Out of high school, I worked a service station for $1 per hour. Hot summertime, 100 degree heat, but I still enjoyed it. In college, I had a summer job at Texaco as a summer field assistant, for $500/month- big money! Once I graduated, Texaco offered me a permanent job as an exploration geologist for $1000 per month. Bigger money!
As time, and my career progressed, salary increased to multiple-$100,000's per year, not including perks, benefits, etc.
Now, I'm just a retired, old fart, enjoying bird hunting with my dog.
