Employees on $300,000 a year reveal what they do for a living – but some admit they regret their choice

Employees share the careers that have earned them salaries of $300,000 AUD or more a year, but some say the money isn’t worth the stress.

From pilots to crane operators and even video game designers, workers have thrown themselves into the jobs that have given them a comfortable life.

However, some say that even though they earn a decent income, they “regret” spending countless, stressful hours at work instead of spending time with family and friends.

A Reddit user asked those who make more than $300,000 what they do for work and thousands were happy to share anonymously.

One of them said they make more than $360,000 as a private chef with a Michelin star.

‘Left the industry for this one family. They are not important to anyone. No NDAs. They just (own) a cybersecurity company. 25-40 hours a week,” they explained.

Another said they earn up to $330,000 as a crane operator, while another earns an impressive salary as a “salmon sperm trader.”

Facials and salmon sperm injections are popular beauty treatments that apparently have anti-aging properties.

The video game industry seemed lucrative, with designers and marketing executives raking in a lot of money.

Others said they earn six-figure salaries working in the legal profession, but warned others against entering the industry.

Many said they earn six-figure salaries working in law, but warned others against joining the industry: ‘I sacrificed a lot of family and personal time to make the money’

‘Divorce lawyer. Every day is another soap opera,” someone replied.

Another said: ‘Lawyer at a large law firm. Wouldn’t recommend it.’

‘Lawyer. But I sacrificed a lot of family and personal time to make the dough. Looking back, I regret the time lost,” wrote a third.

Working as a pilot was another common career where private jet and commercial airline captains said they made a lot of money.

‘Airline pilot here, it’s a good pay, but I do it because I enjoy it. You’d be surprised how many miserable people there are in this industry who make over $400,000 and still have financial problems,” one man said.

‘Captain of the airline. But I worked for dirt and ramen noodles for years,” replied another.

It’s not just desk jobs at companies that pay well; many traditional and physical jobs can also make money.

‘Roofer. Dirty roofer. Last year he made $486,000 with only a brother on the payroll making $120,000 himself,” one man wrote.

Another said they earn up to $330,000 as a crane operator and someone else rakes in an impressive salary as a ‘salmon sperm trader’

‘No leaks. No advertising, just word of mouth. It pays to be the best roofer in the state. Suck it up, unlicensed shinglers, and thanks dad for showing us the ways of the hammer.”

“Depending on my bonus, I might get $300,000 off this year. I am a senior level construction manager,” said a second.

‘Paintless dent removal. Fixing door dents and hail damage on cars,” someone else replied.

Construction project manager. It’s basically a hybrid role of sales, estimating and project management. That’s the only reason I can earn so much in my area without traveling. There aren’t many people who can do all three effectively,” another added.

Someone said they do AI research for a major tech company, while a user revealed they are a cancer researcher for a major pharmaceutical company.

‘Software Engineer at a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Alphabet/Google) company. I don’t really feel qualified, but I don’t plan on leaving until they fire me,” one user responded.

‘Software developer. Early school leaving. Went to a six-month coding bootcamp. The first job out of boot camp was $158,000. Eight years later, my total comp is $422,000. I work from home. I average less than 40 hours a week,” another revealed.