Trainee appraiser. Salary: $25,000 (source)

You have that bachelor's degree in hand. Now all you have to do is work toward your licensing hours. It's just like getting your learner's permit all over again. Except this time, no braces. Yay.

Appraiser. Salary: $38,000

A small-market job is fine for now, but you're looking for greener pastures and the home that sits right in the middle of it all. You're starting to understand the valuable investment that owning land can be.

Appraiser, Ten Years. Salary: $52,000

You made the leap to a growing market that needed more appraisers in town. This time, you're working for you—and half of the new people in town.

Appraiser, Twenty Years. Salary: $63,000

Continuing your education sure paid off—you're now certified to appraise commercial properties worth up to a million dollars. Who says you can't mix residential and commercial appraising?

Appraiser, Thirty or More Years. Salary: $78,000

Your client list is miles long and generations deep. You can hardly drive around town without seeing a piece of property that you know almost everything about. The phrase "if these walls could talk" takes on a whole new meaning. All the walls speak to you now. Congrats, you've developed a superpower (sort of).