Salary
Average Salary: $52,981
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,211,851
We've got good news and bad news.
First, the good news because we like it more and you have the chance to stop reading right afterward and keep that smile on your face for as long as you want to. The earning potential as a mortgage broker is massive. According to reported income data, many brokers are pulling a healthy six figures every year—and that's without a college degree (source). Sound too good to be true? Yeah...about that...we did say there was some bad news, too, remember?
The bad news is that your salary is likely to fluctuate like crazy. Lots of things can cause your earning potential to drop, including everything from a bad economic climate to how much time you decide you want to spend with your loved ones. (Unless the only person you love is yourself, in which case, bump this back up into the "good news" section.)
Since you work for yourself, most of your money is going to come from performance: one part ability, one part time spent working. Work nights and weekends, market yourself effectively, become a certified mortgage guru, and you may end up living in one of those remote European castles while bringing home upwards of $170,000.
Give it a lackluster effort, and you'll be the proud half-owner of a decrepit studio apartment on the wrong side of town struggling to pull $25,000. To be fair, though, at that point you probably knew better than to hire you as your mortgage broker.