I went from making $9.50 an hour to almost $100K a year at UPS without having a college degree. I'm grateful that my 21 years at the company have paid off.

• A UPS worker says he started out making $9.50 an hour and now earns $100,000 at the company.
• He says seniority is very important at UPS and he's been with the company for 21 years.
• The delivery driver says new drivers may be disappointed since it takes years to earn the top wage.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 39-year-old UPS delivery driver from Arizona. They were granted anonymity for professional reasons, but Insider has verified their identity, employment, and salary with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.