The Six-Figure Salary Goal is Garbage
Can’t we find better inspiration?
It’s everywhere now, the catch-cry of hustle culture, the dangled carrot of the six-figure salary. But is it really the red flag to be charging at? Or does it signal (more) suffering ahead?
There’s nothing wrong with setting goals — or money. Inevitably when you set objectives and work towards them you make sacrifices. What is lost with the normalisation of the 6-figure salary goal? What are the problems with its popularity?
It’s random.
When so many businesses currently operate online many people can be living and working from anywhere in the world. Getting six figures, even at the very bottom end, translates as radically different lifestyle opportunities. For example, how far does $100K go in New York compared to Chiang Mai?
Then there are all the variables on spending too. Having children, medical issues, sneaker fetishes, or serious drinking habits can all affect baseline expenditures. Finally, six figures is a huge span from 100,000 to 999,999. It’s so vague, and as a result, meaningless.
It’s so much hustle.
To start from scratch (it’s completely different if you start with wealth) and make your own six-figure salary, you have to sacrifice your…
