Hitting a Salary Wall

massdreams · March 2014

I seem to be at the point in my career where I'm hitting a wall with my salary. I work in higher ed on the administrative/student affairs side. I make an ok salary, especially considering I currently don't manage people, but it would definitely help our financial situation if I made more. I've been looking at other jobs, but it seems I have very limited options for a next step up in my career since those positions aren't as numerous, and people don't leave so quickly. Also, some of the next levels (depending on the school) want a doctorate, but I have zero desire to invest the time and money into that now, and I know the money will not really be worth it in the end. I have spoken with my manager about opportunities that might exist for me at my current school and let her know I'm interested in taking that next step, but I think something would basically have to be created for me. I think another challenge is that while I'm in eastern MA, commuting to Boston 5 days a week is not a realistic option for me (I would be absolutely miserable), so a lot of good opportunities are ruled out there. Has anybody hit this point in their careers? Do I just need to be patient and continue looking, or switch fields? I have no idea what else I could do if I were to switch...

rubber_chicken · March 2014

Does your school offer the opportunity for free education? My friends who work at universities have all gotten Masters for free, which is amazing.

I've hit the paywall in my current career, and have no opportunity at my organization to move up. I don't want to leave my organization, so I'm currently interviewing with other departments. Is that an option for you? Some depts make a lot more money - what about Development? There's a lot of opportunity there in the nonprofit world - my sister works in Development, and is aiming for a career in Health Care. If she keeps advancing, she'll eventually make six figures with great benefits.

itsmevkb · March 2014

I'm basically waiting for my boss to retire, which unfortunately might be another 5-10 years. At least for me there are still some (small) opportunities to take on more responsibilites so I might be able to get one more promotion before I try to take my bosses job but maybe not. Right now I try not to think about it too much as I know I'm not willing to make a career change at this point in my life and when it comes down to it, I really enjoy my job.

FemShep · March 2014

OP, I wouldn't say you're hitting a salary wall. You're making a conscious decision that the trade offs that you would need to make for a higher salary (going back to school, longer commute, etc) aren't worth it for you, and that's totally fine. I understand that you want a higher salary (don't we all!), but I think you're being smart about looking at the requirements that would go along with a higher salary and deciding they're not for you. Also keep in mind that while you may not want to make those trade offs now, there's no reason to say you won't in the future.

Cooper81 · March 2014

I'm a fed, and recently got a promotion to a GS level I know I'm going to be "stuck" at for a while. I moved up pretty fast in my 7 years, but I know to make that next jump-which is a much bigger deal- I'm going to have to put in some time, training, and look into taking some side classes. Even doing all that, my career progression is going to be much slower than it's been. Are there some training/classes you could take that would beef up your resume?

DiveFrog · March 2014

FemShep said:

OP, I wouldn't say you're hitting a salary wall. You're making a conscious decision that the trade offs that you would need to make for a higher salary (going back to school, longer commute, etc) aren't worth it for you, and that's totally fine. I understand that you want a higher salary (don't we all!), but I think you're being smart about looking at the requirements that would go along with a higher salary and deciding they're not for you. Also keep in mind that while you may not want to make those trade offs now, there's no reason to say you won't in the future.

This exactly.

I work as an engineer. I have basically maxed out in my field unless I make the jump to management within my company and start supervising a group of engineers, or become a project manager.

I could also potentially increase my salary by about 10% if I took a lateral move with a different company.

But, I weigh everything when I think about these decisions.The benefits package I have at my current company is really top notch. I have 5 weeks of vacation, very reasonably priced healthcare, matching HSA, 401k matching, a good bonus structure....which is all to say switching companies doesn't look too attractive.

At this point in my personal life neither does being a manager, who at our company easily work 60+ hrs./week, or a project manager that works similar hrs. and has to travel.

So for now, my choices (which are the best for me and my family) have halted my salary growth, but that doesn't mean in 5-10 years I still wouldn't want to change my choices and pursue a position that offers a better salary.

groovygrl · March 2014

I also am in a position where there is no room within my school to move up without a doctorate (and I also don't have the interest at this point in time) but depending on the size of your university maybe there is room to move to another school/dept/etc like someone else mentioned? Often switching like that can get you a bump in salary esp if you can negotiate it. Alternatively have you thought about leaving the academic setting? Maybe there is something in your area that would benefit from your skill set... do you know of things other ppl have done? Linkedin searching could maybe provide you with some info on career paths others have taken...GL!

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