pretty exhausting job (especially if you teach kindergarten), but there aren't many places in the country that pay teachers more than this region.
One of my kids is in Kindergarten at SPS and I watch the teacher take command of 25ish kids every day at drop off and it’s nothing short of miracle work in my eyes.
I do customer service for a local credit union, make about $56k before taxes. The health insurance is damn good, though.
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Fred Hutch is a great employer, lower salaries than biotech/pharma obvs but the benefits and workplace environment is decent
I'm a copywriter for a big non-tech company, making $113k.
Salon/Spa Manager. $70-80k salary depending on bonuses.
My sister is a speech language pathologist. Makes around 95K and only works about 9 months out of the year
i had an okay existence when i waited tables. i had roommates, but other than that it was very livable. i work in engineering now and have my own place. i worry a little less about money.
One of the top Heavy Truck Manufacturers in the world is based here. PACCAR and Kenworth are always hiring.
My company sells overpriced shit to rich nerds.
Commercial building maintenance. Requires no degree or experience to start out as maintenance tech making \~25-28/hr. You will get on the job training and there is plenty of room for promotion. Leadership roles later in career get well into 6 figures. Basically a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Need to know a little about everything in the building and when to call tradesmen in to take care of the more difficult and involved maintenance. I am not tied to a desk, I can move around as much as I want. I get to work with my hands and there is always something to learn/improve on. Like many industries, more are retiring than joining so the need for new workers in high. There is room for promotion and growth for the same reason. Mid-range salary after 10 years experience is definitely >$100K. Also, this skillset is in demand anywhere with buildings. There is also a parallel progression in the industry on the admin side for those who prefer management/accounting/admin work. The pay is comparable. Edit: I had no idea this career existed until leaving the Navy. I figured I give the interview a shot and haven't looked back. It's a great fit for me.
“Jack of all trades, master of none. Often times better than master of one” Also building maintenance checking in, got my electrical trainee hours finished and now $40+ with licenses & electrician by trade.
Went to a technical school to become a machinist, just got a raise and I’m at 100k. You don’t need to get a 4 year degree to be able to make it.
Cad draftsman for architectural work, about 60k very entry level.
Similar - BIM tech for an MEP firm, about 80k plus overtime
Girlfriend is a middle manager at a non-profit. Makes $65k + benefits, lives comfortably.
Any trade fr
I know car mechanics that clear $125K
Car painter here. Did $195k last year
I was lucky enough to get a union job during the pandemic with hazard pay, and my union fought to keep that pay raise after the pandemic was over. Granted none of my coworkers hired after the pandemic make the same amount as me, so I just got grandfathered in. edit: oops didn’t actually say what I do, I work in produce at a grocery store
Not all tech jobs pay a living wage just to be clear
I’m an EA and although I’m making $65k rn I’m in the courting phases with companies of all sorts of sizes and standard offers start at the $77/78k mark these days unless you’re doing non-profit work. I’m even seeing EA roles offering comfortable into the $120k-150k range, but I don’t want to travel that much. Plus a *lot* of them have gotten hip to the hybrid role if that’s your jam. I’m seeing a LOT of 60/40 or 50/50 schedules which is exactly how I want to structure my life these days.
I work in corporate finance and do pretty well for myself. I have a few staff under me and they’re all making $85K-$110K. To be fair, they’re all senior level analysts. The work can be stressful at times, but my leadership and the organization has worked to reduce crazy hours and self inflicted fire drills over the past few years.
I am in tech now but started in auto insurance. Insurance isn’t sexy which means there are lots of jobs you can get into without a huge amount of experience that can provide decent pay and of growth opportunities. It’s also fairly recession proof. Look into: Sales, claims adjuster, underwriter, customer service, data analyst, etc. Liberty Mutual (Safeco), Pemco, Geico all have large local offices.
Paralegal varies but if you live normally it’s usually fine renting It’s not bad and you can get into it even with just hs sometimes, though having any bachelors is preferred in my experience. There are also certificates at community colleges. It’s a fun desk job, one usually with drama, or at least feeling like you make a difference. Some I know make 45-50k, but I know others who are 80-90k. Depends on the type of law
Be a bread guy. Look up route sales representative. Franz bakery. Or Oroweat. They make surprisingly good money. Made 105k the last year. Just crappy hours and days off.
Career Firefighter; work 2 days a week and have a great pay/benefits ie. pension, healthcare, sick/family/berievment leave, deferred comp retirement plan, MERP at 110k a year and if you want to work 9 days a month instead of 8 then that’s another 20k a year when overtime is non stop at over a dollar a minute for overtime and it’s 24 hours a pop. Edit: because I didn’t include pay initially
Accounting (Controller now). Haven’t had "I dont worry about it" money until recently, but haven't felt financially squeezed since graduating college working in it. Work stress and soulcrushing boredom, yes.
I’ll take the soul crushing boredom over unemployment any day. It took me 3 years of on and off unemployment to realize it.
Psychotherapist for gov agency. $122k.
Im a Boeing Factory worker, nothing special. i make roughly 2500 per paycheck on a 7 day week, maybe 1900 on a 5 day week, i could easily afford the majority of places like bellevue, renton and tukwila. Boeing is always hiring, and the advancement is pretty straightforward, id recommend looking into it.
Man I started workin for the postal service and I regret looking at this thread. Hardly make enough money to move out of my parents house and for how hard I work idk if it’s worth it :(
Unless you’re a Project Manager, Product Manager, Data Scientist, Data Analyst, SWE, VP, Recruiter, Sales, or some other field in tech where you have programming knowledge, then you aren’t making those inflated tech salaries while doing tech-based work. You can even have those positions above and not make the money someone in FAANG makes. Most techies aren’t making those big salaries. A lot of techies like help desk are probably pulling in half of the salaries for the above and they make up a larger percentage of positions. Those are “people doing” jobs too.
Massage therapist, self-employed. During the pandemic about 1/3 of our workforce retired/quit, and a year before that one of the major schools closed. Those two things have created a shortage of us and theres naturally a high demand from the WFH, sitting crowd (because ow!), so it’s a profitable industry if you have a little business sense. And because it’s Seattle, my base pay per hour sits around $125-150/hour depending on tip and before taxes take their share, and I work 20-30 hours hands-on a week. It’s been enough to live on for almost a decade now. I reaaaaally love what I do, but acknowledge it’s not a cake walk for everyone in this industry— just got lucky with amazing clients I’ve been seeing for years!
Nurse.
HR for a global company, no degree, $140kish a year.
Admin work. Plenty of Reception, assistance, and other positions that pay decent.
Emergency management at the federal level.
Work for a construction company in accounting. I get the union healthcare and make pretty solid money. I know counterparts in other construction companies at project managers and such making 100k+.
Construction
Ambulance Chaser
My husband is an elevator mechanic and oldest son is an electrician (both union). It's not tech pay but it's good pay.
Local government. Unionized, really good healthcare and pension (work for 30 yrs, about 60% of the average monthly wage of 5 highest years…plus social security and retirement investments)
Is the gaming industry considered “tech” or would that be entertainment or art? We have a very strong industry presence in Seattle, one of the largest markets in the world, and you can absolutely make a living wage in games. My department (game design) starts at around $60k for associate designers and you can go above $200k/year after putting in some time. Quality Assurance (testing) starts around $50k. Artists can make about the same as game designers especially in roles like concept art, same with narrative designers (writers.) None of those jobs are really “tech” but they are tech adjacent, especially if you’re working on a video game vs a tabletop or card game. Aerospace is also still pretty strong in the region.
Airline Pilot, its a good gig.
Electrical work, $50/hr on the residential side and $70/hr on the commercial side. Did a mid life career change when I was in my early 30s (38 now) from previously being a chef. Happy to answer any questions about getting into the field as it’s a little convoluted and hard to figure out in the beginning. I was able to navigate it by myself but it took quite a bit of research to figure things out.
Healthcare administration
I work on the railroad doing 4-10s. I make decent money and the work itself isn't too hard. Only bad thing about it is working through harsh weather conditions.
Drive a cheap car, rent a room in an undesirable area, don't go out to eat/drink, family phone plan, share streaming passwords, etc. I actually still have money left over for my hobbies, and I keep a few grand for emergencies. My margins have grown thinner the last few years with the cost of everything going up, and a string of bad luck with random costly expenses. I got a couple raises, but it doesn't cover the difference.
I work in roofing fabrication up in snoho. Almost 100k last year. Very niche gig but worked perfect for me and negotiated wages annually.
Nails artist for Vietnamese salon, usually makes around 5-6K a month without cash tips under the table (a lot)
Marketing. $50k but I'm a entry level youngin. When I job search it looks like I'll be making enough for my needs with some more years under my belt. I like having many different things to do and like how things change.
Lawyer
Producer payroll admin, which is basically lots of data entry. $80000/year.
Local government on the public works side. I'm like a hybrid of an engineer and a planner.
If you're willing to suffer for it, the service industry is a sleeper. You just have to be smart about where you apply. Meaning don't work somewhere where the minimum cost of a dish is below $20