I made over $225,000 in a year as a 27-year-old government contractor overseas — and got paid to travel in my free time

• Symoné Berry made over $225k working as an overseas US government tech contractor.
• While in Taiwan, she took a week off every month and received "rest and relaxation" pay to travel. 
• Berry sometimes worked 90+ hour weeks — the benefits were worth it to her but it's not for everyone.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Symoné Berry, a 31-year-old government contractor living in Atlanta. Her jobs and income have been verified by BI. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I always knew I wanted a government contracting job.