Most people would love to know how to make $10k a month, right? It’s a nice round number that puts a comfortable life within reach just about anywhere in the country (or world!).
To you, it might represent being able to pay off debt, get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, buy a house, save for retirement, or simply make life better for you and your family.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage across all occupations in the US is around $58,000. If you figure out how to make 10,000 a month, you’ll be pulling in over double that number!
But let’s be real here… Learning how to make 10k in a month is no easy feat. It’s not going to happen overnight. Most likely, it’s going to take years of planning and training before you get there.
But as long as you’re determined, it’s totally possible to figure out how to make $10k a month with your unique set of abilities and passions.
Let’s check out all the info you need to know about making ten thousand dollars a month!
What does $10K a month really mean?
Before we get into how to make $10k a month, let’s break down what that amount actually means in real terms.
How much is it per day/week/year?
If you want to make $10k a month, how much do you have to make per day or per week? How much will you earn annually?
Without considering other factors like taxes and deductions, $10,000 a month works out to:
- $120,000 a year
- About $2300 a week
- $330 a day if you work all seven days or $460 a day with a five-day work week
It might help you to break the numbers down this way, so you can start getting “micro-wins” on your way to $10k.
For instance, you can start by brainstorming how to make an extra $20 a day, then $50, then $100,—until eventually, your daily income is $330+.
$10k a month pre-tax vs. post-tax
This is another important distinction! Do you want to take home $10k a month or simply have that much gross income before factoring in any taxes or deductions? That’s the difference between your pre-tax vs “real” pay.
Earning a pre-tax salary of $120k a year gives you a gross amount of $10k per month, but your take-home pay will likely be much less.
Depending on the state you reside in, your after-tax salary will be about $81-91,000 if you’re a single filer. That puts your monthly take-home amount at about $6750-$7600. Your paychecks could be even less if you have benefits like health insurance taken out of them.
If you want to understand how to make 10k in a month in a way that actually puts that much in your pocket, you’d probably need an annual income closer to $150,000+ pre-tax.
To keep things easy for the purposes of this article, we’ll be talking about how to make 10000 a month pre-tax.
Why $10k a month is different for everyone
Whether we’re talking pre- or post-tax figures, there are a lot of other things that can impact what $10k a month means for you.
First of all, are you in a single-income or dual-income household? If you have two income earners, it could be much easier to hit your target—whether it’s each earning $5k/month or a different split.
If you’re the only breadwinner for yourself or your household, the question of how to make $10k a month is all up to you to answer!
The other thing to consider is that $10k a month doesn’t stretch as far for everyone! For instance, you may have dependents like children and aging parents, so you aren’t just covering expenses for yourself and/or a partner.
But perhaps the biggest factor is location.
In Silicon Valley, you might be making $10k a month and still living in a closet! In low cost of living (aka LCOL) areas, you could afford a veritable mansion (although you should still be careful of lifestyle inflation, of course!).
Finding jobs and learning how to make $10k a month may be easier in HCOL areas, but the money also won’t stretch as far, so you have to weigh all the considerations.
4 best methods for how to make $10k a month
Now, let’s get to the money question: how to make the money! As you’ve probably guessed, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
Below, I’ll outline the four best methods for how to make $10k a month. It’s up to you whether you target one method or hustle extra hard to combine them!
1. Train for a high-paying career
For people who like a clear roadmap to follow, this is probably the most predictable path to making $10k a month. Target careers with high average salaries, acquire the necessary training, and start climbing the ladder, improving your skills and getting promotions and raises along the way.
Here are some of the highest-paying industries you can work in and examples of roles that will put you in the ballpark of $120k!
Medical
This should come as a surprise to no one! Doctors go through some years of medical school and take on heavy student debt, but in the end, they’re rewarded with some of the highest average salaries in the US.
And there are plenty of high-paying careers in the field without becoming a traditional doctor, too.
Since the goal is to make $10k a month, we won’t look at the very top of the scale (e.g. cardiologists and surgeons). Instead, here are some medical careers around the $120k/year range:
- Pharmacist - $128,570
- Optometrist - $124,300
- Nurse practitioner - $123,780
- Physician assistant - $121,530
If you want to help others, then this could be the perfect field for you. You could enter the field with a traditional nursing degree, then pursue a master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner or PA.
Tech
The technology industry is another huge source of high-paying careers. The beauty of tech is that there are so many different directions you can go in, and often the work is remote-job-friendly. That can enable you to earn a high salary from your home base in an LCOL city/town!
Some examples of how to make $10k a month with tech jobs include:
- Senior Java developer - $121,895
- Data scientist - $122,684
- Senior software engineer - $133,241
- Data architect - $133,597
You can formally study for a tech degree or self-teach coding and technical skills. Then, start in a more junior position, and climb up to more senior roles over time.
Sales
Are you a people person with a talent for persuasion? Sales is a field where your pay is directly tied to your success since they’re typically paid via base salary + commission.
Here are some top sales salaries:
- VP of Sales: $99,500-$151,000 per year
- Sales director: $65,000-$120,500 per year
- Surgical sales rep: $50,500-$130,000 per year
Since these roles are so variable, it’s hard to nail down average figures, but the most successful reps can certainly learn how to make 10k in a month or much more! Here are some tips for breaking into sales if you have no experience.
Legal
When we think of high-paying careers, doctors and lawyers are typically at the top! Learning how to make $10k a month is easier in lucrative fields like this.
Not every lawyer shoots straight to the top of the income range, though. For that, you’ll need to specialize in a high-paying legal role like these:
- Litigation lawyer - $121,213
- General counsel - $138,417
- Contracts lawyer - $139,167
- Employment lawyer - $141,753
In most cases, the path to top legal careers involves going to law school, passing the bar, and gaining experience as a junior lawyer first.
However, there are some states where you don’t have to complete law school to take the bar; instead, they require a mix of education and apprenticeship experience.
There are lots of other jobs that pay $120k or more, so you aren’t limited to the four industries above! And even if you don’t have a degree, you can learn high-income skills that position you for lucrative careers.
2. Work a day job plus one or more side gigs
This strategy involves a combination of effort. Maybe your regular career gets you part of the way to $10k, and you work side hustles, night shift jobs or weekend jobs to make up the difference. That way, you don’t have to go through years of extra school/training to learn how to make $10,000 a month.
Side gigs could be remote work or it could be gigs that get you physically up and figuring out how to make $10k a month by hustling. Examples include:
Freelancing
Marketing and selling your skills like writing, web development, graphic design, etc to clients online.
Blogging
Creating your own blog and monetizing it with things like sponsorships, ads, and affiliate revenue.
Virtual assisting
Helping a business owner manage their day-to-day logistics like emails, record-keeping, scheduling, etc.
Consulting
Offering your know-how to other individuals or companies in your industry of expertise.
Driving for delivery services/apps
You have your pick of taxi apps like Uber or Lyft, grocery delivery services like Instacart, restaurant delivery apps like UberEats and DoorDash, and more.
Bartending/waiting tables
This side gig can often be juggled on evenings and weekends, and the tips can really add up.
Walking dogs
If you love dogs and walking, this side gig will definitely keep you active, and you can manage it through apps like Rover and Wag!
Baking/cooking
You could start a local meal delivery service, be a personal chef on weekends, sell baked goods at farmer’s markets, etc.
For more, check out these unique side hustles that make real money!
3. Start your own business
If you’re full of skills, ideas, and passions, it could just be a short jump to turn a side job into a full-blown business. As long as your market research indicates that your business could scale to $10k a month or more in profit, this could be your path.
Several of the best business ideas for women include:
- Online stores through Amazon/Etsy/Shopify
- Design business (web, graphic, interior—take your pick!)
- App development
- Bookkeeping/accounting
- And more!
Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but it is a powerful way to put your income potential back into your own hands. (On the flip side, you’re also the one assuming all the risk, so make sure you have a solid plan.) Find out how to start a business from scratch and outline your business plan.
4. Build multiple passive income streams
The ultimate dream is to have money just flow in consistently with very little ongoing effort from you! Passive income involves doing the initial work to set yourself up and then letting your plan manage itself for the most part.
You earn some of the money, your money earns some of the money…dream team! It makes the question of how to make $10k a month much easier.
A few of the best passive income ideas include:
- Investing in stock funds and letting your money grow over the years/decades
- Publishing books/ebooks
- Buying & renting out real estate
- Renting out things you own (tools, cars, parking spaces, designer items)
- Building apps & software to sell
- Selling other digital products like courses or printables
Often, passive income methods do require your attention from time to time—updating your app, marketing your book, etc. But it typically won’t be anywhere near the level of a full-time job or even a side gig, so efficiency-wise it's great!
Start your journey to $10K a month!
Do you see any ideas that appeal to you right off the bat? It’s time to outline a plan for how to make $10k a month in a way that fits your abilities, passions, and needs.
Focus on gradually increasing your income over time instead of trying to go 0-100 and ending up disappointed or burned out.
Will you focus on a single high-earning career path, or would you rather mix and match the methods above? Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses, scope out opportunities in your area, and start experimenting to see what works for you!
To take it another step further, consider how to make a 7 figure salary and find out more about net worth!