s/o jobs and salary

LuvSD · June 2013

This is probably a pretty personal question but I am always so curious and would love to know some people's experiences.....

For those of you that make quite a bit of money (I am thinking $75,000 or more a year), how did you get there and how long did it take you?

I ask because I know within my profession it is possible to make a fairly good salary, even up in the 6 figures. I just don't really know how to get there or how long it will take.

Feel free to tell me to mind my own business if you want.

MomtobeNJ · June 2013

:::crickets:::

Kidding!

I don't know if this is helpful, but with my degree in my field I "could" be making 75k+ a year. I'm not, because I chose to work for a non-profit. But there are trade-offs that make the lower salary acceptable for me, especially now with the baby. I have a very flexible work schedule, a lot of paid time off, and good health benefits for myself (DD is under DH's plan).

If I were in a job that paid 75+ I would be working WAY more hours per week, and probably a lot more night and weekend commitments. It is something that I will probably move towards when DD gets a little older.

As far as what it would take for me to get there, I would say: an advanced degree, at least 10 years experience in my field, at least 5 as a manager or supervisor, and a proven record of successful program growth/advancement.

BPer · June 2013

I made over 75k at my last job, up from 40k at my previous job.

When I interviewed for the job, they asked me what I was looking for in terms of salary. I knew what the 'going rate' was for my role, and told them what I wanted, and surprisingly, they gave me $2500/year more.

hmp1 · June 2013

Not going to say what we make

DH got a big jump when he took the job in TN. One of the big reasons why we agreed to move here, away from our family. The company was pretty much told that they had to hire DH in order to keep their big client. DH was a little hesitant and the client told DH what they said to the company so he knew the ball was in his court. From the time the company first starting contacting DH to come work for them until he actually agreed was about 6 months. I always say the easiest way to move up in your career is to go to another company.

I have moved up a lot within my own company through a lot of hard work and late nights. Before having kids, DH and I worked all.the.time. I was often still in the office at 7pm, and you know what so was my SVP. He saw this and brought me up quickly. I get around a 5% raise every year plus my bonus increases every year along with the raises I have received with each promotion (5 promotions in 6 years).

ETA: I am kind of stuck as far as promotions are concerned for my current job. But that is fine with me. I could do what I do now for the rest of my working life and be happy. I am not near the ceiling of my job code's salary cap so I will still be eligible for raises for awhile. Honestly, I don't think my job is worth the salary cap so I don't expect for that to ever be an issue.

LuvSD · June 2013

BPer:
I made over 75k at my last job, up from 40k at my previous job.
When I interviewed for the job, they asked me what I was looking for in terms of salary. I knew what the 'going rate' was for my role, and told them what I wanted, and surprisingly, they gave me $2500/year more.

Wow. That is a huge jump from one year to the next. Congrats! Were you looking for a job that was paying that much more or did your years of experience put you there?

I would love to try to find a job that pays more but I am afraid to apply to certain ones because I think they are out of my league.

How do you get to a management job when you don't have any experience? Do I just have to find a company that will give me a chance? The CPA firm that I work for now is really small and there isn't much room for growth.

Bluebird2318 · June 2013

DH makes about 50k currently so we don't fit your description YET, but he's been looking for a promotion recently and is qualified/experienced enough that it's entirely realistic for him to have it within the next 6 months. At that point he should easily be making $75k+. He's been with the company (Verizon Wireless) for about 6 years. That would be about 4 years of working as a sales rep and about 2 years of assistant managing.

Gray99 · June 2013

My field of work starts at 6 figures if you have a Masters. It took me 2.5 years to get the required degree to get the job and pay raise.

Bluebird2318 · June 2013

Oops! Nevermind this. Went to edit my other post and accidentally quoted instead. Go me.

skyejo · June 2013

Total luck. I dropped out of law school after a semester becaue I hated it and ended up bartending for a couple months. That wasn't going to pay the bills so I started applying to every and any job. I ended up at a large brokerage firm in a shitty position. Fastforward a year, DH got a job out of state and I was able to transfer internally to a new position with much higher pay.

My pay is salary + monthly and annual bonuses. The higher producing team you're on the better your bonuses. I ended up with one of the best teams in our complex.

DH has a Masters in Engineering. His pay is largely tied to his performance and number of years employed. His pay has went up 60% in six years.

LuvSD · June 2013

mnkate:
hmp&mrj:
I always say the easiest way to move up in your career is to go to another company.
this is exactly how it worked for DH.

This is what I am thinking. There is a treasury analyst job at a huge manufacturing business that I want to apply for. They require 1-3 years of accounting experience, which I have. There is no salary specification but my H says even if it is a small hit to my salary now it may have better opportunity for growth in the future. I think I am going to apply on Monday and just see what happens. It would be a longer commute but it may be worth it.

BPer · June 2013

LuvSD:
BPer:
I made over 75k at my last job, up from 40k at my previous job.
When I interviewed for the job, they asked me what I was looking for in terms of salary. I knew what the 'going rate' was for my role, and told them what I wanted, and surprisingly, they gave me $2500/year more.
Wow. That is a huge jump from one year to the next. Congrats! Were you looking for a job that was paying that much more or did your years of experience put you there?
I would love to try to find a job that pays more but I am afraid to apply to certain ones because I think they are out of my league.
How do you get to a management job when you don't have any experience? Do I just have to find a company that will give me a chance? The CPA firm that I work for now is really small and there isn't much room for growth.

The job actually found me. Even though I was in account management, I made it a point to stay close to our VPs of Sales and Business Development, they always have the connections.

Our VP of bus. dev. knew that I wasn't really happy at my company, so when he ran into the VP of sales for a local competitor at a trade show, he offered up my name when they said they were looking for a Program Managers. Two weeks later, I had the job, and I was only 23 at the time, with less than 2 years' experience in my field.

I am a big proponent of making friends in high places, and not being afraid to leave one company for a better opportunity.

TCMom78 · June 2013

4 years engineering degree plus several years in industry, then 4 years law school, patent bar and two state bars later.... I was making 230 plus bonus in a big law firm. I started at 160, got raised each year up to the 230. After babies, I went to 80 percent schedule and salary. That said, I'd take another pay cut to work less. I still work over 40 hrs a week and feel like I'm at their beck and call, and am constantly feeling like I can't compete with the twenty something's that have no kids and work around the clock. I'm sure the money sounds great from the outside, but I constantly question whether I've sold my soul. There is no such thing as a vacation, because inevitably I am working remotely from wherever I am.

LuvSD · June 2013

TCMom78:
4 years engineering degree plus several years in industry, then 4 years law school, patent bar and two state bars later.... I was making 230 plus bonus in a big law firm. I started at 160, got raised each year up to the 230. After babies, I went to 80 percent schedule and salary. That said, I'd take another pay cut to work less. I still work over 40 hrs a week and feel like I'm at their beck and call, and am constantly feeling like I can't compete with the twenty something's that have no kids and work around the clock. I'm sure the money sounds great from the outside, but I constantly question whether I've sold my soul. There is no such thing as a vacation, because inevitably I am working remotely from wherever I am.

Yikes. Yes, the money sounds good but I don't think I would be able to handle that schedule.

LyndseylovesHugh · June 2013

I did before I became a SAHM, it took me about 5 years to get there after my bachelors, during that time I earned my Masters which helped jump me up. My H is an officer in the Army, his base pay is not over $75k but if you add up all of the other money he gets for things like housing it is equals over $75k. It took him about 4 years to reach the rank that brought him over.

LyndseylovesHugh · June 2013

BPer:
LuvSD:
BPer:
I made over 75k at my last job, up from 40k at my previous job.
When I interviewed for the job, they asked me what I was looking for in terms of salary. I knew what the 'going rate' was for my role, and told them what I wanted, and surprisingly, they gave me $2500/year more.
Wow. That is a huge jump from one year to the next. Congrats! Were you looking for a job that was paying that much more or did your years of experience put you there?
I would love to try to find a job that pays more but I am afraid to apply to certain ones because I think they are out of my league.
How do you get to a management job when you don't have any experience? Do I just have to find a company that will give me a chance? The CPA firm that I work for now is really small and there isn't much room for growth.
The job actually found me. Even though I was in account management, I made it a point to stay close to our VPs of Sales and Business Development, they always have the connections.
Our VP of bus. dev. knew that I wasn't really happy at my company, so when he ran into the VP of sales for a local competitor at a trade show, he offered up my name when they said they were looking for a Program Managers. Two weeks later, I had the job, and I was only 23 at the time, with less than 2 years' experience in my field.
I am a big proponent of making friends in high places, and not being afraid to leave one company for a better opportunity.

This! My first job out of college was at a non-profit, I loved it but made like no money. I did a lot of networking over the few years I was there and when a similar position at a for profit became available I knew the right people and got it, it more than doubled my salary, and during my years there I moved up into management. When we moved, I used my connections again to network and get into the company I wanted to work for. It is all who you know!

melody921 · June 2013

CaitlinH88:
DH makes about 50k currently so we don't fit your description YET, but he's been looking for a promotion recently and is qualified/experienced enough that it's entirely realistic for him to have it within the next 6 months. At that point he should easily be making $75k+. He's been with the company (Verizon Wireless) for about 6 years. That would be about 4 years of working as a sales rep and about 2 years of assistant managing.

Jumping in here to say Happy Birthday to your DD! She is adorable. As for salaries, I don't make 75K yet, but I did jump about $25K when I moved from news to PR. Being in a nonprofit, the salaries don't go as high, and we have a wage freeze right now. If they were to reinstate raises, I could see that in the next 5-7years, I'd think.

eshee8198 · June 2013

LuvSD:
This is probably a pretty personal question but I am always so curious and would love to know some people's experiences.....
For those of you that make quite a bit of money (I am thinking $75,000 or more a year), how did you get there and how long did it take you?
I ask because I know within my profession it is possible to make a fairly good salary, even up in the 6 figures. I just don't really know how to get there or how long it will take.
Feel free to tell me to mind my own business if you want.

I think mine is a combination of industry and experience. I think I hit $75K five years ago - I've been in the industry for 12 years. Honestly, a big part of it was hopping jobs when I was younger - I was able to get a much better pay bump by switching companies and negotiating a starting salary than through an annual raise. I make in line with the industry though - software isn't easy and it doesn't value work-life balance. Oh, and I only have a BA, if that matters.

GR8TDANEMOM · June 2013

My husband worked hard for years to get his job. He wanted to be a firefighter, got his bachelors, worked seasonal jobs and volunteered a ton, but everything shifted to big city departments wanting paramedic firefighters. He went back to school for over a year to be a paramedic. Between work and school I saw him a few times a month. After he finished school he needed 6 months to a year of experience as a medic so he had to work 6 hours from home and rented a room in a garage. He got his dream job at 28, 4 years out of college and went from making like 40k a year to 6 figures with overtime. He can move up in his job and make a lot more.

I went to school to teach elementary school so I never planned on making a bunch of money. Now I opened my own daycare and preschool and will make more then if I was teaching, because I don't have to pay for childcare.

PenelopePond · June 2013

DH is in calibration and got a two year degree from a technical school. He's been with this company for ten years now, and was promoted to branch manager in September. We was just a regular technician, but always learned anything they were willing to teach them. He also worked very hard and made it known he was interested in advancing. Now that he's branch manager and salaried he actually makes less than he was as a technician (he'd get like 40-70hrs of overtime a paycheck). I'm sure it won't be long before that changes. I won't say how much he makes, but it is over $75,000.

tinyhumantoe · June 2013

mnkate:
hmp&mrj:
 I always say the easiest way to move up in your career is to go to another company.
this is exactly how it worked for DH.
 

This x 49393948.

Or work your a off with 50 to 70 h work weeks and make yourself invaluable to your company, while keeping yourself on the market and networking. When you inform your boss of a new offer you are going to take, you will likely get a counter. I think you can pull that stunt once every 2 to 3 years. Make sure the offer is real though, because your "bluff" or not bluff could get called and then what are you going to do?

Of course it depends on the industry.

Eta: a MS degree [or higher, or addtl certifications] also bumps you up a bracket in my field.

VineyardMel · June 2013

So much depends on your field/degree. I have an MBA and just work in a field (marketing) where if you work for a large corporation and put in the hours you can get to $75K within 10 years. I worked for smaller companies early in my career and I think it probably would have taken longer. I agree that changing companies is a good way to get a bigger bump, as is looking for ways to change roles within a company (thinking large corporation here).

Flamingemu · June 2013

Honestly, we both got lucky. DH is an allstar IT guy. He was being recruited by another company and our partner found out and paid for him to stay.

We both have 8+ years of experience and have made ourselves well known. We also worked ridiculous hours pre-baby. We made a lot of concessions to get where we are. We could also probably both make much more if we jumped companies, but the benefits keep me put until I am done having babies.

steenbean18 · June 2013

I'm in a career that starts fairly high, depending on what you're willing to tolerate. I went to school for 7 years to get my degree and starting salaries range from 80 to 130k depending on whether you work hospital or retail pharmacy. I'm ok admitting that I make more because I'm in retail management and willing to be a corporate pawn who gets yelled at by customers occasionally. I don't get huge percentage raises though..1 to 2.5 percent per year maybe and a small bonus depending on performance.

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