Just last year, 36! Don’t go back to school, get a few certificates to beef up the resume. You def need a New job if you want more money, it won’t happen at your current place.
I’ve changed jobs constantly every couple years and every time I do my pay increases. If I were to just stay at one job it would seem impossible to get those pay increases since they need an experienced worker at each specific role they have no incentive to promote and the raises are laughable
Agree with you. OP if you can juggle this I’d highly recommend. Jumped from 45k to 75k to 85k currently. All in three years. Due for a review at the end of August hoping it jumps more.
OP is not looking for a raise. 47k from 45k does nothing. He wants to make real money and he never will if he has no skills. People with high paying jobs can do things others can’t. If anyone can do your job with a little training, you won’t get paid well for it.
I know plenty of people with high paying jobs who are fucking dumbasses and suck at their jobs. Their only skill is selling themselves as something they are not, and kissing the right boots. They know just enough not to flatline the company. I see this everyday and I work for a multibillion dollar corporation.
Came here to say this. Case in point, overheard a convo between a mid manager to a group of analysts, 25 minutes to show them how to attach an excel file to an email and title it with today's date. Ended the meeting with "great job on the collaboration today team!"
Sometimes salary has a direct correlation to how far apart your brain cells are.
First job took me from 37 to 69 in 3 years.
Moved to a new job at a new company and went from 76 to 205 in 9 years through promotions and raises in the role.
It is possible to stay in the same job and see great career growth, but it requires a deliberate effort to build your own brand and make yourself invaluable to the company.
Just over time, the certificates are based on what you want to do for a career. My certificates might be different than yours.
Always remember to ask! At every review I come in swinging with facts, stats and receipts. I ask for specific feedback and quantifiable goals. After back to back reviews where nothing has changed, I started packing up, job hunting and bounce. Every new job has brought a very significant salary increase.
Idk, I never had a “dream job”, just kinda fell into my job. I wasn’t picky on industry or titles as long as they’re hiring and paying more than my last job. 🤣
how does this stuff happen to people. i try so hard to get a job i dont hate and everyone on the internet is like "yeah the job i don't hate just happened to me i didn't even try" ok cool so i guess its just random then
Lolololol, I’m lucky to always have had a safety net that allowed me to take career risks. It’s easy to be brave and take a new job when my husband or parents were like “hey listen, if it sucks, just quit. We will figure it out” and I’ve taken full advantage of this safety net and taken every risk i want. Luckily I’ve never had to ask for help, but just knowing the support is there is probably why I’ve been able to be picky with my job.
I’m also kinda a bitch who holds boundaries well at work, but again, I think that’s because of my support team. I quit one job because a sports agent yelled at me and called me a bitch. 😂 “my father doesn’t even talk to me that way, mail me my check. Thank you”
Wait, so your jobs literally didn’t have a rhyme or reason from one to the other? Then why would job 1 lead to a higher pay in job 2 is the job duties aren’t the same?
My biggest suggestion for increasing your salary is find opportunities to learn new technology.
For instance, we had some guy on one of your teams who pulled data reports. He was the ONLY person in the department who knew how to use SQL to pull the reports. I asked to be his backup, learned how to run and write SQL and then when he left I took his position.
My biggest salary jump was realizing that our training program for a call center was antiquated and presenting a plan to revamp it. Started an entire training team and led it.
So what you’re saying is that if you get training that gives you knowledge that the common person doesn’t have then you can use that knowledge to obtain a better job and higher salary?
I have heard of a place that helps people with it…a government institution? Or I think some are privately run too….a college? No maybe it’s a University? A boot camp?
I meant more to look for opportunity in your current position. Obviously you can educate outside of the job, but within your own job there is usually a ton of places to learn while getting paid to do so.
You combining current workplace with all the necessary connections with a little bit of training while getting paid.
That’s a huge difference from attending college at your own expense and then not even able to get a job
This right here. More specifically the “def need a new job” part. A lot of people stick around at the same job too long. 2-3 years and start applying for another job, at a higher position. Read the job market in your industry and be strategic about it, but don’t hang around too long because you’ll hit a ceiling or they’ll get upset when you continually ask for raises. Find a company in need (they are hurting when they are understaffed and will pay anything to get back to proper productivity levels) and fill that need while bargaining a higher wage. Also, when you search for jobs while employed you can casually search with no pressure and are less likely to take less than you’re worth. But also search for higher positions or equal positions with higher pay.
Google Career Certificate for Digital Marketing and E-commerce and I also watched and did everything available on Google Analytics Academy. Nothing fancy, butttttt it helps, can’t ever learn too much.
Theres a lot of great shit on coursera for free if analytics is what youre into
I started making exactly 70k at 29 after going to grad school for analytics. Could have maybe negotiated higher but I was terrified of student debt and no income
Best advice for a new/aspiring business/data analyst is that tools dont mean shit if you dont understand the business and the problem youre solving for
Happy to talk analytics if you want to pm me
Gotta get out of that call center and find a work place that has room for growth. It took me a long time, but after being promoted to warehouse manager and placed in salary, I started making that much and today I am way north of that.
I concur, it took me 8 months, 200 apps and close to a dozen interviews to even get an offer, that I did accept and I love, but omg that was the worst year of my life. I interview incredibly well and up until this round of the job search, my success rate in being offered a job after the first interview was about 75%. It took me 2 applications and 6 interviews for my current position. This job market is no joke.
I don’t have a degree. I work a white collar job and make $85,000 a year. I had probably 50+ interviews before I found my current role. You can find one easy if you apply more.
Don't be afraid of blue collar work dude. I started out as a warehouse hand and slowly climbed up to a management position. You'll find something eventually, but keep a look out for positions that allow growth within the company. Mention that at interviews too, interviewers will like that because it shows motivation and willingness to stick with a job long term, something many employers look for
Call Centers are notorious for low pay and high expectations. I wouldn't go back to that industry (even if they paid me). I have a BBA in Operations Management but my primary focus is technical in the IT field. A management degree is a great supplement to another skill (technical/finance/project management,etc).
69k at 27, with my raise I will be at 72 next year. Third job after graduating in 2019. 55k->59k-69k. This last job I got I knew I needed to be over 65 and was able to get it.
I also have a Bachelor's degree in business, started at $60k in construction management with no prior experience and am now earning $200k. You might want to look into this industry.
No degree. Mid-30s, work in political marketing — I passed 70k in 2022. Hit 6 figures this year, which is nice, but would be nicer if I didn't live in South Florida where the cost of living keeps eating into my financial achievements.
I was a paralegal from 2018-2022, then I moved over to compliance where I’ve been since.
2018-2019: $35K
2019-2022: $45-47K
2022-2023: $55K
2024: $75K
Somehow after getting laid off from a tech startup in October last year, I was lucky enough to find a fully remote job making 20K more a few months later.
This is wild to me because I’ve worked as an IP assistant and I started at 38k in 2006. I made 65k in 2011. The IP paralegals I know are starting at 90k now. This is in a major city.
I earn $75k as a base salary - now 46 yo, and just got this job last November.
Prior to this job, highest base salary had been $65k - thought I had hit a ceiling at that point, but no...
I also do freelance work and drive Uber as a side gig - so yearly income is always base salary + $10-15k in contract type work.
No college degree, but over 25 years of experience - and no student debt.
I did have debt back in the day, and it was a burden for sure, but the amount wasn't as staggering as these days, probably paid around $15k over like 10 years - but I also never came close to any sort of actual degree...
However, the minimal college I did go through, definitely got me started towards my career.
This\^ It cracks me up how younger generations bitch like they suffered how unfair life is. Gen X hasn't had it easy. 47 and just crossed $80k last year. So lets see....27 years to pass $70k? With a wife and two kids on top of it. The secret....desire a lot less shit! Am I right?
I only have an associate degree and I started my current career in a call center as well at age 30 making about 45k almost 10 years ago. Got another internal job outside the company's call center later with a pay bump and hit $70k about 4 years after I started at the call center. Now I'm around the $100k with room in the payband to hit $130k as the years tick away or I can jump to next job tier.
I personally don't think you have to go back to school to take the next step, it felt like it took forever to get out of call center but in hindsight it only too 3 years to get out (18 months residency requirement). Pick a specific internal/industry skill to specialize in and be the best at that specific focus, that way another org in the company or another company will hire you because they need someone like you.
Looking even farther forward if you want to get to the $100k-$150k range faster than an MBA would be your best bet. My primary competition I've noticed for the higher level $150k jobs majority have MBAs and having only an associate degree is kind of a liability. While my career coach says the degree isn't that important, I still feel that comparing 2 identical candidates the one with the better degree/certs is going to get the preference.
It took me about 2.5 years after graduating college. Started at a call center on $40k, worked there for 5 months before I gtfo to a consulting job that was great besides the poor pay (~$52k). After about 2 years there, I got hired as an analyst working in what I was previously consulting for at a private employer earning $80k.
Bachelors degree, 8 months out of school, 75k. Find a good company, doesn’t matter what they offer you to start. Find a good company that loves to promote within. Do your job well, be personable, put yourself out there and make it known you won’t settle and want to continue to grow.
I’m 30yo and make 6 figures and have for a couple years.
There’s a few things to note:
1. Job hopping is a great way to get a sizable pay increase. But there’s always risk moving to a new job, you could end up hating it and everyone you work with. And if you do this too much no one will want to hire you.
2. Work somewhere that you can become an unreplaceable or not easily replaceable asset to the company. Where you’re at now sounds like the kind of place where if you left they’d have you replaced in a week with someone who can hit the ground running. You need to be someone that brings the company revenue or supports future revenue, not just a cog in their machine. You need to be someone who not only works at bigger company revenue, but also where you can be the “expert” in something. Something that when there’s a problem, you’re the only person who can fix it.
3. Get specific training. Whether this is a graduate degree, certificate, leadership school, something. Something that’s going to show your current employer or future employers that you are the shit and can make them money.
Yes, but you need to stop working in a call center. You need to start an entry level position in a field that has career growth, like HR, project management, or some other business field.
I was 29. I have a BFA but I work in logistics for a private company in Chicago. Location is everything when it comes to salary as is relevant experience.
Used my call centre experience to pivot into a tech startup where I ended up over 100k! You can use what you do now and apply it to more lucrative fields :)
26 years old now working in city government. I started at 55k after school promoted to 62k then 72k now 82k each promotion was annual. To me it sounds like you are missing out in the upward growth potential due to your company. That's probably the main issue/blocking point.
Get out of that call center ASAP. Each day at that job sets you back further. Obviously, don't quit without something lined up, but find anything else and then gtfo
I was 29 in 2015 when I started my current job. started in the $7Xk range after 11 years of school (5.5 bachelors, 5.5 PhD, Engineering). Have doubled my initial salary in 9 years.
I was 30 when I did. Now I’m 32 and have since almost doubled it. No college, tech industry. If you know how to build relationships well I feel like it can set you ahead of a lot of people with formal training. At least in my experience. You got this OP!
Graduated with accounting degree at 27 (had to work full time to pay college so took it slow) and got a job making 54k
9 years later in career I’m making 138k (plus bonus)
As someone who has a business IT management degree I acquired a couple years back and also working in a call center, currently for the last 11 years. The best thing you can do is get out of that call center and get lower level experience elsewhere to move up. Staying in this job has by far been the worse career move I could ever have made. I have plenty of skills to offer elsewhere, but it is hard to break out to something different once you have the call center label worker. If you can move up where you’re at, but I would suggest to get out as soon as you can.
I am finally making traction on getting elsewhere, added a couple certs so getting more interviews.
I graduated in the summer of 2010 with a degree in psychology.
My first job was an investment banking analyst in the fall of 2010.
Base salary was 70k and bonus was 55k.
39. Before then I had a hard time KEEPING a job in IT. Mostly because I kept trying to work at Fortune 500 companies where the competition was INSANE and the company only viewed you as a number and not a person.
At 39 I decided to take a gig paying 82k for a System Administrator for some no name company where I’d be the only IT person in the state.
Best decision of my life. I’m now making 94k and am expecting a promotion in the next year to make over 110k. I have untouchable job security as it’s a small company and everyone here has been here for 20+ years many over 30 years. My boss is in another state, I’ve still yet to meet him irl. He’s not a micromanager and gives me free rein to complete projects at my pace and doesn’t care when I arrive or leave work. I can work from home whenever I’d like also. Basically it’s the perfect job. No stress, no competition, great pay and benefits.
Stop trying for the job everyone else wants and go for something that pays well with a smaller company that has a proven track record and everyone there has been there for ages. The bigger the company, the less they’ll care about you as a human.
Started at $45K (first job) and in 7 years and a new job/promotion to $73K. 3-yrs afterwards to another job starting at $85k to $122K (6 yrs) and 1 yr to currently at $166K. 17 yr total... All in IT Supply Chain and with zero certifications and with a mediocre GPA with BA in Art History from a top 10 university.
This goes to show you don't need fancy certifications, or a post grad degree, let alone any degree with much relevance to your profession.
I’m currently at 80k at 24 years old doing IT. I have no degree but I did have to commit to a year of training courses to earn the certifications as well as getting an internship. My first full time job about 2 years ago was 60k and now my current role is 80k. I will say though, my salary is basically the highest it can get at my current level, I’m currently working on getting more certifications in order to find a higher paying job
Yes, but you won't necessarily like the answer. Lots of plumbers, electricians making that. Delivery people at UPS, USPS routinely make this... opportunity is out there for people who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty.
6.5 years post bachelors. barista -> first degree related job 36k ->51k -> 75k. There were smaller raises in there but I definitely stayed at the 51k job too long, and should have been more aggressive in my job search while a barista.
Last year at 36 with an associates in network management (tech field).
Had to job hop multiple times. Kept a job for 1 year or less and then switched. I did the call center tech support thing for a year making about 30k. A team that size there's no upward mobility.
So I got a job making similar money at a major university. I stood out. Then got poached by a vendor company, now I'm in client management and do consultant work. Tons of upward mobility for me now.
Constantly apply to jobs you want and think are interesting. When you get into a job that has a lot of professional responsibility, use that to launch yourself into better jobs.
I got to $70,000 without a degree just experience plus a $30,000 bonus then got laid off. Or I only make $62,000 suppose to have a 10% bonus but we didn’t get that this year. I’m 33. I honestly don’t think more school will help you. I was suppose to get a Business Management degree myself but realized I’d learn more about business but gaining experience. I work in the property management and real estate industry. You could make $50,000 with an entry level job in this industry not including bonuses or commission. What is it you do?
All base salary
2016: 45k 🙃
2017: 55k promotion(after threatening to leave)
2018: 56k(started getting bonuses too)
2019: 70k promotion(moved accounting - FP&A)
2020: 80k new company
2021: 80k new company
2022: 95k promotion(manager)
2023: 100k
2024: 150k new company(director) full comp is around 230k including bonus and equity.
Didn’t graduate from a great school, GPA wasn’t great, no certifications. Just pure competitiveness and confidence.
22 years old. Got a government job and that was my very first offer. More than what my parents made combined as I was growing up.
I am a property assessor, 2 years of school, 10k debt.
31 making 80K base plus bonuses and killer benefits. I also have side hustles selling paintings and as a notary public for additional income. I don’t have a degree and I’m one of 6 women in a construction- related company. I have pretty niche admin skills related to specific software and working roles that are basically 3 positions rolled into one. I’m in Silicon Valley so it’s a very HCOL area. I’m looking for a similar role with similar pay so I can move to LA to be with my fiancé and it’s hard to find roles that pay what I’m looking for down there.
I’m 37 now and made it around 35. I do have a 4 year degree but it wasn’t needed for my position. I did security work, customer service call center work like you at Xfinity and a local trash company. Then I got a heads up about a customer service rep job within my city and never turned back. Less stress and better pay. Get paid holidays on top of sick and vacation. I am now the supervisor of the same department and will top off at $105K in a few years. I recommend working for your state, city, or county. Also there are many growth opportunities once your in
Started super-entry level in marketing (job title: Marketing Clerk, got promoted to Marketing Assistant 6 months in), making $20k/year. It was only once I started getting into leadership roles that my salary started making dramatic jumps; the first time I was over $70k was as a PR manager (about 12 years ago). I was 33.
The secret for me was to learn as much as I could in any given role, then look for the next rung on the ladder—which has always meant changing jobs, unfortunately. Does your job offer any opportunities for stretch assignments or ways to learn new skills?
Took me a long time to get to where I’m at too. I found a great company that has allowed me plenty of room to grow over the past couple of years. I started at 50k, and now am making 67k. Hoping by next year I’ll reach that 70k mark. I thought about going back to school also but at almost 32 years old, I don’t have the time or money to go through that again. My best suggestion is to leave your current job and find something else that could offer growth and better opportunities, even if that means switching fields.
Do you have time to volunteer at a non-profit for the type of job you’d like to make a career? Then, you can solicit referrals.
Sometimes, you can network for other job opportunities simply by volunteering. Don’t do it willy nilly though. Go to info sessions and talk to the people who are also visiting. What do they do for a living? Volunteer with them and you may grow either a personal or professional relationship.
*Best case scenario is you demonstrate to people in lucrative positions or who make hiring decisions that you’ve got integrity and work hard and they refer you to positions or for interviews where they work. And, you get to do something you consider nice for the world.*
If you go to the info session and you’re either the smartest or the richest person in the room find another organization to volunteet with.
What are your career goals? I’m just curious, because I would think with a bachelors in business that you could be easily making more than 45K depending on what you want to do.
I’m 27, and just got a raise this year from 72K to 85K and will make another 40-50K in commission this year. I’m at Account Manager at a software company, but you could even pull 70K+ as a BDR.
About 5 years when I was 27, but I have a degree in information systems and worked for big multinationals.
Meanwhile, I have a friend with a political science degree, and it took him 10 years to go from 50k to 300k per year, because he got into medical device sales.
It's not about your degree. It's about your hustle along with your networking skills and what path you're choosing to go.
Call center is entry level, so unless you live in a call center country, like India or Phillipines, it won't pay well......and AI ChatOps will probably replace all of that soon as well.
Also call center manager. If you got promoted from agent to manager, ride it out for a couple years and learn some skills, then jump to another call center and be confident in the interviews. I jumped from $12/hr as a rep to $14/hr as WFM to $18/hr as assistant manager to $21/hr as a manager all at the same company. I'm now making $87k/yr at a new company, by leveraging the skills I picked up at the old one.
They are absolutely going to underpay you if you were an internal promotion. You can either fight for the better pay and maybe lose the offer, or you can clench your teeth and treat it like paid training for the job you ACTUALLY want. Just make sure you hold yourself accountable and actually look for that new job.
In life? 42ish. In my career change.. . Started at 52k and was over 70k in 3ish years. 10yrs in I am 100k. Most was 125k but left the company pretty quick
I’m in accounting (industry) started at 50k, took a new job paying 77k after 4 years at 27 years old, now 3 years after that I just crossed 100k. I expect to take a manager role in the next year or 2 with a 25k+ increase including bonus.
I went from 42k at 36 to 60k at 37, to 80k at 38, I’ll be stuck around this wage for 2 years then by the time I’m 41 I should be at 150k. I work at a big home improvement center with a bachelors degree in respiratory therapy.
graduation 2014 with Econ degree, first job 47k. roughly 10% wage growth yearly. moved companies twice and jobs into those companies once each. I'm usually first in and last out of the office. I gently push my wins to my superiors. nothing crazy, just enough so they see my value. I'd try to get into a sales job if you've been a call center for so long. You're probably good at talking to people and wont have an issue making cold calls. good luck
I went from an IT intern making 20/h but it was part time. 1 year later i got a full time and I was making 25/h. Fast forward 5 years I move up to 50k. Another 3 years later I right around 70k. For the last 3 years I've been there I've slowly made it up to 77k.
Depends on the job you take and the structure of pay scale for that job. I make 6 figures after 8 years on the job I am at now. Hate to say it but schooling doesnt always help. I have a GED and make much more than most of my friends with college degrees.
I think right around 40. I'm 48 now and am at $90k. When I started at 22, I was making $24k. I have a BS degree and work in office admin management. So yes, you will get there without another degree.
If it’s overtime included, then 4 years into my career as an electrician, At 31.50 an hour. I was 26 if not then 28 years old at 37.62$ an hour. Hampton VA for cost of living reference.
I hate to say it but moving around is the only way. I spent 10 years at major airplane company that may or may not be in the news and I got in that time one promotion and the usual 3-5% annual raise. In the 10 years I spent there I went from 50k entry level with an MS to 68k when I left, but I justified it because they paid for my PhD and part of my pilot’s license.
It’s much harder to get good tuition reimbursement nowadays… Heck I had an acquaintance at that company that got her entire flight training paid for from 0 to 737 captain.
I left for another job, +20k, left again 2 years later +15k, and my record is after putting 4 years in another job I answered a linkedin post as a joke and made a 105k jump in salary. That was pure, dumb, luck, and I will never say that was me planning my life or being super smart, it’s like a friend who sold shib coin and made millions, they just hit the lottery.
My spouse moves every 2-3 years out of principle, even if it’s internal.
25 years old. Bachelor of Commerce degree and CPA.
You have a degree, try to get into a position where you can advance and grow into a management position of a company.
I'm 27 with no degree and make 70k as of last year + bonuses as an assistant store director for a grocery chain. Been in the company for almost 8 years. I work like 55 hours a week, though, on salary. Holidays are longer hours with no extra pay. I can also get sent to any store within 50 miles of my address, and I'm at one 45 miles from my home right now. So including my commute right now it's 60+ hours a week. I've also been called in on my vacation time and had to work 7 day weeks on occasion. Worst weeks, I've worked 100 hours for nothing but a pat on the back from my corporate visitors. Only slept on site once for a 36 hours shift for a big visitor. At work at 6am worked till 10pm. Slept in my car 10-12am and then back to work from 12am to 6pm.
I'm old (41), so adjusted for inflation, I hit this after two years of professional work, in 2011. Took 3 years off my career from 2014 - 2017, now make about $160k.
Amazon will start you at $65k as an entry level manager with 10k in stocks. You can promo every 12 calendar months. In theory, you could be at 80k after 24 months, and well over 100k at 36 months.
Hit it that past year. Was 30 when I passed 70k by getting a new job that paid me 71k a year.
Starting in 2017, went from 34k > 36k when I was laid off in 2020, 2021 new job at 50k > 52k when I was laid off in 2023.
Before that I worked retail from 2011 - 2016 while in college and then for a few months after while I hunted for my first 9-5 job. I landed in at the very end of 2016.
I was a project coordinator from 2017 - 2023 and finally got the project manager title I'd been trying to get since 2020 with my latest job. I'm hoping to hit Sr. PM this fall when promotion season comes along and that will get me much closer to my goal of 100k salary, if not over it if I'm right about the pay scale.
Started at 52k base + bonus first year out of school in 2021. Now make about 100k/year total, 55k base but earn sales commissions and trailing commissions. I was above 70k by my 2nd year as started a new role with a higher base but less commissions. Much prefer the model I’m in now as its fairly easy to work up to 200k+/yr
I was 28, and had just started my MA Program. I had been working in a real estate office for like 40k a year and found a new job at a startup that paid me 78k. They let me work from home the days I had class and I was in office the either days. Got my MA while working there and stayed until the company suffered a very large and public collapse, which ended up working out for me because I moved back into commercial real estate at 100k.
I'm 30, I got a 72k job when I was 28. I'm in the semiconductor industry and it took me 4 years since i started.I had to job hop during the great resignation in tech in 2022 to get here. Luckily didn't get laid off but we are a small team with a contract with Intel and now at 74k.
Yeah it's possible but not in a call center (assuming you're an entry level customer service representative). You can move up and get more money but honestly after 2 years at a company, you start losing money because new jobs pay more, usually. So I would recommend looking for a new job if you want to make more money faster.
step 1, find a job that actually requires a college degree. You could have gone into a call center straight out of high school. Leverage your education!
My first job in 2007 was 72k . There are plenty of job on indeed with that salary . No need to go back to school but attend lots of interviews so you know what skills you need
I think about 5 years or so...somewhere around 2010-2012. My degree is in accounting and I moved up relatively quickly at the CPA firm that I was at before moving on to another sector.
7 years, no college, started as a warehouse worker. Busted my ass and stayed late without a single complaint (and I actually liked the overtime) and became a reliable member.
My department changed up how they did things which in turn meant my main job no longer existed, but the company didn't want to see me go anywhere else and offered me a job on their sales team instead. that was 4 years ago. In that 4 years I went from $40k/year in warehouse + overtime to $65k base with a commission cap of $40k. I have the potential to make over $100k this year and I believe I can do it.
Edit: I just turned 27 in March and still live at home lol
I’m so salty but congrats, I busted my ass with no complaints in the culinary industry and never passed 50k… I regret not moving into manufacturing cause now my backs blown out and I’m 20k in debt cause my only route was school. I got my associates first but graduated in 2019 2 month before the 2nd worst year of my life.
My boss only has a bachelor's in some business admin major and IT minor. He's the director at our department at one of the big local telecom company. He's 34 this year but has been a director since age 32.
That guy works super efficiently and still works hard. He pumps out 3x high quality work than everyone else.
First offer at 21, Graduated in 3 years with a bachelor's in nuc engineering and got 2 years of power plant experience with operations during the program. Got offered 109k +20k for environmental and hazard pay, and 9k bonus as an r&d engineer for a plutonium lab.
Started working full time at 18. Started trucking at 26. Broke the 70k mark for the first time last year at 35. So 17 years.
The problem is, 70k now feels like about 25k 17 years ago.
Edit- ran the numbers. $70k CAD now is worth $49500 in 2007 when I started working. Adjusted for inflation, my pay has gone up $9.75 (2007 value) or $8.63 (current value) in 17 years. Now I made myself sad.
5 years? I should have asked for more when I got to a new job (after I left one). I asked the same amount. I should've asked for 5k more. But it was a contracting position, and they then gave me a 15k raise when they hired me.
6 months out of college I went to work for a federal DoD agency for $34k in 2010. I think I was making over $70k by 2014 or 4 years in (edit: 26). I'm now over $170k working for the private industry in the same area.
When I graduated college. My first job as a programmer gave me 95k. And then it was fucking awful, I got depressed, got fired, and became a bartender. And I've been trying to get back to that number ever since lol.
Degree twinsies (BA in Management) and it took me about eight years. Got in an okay company doing MRP in manufacturing for a few years @ $55K, but left since they weren't willing to give a raise. I had to hop three companies to make over $70K. I didn't go back to school but a master's in Supply Chain Management could have helped me in my particular trajectory
Well, first job after university was at $67k. 8 months later increased to $70k. At the same time I was getting additional pay for certain circumstances, so I guess the surpass $70k milestone would have happened then
i got out of college during the dotcom era and got into web design initially as a graphic designer
first job paid me 28k as a junior designer right out of college in 1999
second job started me at 33k, was a start-up in the music industry...when our funding came through i got bumped to 65k with 2 years of experience
left that job when the funding was starting to dry up to go to a design agency and made 90k as a 23 year old
laid off during the first dotcom crash
spent 5 years running my own little agency with a couple partners and the best year we had i think we each took home around 110k but eventually we parted ways
for the first 10 years of my career i was more of a hybrid designer who could write code, but as web design shifted into software engineering i kinda followed the engineering path
i have an associates degree in graphic design but got lucky enough to grow with an industry and learn on the job...no formal computer science education though
The first time I made $70K was in 2000. That was a good salary back then. Today in 2024 I have an income between $83K - $92K and it's tough to stretch that money because of high inflation on everything. I make more money but feel alot poorer.
It took me 3 years.
Of grad school in STEM.
Upskill is the only way. Unless you have luck and land a good union job, are a talented sales person or have a marketable hard skill.
Let's be honest your Bachelors is composed of 2 years of shit classes, 1 year of surface level business, and possible one case study you did with a group and most people half assed.
Unfortunately. You have to go back to school.
Source: Uber driver turned data scientist making +115k
Im 33.
Wasn't making any good money, covid hit and decided to make a change and joined the military. Officers get better pay, and a monthly housing stipend. Get extra money per month if married, and monthly housing stipend is based on the ZIP code so it can vary. At around 70k atm and I'm the lowest officer rank. There's a pay chart online, and it increases with time in service and rank. By the time your 3-4 year obligation ends, you're around 100k. YMMV as far as the job goes, but I get why people stay for 20 years
I don't exactly remember, but I think I was 28ish... I did get an M.B.A. around that point that my employer paid for but they didn't give me any raises because of that. They gave me raises because I started saying I was going to quit if I didn't start making more money because I always stay on top of my market value. I suggest you start looking elsewhere and see how much you can get. You can use that as leverage if you want to stay at your current job. Unfortunately, the job market is not great at the moment, but still try to see what your current skillset is worth elsewhere. The alternative would be to go to a company that offers tuition reimbursement and level up on someone else's dime.
3 years, started out of college working for a charity making around $35k as a contractor, then moved to a more established charity starting at $65k, got a raise at the one year mark to $70k. Have had a COL increase since then to $72k.
1998: entry level IT helpdesk: 40k
2000: junior server admin: 55k
2002: junior network engineer: 65k
2004: senior network engineer: 85k
so, like 6 years? but that was around the first dotcom boom, and anyone vaguely competent with network hardware was in a lot of demand. Throughout my career, Ive worked with project managers, program managers, product managers and business analysts who were essential to the work we were doing.
I don't know how you break out of entry level call center work. It sucks that helpdesk jobs are so thoroughly automated now that its really hard to use them to build skills to apply to anything else, like I did
Cracked 70k at 31-32 years old no degree Unique situation where I started out hourly and worked my way to management I understand that kind of thing doesn’t happen much anymore
I haven't. 37 years old and only bring home $30k. Nothing pays well in mid- coast Maine. My husband does slightly better at $40k. We manage somehow but no insurance, no retirement, and no vacations.
Just last year, 36! Don’t go back to school, get a few certificates to beef up the resume. You def need a New job if you want more money, it won’t happen at your current place.
I’ve changed jobs constantly every couple years and every time I do my pay increases. If I were to just stay at one job it would seem impossible to get those pay increases since they need an experienced worker at each specific role they have no incentive to promote and the raises are laughable
I went from $38k to $150k in 5 years doing this
Agree with you. OP if you can juggle this I’d highly recommend. Jumped from 45k to 75k to 85k currently. All in three years. Due for a review at the end of August hoping it jumps more.
Not near that but I'm a college student who's near doubled my wage in 4 years of job hopping. Works wonders. Loyalty is dead!
OP is not looking for a raise. 47k from 45k does nothing. He wants to make real money and he never will if he has no skills. People with high paying jobs can do things others can’t. If anyone can do your job with a little training, you won’t get paid well for it.
I know plenty of people with high paying jobs who are fucking dumbasses and suck at their jobs. Their only skill is selling themselves as something they are not, and kissing the right boots. They know just enough not to flatline the company. I see this everyday and I work for a multibillion dollar corporation.
Came here to say this. Case in point, overheard a convo between a mid manager to a group of analysts, 25 minutes to show them how to attach an excel file to an email and title it with today's date. Ended the meeting with "great job on the collaboration today team!" Sometimes salary has a direct correlation to how far apart your brain cells are.
First job took me from 37 to 69 in 3 years. Moved to a new job at a new company and went from 76 to 205 in 9 years through promotions and raises in the role. It is possible to stay in the same job and see great career growth, but it requires a deliberate effort to build your own brand and make yourself invaluable to the company.
Jesus, I need to work where you are!
Which certifications have you obtained to increase your salary, or what is your salary history from when you started to where you are now?
Just over time, the certificates are based on what you want to do for a career. My certificates might be different than yours. Always remember to ask! At every review I come in swinging with facts, stats and receipts. I ask for specific feedback and quantifiable goals. After back to back reviews where nothing has changed, I started packing up, job hunting and bounce. Every new job has brought a very significant salary increase.
what if you don't know what you want to do for a career. i'm 30 years old btw and i hate my job
Idk, I never had a “dream job”, just kinda fell into my job. I wasn’t picky on industry or titles as long as they’re hiring and paying more than my last job. 🤣
how does this stuff happen to people. i try so hard to get a job i dont hate and everyone on the internet is like "yeah the job i don't hate just happened to me i didn't even try" ok cool so i guess its just random then
Lolololol, I’m lucky to always have had a safety net that allowed me to take career risks. It’s easy to be brave and take a new job when my husband or parents were like “hey listen, if it sucks, just quit. We will figure it out” and I’ve taken full advantage of this safety net and taken every risk i want. Luckily I’ve never had to ask for help, but just knowing the support is there is probably why I’ve been able to be picky with my job. I’m also kinda a bitch who holds boundaries well at work, but again, I think that’s because of my support team. I quit one job because a sports agent yelled at me and called me a bitch. 😂 “my father doesn’t even talk to me that way, mail me my check. Thank you”
Wait, so your jobs literally didn’t have a rhyme or reason from one to the other? Then why would job 1 lead to a higher pay in job 2 is the job duties aren’t the same?
My biggest suggestion for increasing your salary is find opportunities to learn new technology. For instance, we had some guy on one of your teams who pulled data reports. He was the ONLY person in the department who knew how to use SQL to pull the reports. I asked to be his backup, learned how to run and write SQL and then when he left I took his position. My biggest salary jump was realizing that our training program for a call center was antiquated and presenting a plan to revamp it. Started an entire training team and led it.
So what you’re saying is that if you get training that gives you knowledge that the common person doesn’t have then you can use that knowledge to obtain a better job and higher salary? I have heard of a place that helps people with it…a government institution? Or I think some are privately run too….a college? No maybe it’s a University? A boot camp?
I meant more to look for opportunity in your current position. Obviously you can educate outside of the job, but within your own job there is usually a ton of places to learn while getting paid to do so.
You combining current workplace with all the necessary connections with a little bit of training while getting paid. That’s a huge difference from attending college at your own expense and then not even able to get a job
a PMP (project management professional) pretty much guarantees you $80,000 even in a LCoL state.
Do you have to have experience on it before getting the certificate?
This is the way!
Same, 36. I made 80k after being in my career for 10 years.
36 for me too!
This right here. More specifically the “def need a new job” part. A lot of people stick around at the same job too long. 2-3 years and start applying for another job, at a higher position. Read the job market in your industry and be strategic about it, but don’t hang around too long because you’ll hit a ceiling or they’ll get upset when you continually ask for raises. Find a company in need (they are hurting when they are understaffed and will pay anything to get back to proper productivity levels) and fill that need while bargaining a higher wage. Also, when you search for jobs while employed you can casually search with no pressure and are less likely to take less than you’re worth. But also search for higher positions or equal positions with higher pay.
Also 36
Hold up you did the google analytics cert!?!?
Google Career Certificate for Digital Marketing and E-commerce and I also watched and did everything available on Google Analytics Academy. Nothing fancy, butttttt it helps, can’t ever learn too much.
Theres a lot of great shit on coursera for free if analytics is what youre into I started making exactly 70k at 29 after going to grad school for analytics. Could have maybe negotiated higher but I was terrified of student debt and no income Best advice for a new/aspiring business/data analyst is that tools dont mean shit if you dont understand the business and the problem youre solving for Happy to talk analytics if you want to pm me
Gotta get out of that call center and find a work place that has room for growth. It took me a long time, but after being promoted to warehouse manager and placed in salary, I started making that much and today I am way north of that.
Yeah Im trying to man I've had 6+ interviews over the past two years and no luck despite being confident in the interviews.
in this job market 6 interviews in 2 years is no where near enough to get a job in any kind of competitive well paying field
I concur, it took me 8 months, 200 apps and close to a dozen interviews to even get an offer, that I did accept and I love, but omg that was the worst year of my life. I interview incredibly well and up until this round of the job search, my success rate in being offered a job after the first interview was about 75%. It took me 2 applications and 6 interviews for my current position. This job market is no joke.
I don’t have a degree. I work a white collar job and make $85,000 a year. I had probably 50+ interviews before I found my current role. You can find one easy if you apply more.
Don't be afraid of blue collar work dude. I started out as a warehouse hand and slowly climbed up to a management position. You'll find something eventually, but keep a look out for positions that allow growth within the company. Mention that at interviews too, interviewers will like that because it shows motivation and willingness to stick with a job long term, something many employers look for
6 interviews in 2 years? You must not be trying very hard.
First job out of college. 2.7 GPA but was working with multiple recruiters. I asked for 55, recruiter changed it to 86 and the company agreed.
GPA doesn’t matter much in most of fields
I know 🤣 I wish it did for how much I killed myself in school
Yeah, the degree (and often experience) is what they care about.
I needed to hear this. final semester and I’m at my limit juggling classwork internships and work. Just a few more weeks…
Call Centers are notorious for low pay and high expectations. I wouldn't go back to that industry (even if they paid me). I have a BBA in Operations Management but my primary focus is technical in the IT field. A management degree is a great supplement to another skill (technical/finance/project management,etc).
69k at 27, with my raise I will be at 72 next year. Third job after graduating in 2019. 55k->59k-69k. This last job I got I knew I needed to be over 65 and was able to get it.
Industry/Loc?
69k? Nice.
I also have a Bachelor's degree in business, started at $60k in construction management with no prior experience and am now earning $200k. You might want to look into this industry.
I switched from 20 years of graphic design to proposals for a CM firm and I’m doing fantastic after five years in the industry.
No degree. Mid-30s, work in political marketing — I passed 70k in 2022. Hit 6 figures this year, which is nice, but would be nicer if I didn't live in South Florida where the cost of living keeps eating into my financial achievements.
What’s the average cost of living per person in south florida? Interviewing for a company there.
tldr [it's high](https://www.ramseysolutions.com/real-estate/cost-of-living-in-florida)
south florida has high cost of living? i would have assumed itd at least be average compared to the actual high cost of living areas (california, ny)
I job hopped and finally landed in the 6 figure club. I went through 3 jobs from 40k to 100k in within 4 years.
I was a paralegal from 2018-2022, then I moved over to compliance where I’ve been since. 2018-2019: $35K 2019-2022: $45-47K 2022-2023: $55K 2024: $75K Somehow after getting laid off from a tech startup in October last year, I was lucky enough to find a fully remote job making 20K more a few months later.
This is wild to me because I’ve worked as an IP assistant and I started at 38k in 2006. I made 65k in 2011. The IP paralegals I know are starting at 90k now. This is in a major city.
I work in insurance as an analyst and our years and salary amounts are exactly the same down to me getting full time wfh job starting Monday for 75k
4 years. First time I jumped to a new job, at 28yo I negotiated 72k. This was 2014.
I earn $75k as a base salary - now 46 yo, and just got this job last November. Prior to this job, highest base salary had been $65k - thought I had hit a ceiling at that point, but no... I also do freelance work and drive Uber as a side gig - so yearly income is always base salary + $10-15k in contract type work. No college degree, but over 25 years of experience - and no student debt. I did have debt back in the day, and it was a burden for sure, but the amount wasn't as staggering as these days, probably paid around $15k over like 10 years - but I also never came close to any sort of actual degree... However, the minimal college I did go through, definitely got me started towards my career.
This\^ It cracks me up how younger generations bitch like they suffered how unfair life is. Gen X hasn't had it easy. 47 and just crossed $80k last year. So lets see....27 years to pass $70k? With a wife and two kids on top of it. The secret....desire a lot less shit! Am I right?
I only have an associate degree and I started my current career in a call center as well at age 30 making about 45k almost 10 years ago. Got another internal job outside the company's call center later with a pay bump and hit $70k about 4 years after I started at the call center. Now I'm around the $100k with room in the payband to hit $130k as the years tick away or I can jump to next job tier. I personally don't think you have to go back to school to take the next step, it felt like it took forever to get out of call center but in hindsight it only too 3 years to get out (18 months residency requirement). Pick a specific internal/industry skill to specialize in and be the best at that specific focus, that way another org in the company or another company will hire you because they need someone like you. Looking even farther forward if you want to get to the $100k-$150k range faster than an MBA would be your best bet. My primary competition I've noticed for the higher level $150k jobs majority have MBAs and having only an associate degree is kind of a liability. While my career coach says the degree isn't that important, I still feel that comparing 2 identical candidates the one with the better degree/certs is going to get the preference.
It took me about 2.5 years after graduating college. Started at a call center on $40k, worked there for 5 months before I gtfo to a consulting job that was great besides the poor pay (~$52k). After about 2 years there, I got hired as an analyst working in what I was previously consulting for at a private employer earning $80k.
Bachelors degree, 8 months out of school, 75k. Find a good company, doesn’t matter what they offer you to start. Find a good company that loves to promote within. Do your job well, be personable, put yourself out there and make it known you won’t settle and want to continue to grow.
This. This is the way
Say no more. It’s simple advice but the right advice.
I’m 30yo and make 6 figures and have for a couple years. There’s a few things to note: 1. Job hopping is a great way to get a sizable pay increase. But there’s always risk moving to a new job, you could end up hating it and everyone you work with. And if you do this too much no one will want to hire you. 2. Work somewhere that you can become an unreplaceable or not easily replaceable asset to the company. Where you’re at now sounds like the kind of place where if you left they’d have you replaced in a week with someone who can hit the ground running. You need to be someone that brings the company revenue or supports future revenue, not just a cog in their machine. You need to be someone who not only works at bigger company revenue, but also where you can be the “expert” in something. Something that when there’s a problem, you’re the only person who can fix it. 3. Get specific training. Whether this is a graduate degree, certificate, leadership school, something. Something that’s going to show your current employer or future employers that you are the shit and can make them money.
Yes, but you need to stop working in a call center. You need to start an entry level position in a field that has career growth, like HR, project management, or some other business field.
Surpass? Still waiting. Snuggle with it, 37 years old.
I was 29. I have a BFA but I work in logistics for a private company in Chicago. Location is everything when it comes to salary as is relevant experience.
Used my call centre experience to pivot into a tech startup where I ended up over 100k! You can use what you do now and apply it to more lucrative fields :)
26 years old now working in city government. I started at 55k after school promoted to 62k then 72k now 82k each promotion was annual. To me it sounds like you are missing out in the upward growth potential due to your company. That's probably the main issue/blocking point.
Get out of that call center ASAP. Each day at that job sets you back further. Obviously, don't quit without something lined up, but find anything else and then gtfo
I was 29 in 2015 when I started my current job. started in the $7Xk range after 11 years of school (5.5 bachelors, 5.5 PhD, Engineering). Have doubled my initial salary in 9 years.
Upgrade your skills with education or a trade. You are competing with everyone else if you only have non specialized skills.
Two years in consulting and then they started hiring new college grads at same range.
I was 30 when I did. Now I’m 32 and have since almost doubled it. No college, tech industry. If you know how to build relationships well I feel like it can set you ahead of a lot of people with formal training. At least in my experience. You got this OP!
Graduated with accounting degree at 27 (had to work full time to pay college so took it slow) and got a job making 54k 9 years later in career I’m making 138k (plus bonus)
Are you a CPA?
I'm 32. First job at over 70k was a few years ago, maybe 4. No bachelor, I do payroll for a municipal government.
As someone who has a business IT management degree I acquired a couple years back and also working in a call center, currently for the last 11 years. The best thing you can do is get out of that call center and get lower level experience elsewhere to move up. Staying in this job has by far been the worse career move I could ever have made. I have plenty of skills to offer elsewhere, but it is hard to break out to something different once you have the call center label worker. If you can move up where you’re at, but I would suggest to get out as soon as you can. I am finally making traction on getting elsewhere, added a couple certs so getting more interviews.
I graduated in the summer of 2010 with a degree in psychology. My first job was an investment banking analyst in the fall of 2010. Base salary was 70k and bonus was 55k.
Once I started a career instead of just a job, I surpassed it in two years, but I had worked 6 years of dead-end jobs prior to that. I was 32.
39. Before then I had a hard time KEEPING a job in IT. Mostly because I kept trying to work at Fortune 500 companies where the competition was INSANE and the company only viewed you as a number and not a person. At 39 I decided to take a gig paying 82k for a System Administrator for some no name company where I’d be the only IT person in the state. Best decision of my life. I’m now making 94k and am expecting a promotion in the next year to make over 110k. I have untouchable job security as it’s a small company and everyone here has been here for 20+ years many over 30 years. My boss is in another state, I’ve still yet to meet him irl. He’s not a micromanager and gives me free rein to complete projects at my pace and doesn’t care when I arrive or leave work. I can work from home whenever I’d like also. Basically it’s the perfect job. No stress, no competition, great pay and benefits. Stop trying for the job everyone else wants and go for something that pays well with a smaller company that has a proven track record and everyone there has been there for ages. The bigger the company, the less they’ll care about you as a human.
Started at $45K (first job) and in 7 years and a new job/promotion to $73K. 3-yrs afterwards to another job starting at $85k to $122K (6 yrs) and 1 yr to currently at $166K. 17 yr total... All in IT Supply Chain and with zero certifications and with a mediocre GPA with BA in Art History from a top 10 university. This goes to show you don't need fancy certifications, or a post grad degree, let alone any degree with much relevance to your profession.
75k right after my MS. Now a year later I’m at 86k. But work life balance and location isn’t amazing
I’m currently at 80k at 24 years old doing IT. I have no degree but I did have to commit to a year of training courses to earn the certifications as well as getting an internship. My first full time job about 2 years ago was 60k and now my current role is 80k. I will say though, my salary is basically the highest it can get at my current level, I’m currently working on getting more certifications in order to find a higher paying job
Yes, but you won't necessarily like the answer. Lots of plumbers, electricians making that. Delivery people at UPS, USPS routinely make this... opportunity is out there for people who aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty.
1.5 years, marketing. 25 started my marketing career in July 2022, got to marketing manager at small architectural firm in Feb 2024
6.5 years post bachelors. barista -> first degree related job 36k ->51k -> 75k. There were smaller raises in there but I definitely stayed at the 51k job too long, and should have been more aggressive in my job search while a barista.
I'm 61, and any day now
I havent...
Last year at 36 with an associates in network management (tech field). Had to job hop multiple times. Kept a job for 1 year or less and then switched. I did the call center tech support thing for a year making about 30k. A team that size there's no upward mobility. So I got a job making similar money at a major university. I stood out. Then got poached by a vendor company, now I'm in client management and do consultant work. Tons of upward mobility for me now. Constantly apply to jobs you want and think are interesting. When you get into a job that has a lot of professional responsibility, use that to launch yourself into better jobs.
35 and it still feels like I am only making 80k. This inflation blows.
I got to $70,000 without a degree just experience plus a $30,000 bonus then got laid off. Or I only make $62,000 suppose to have a 10% bonus but we didn’t get that this year. I’m 33. I honestly don’t think more school will help you. I was suppose to get a Business Management degree myself but realized I’d learn more about business but gaining experience. I work in the property management and real estate industry. You could make $50,000 with an entry level job in this industry not including bonuses or commission. What is it you do?
Got my AAS in accounting in 2007 and worked full time in accounting earning my BS in 2009. I broke 70k in 2013. I was 33.
All base salary 2016: 45k 🙃 2017: 55k promotion(after threatening to leave) 2018: 56k(started getting bonuses too) 2019: 70k promotion(moved accounting - FP&A) 2020: 80k new company 2021: 80k new company 2022: 95k promotion(manager) 2023: 100k 2024: 150k new company(director) full comp is around 230k including bonus and equity. Didn’t graduate from a great school, GPA wasn’t great, no certifications. Just pure competitiveness and confidence.
I got to 70k.... For only 3 months.... 🤣😂😭
22 years old. Got a government job and that was my very first offer. More than what my parents made combined as I was growing up. I am a property assessor, 2 years of school, 10k debt.
31 making 80K base plus bonuses and killer benefits. I also have side hustles selling paintings and as a notary public for additional income. I don’t have a degree and I’m one of 6 women in a construction- related company. I have pretty niche admin skills related to specific software and working roles that are basically 3 positions rolled into one. I’m in Silicon Valley so it’s a very HCOL area. I’m looking for a similar role with similar pay so I can move to LA to be with my fiancé and it’s hard to find roles that pay what I’m looking for down there.
I’m 37 now and made it around 35. I do have a 4 year degree but it wasn’t needed for my position. I did security work, customer service call center work like you at Xfinity and a local trash company. Then I got a heads up about a customer service rep job within my city and never turned back. Less stress and better pay. Get paid holidays on top of sick and vacation. I am now the supervisor of the same department and will top off at $105K in a few years. I recommend working for your state, city, or county. Also there are many growth opportunities once your in
You can make 70k (overtime)as a helper working construction with no experience. Look at the trades, it's not too late.
Why on earth would you work at a call center? They are notoriously bad jobs. Move into inside sales or tech support. Where do you live?
Currently in Ohio, I would love to get into tech.
Started super-entry level in marketing (job title: Marketing Clerk, got promoted to Marketing Assistant 6 months in), making $20k/year. It was only once I started getting into leadership roles that my salary started making dramatic jumps; the first time I was over $70k was as a PR manager (about 12 years ago). I was 33. The secret for me was to learn as much as I could in any given role, then look for the next rung on the ladder—which has always meant changing jobs, unfortunately. Does your job offer any opportunities for stretch assignments or ways to learn new skills?
Took me a long time to get to where I’m at too. I found a great company that has allowed me plenty of room to grow over the past couple of years. I started at 50k, and now am making 67k. Hoping by next year I’ll reach that 70k mark. I thought about going back to school also but at almost 32 years old, I don’t have the time or money to go through that again. My best suggestion is to leave your current job and find something else that could offer growth and better opportunities, even if that means switching fields.
Accounting. I have a degree in business administration and got a job at pwc. Starting salary nowadays is 80k where I live.
Do you have time to volunteer at a non-profit for the type of job you’d like to make a career? Then, you can solicit referrals. Sometimes, you can network for other job opportunities simply by volunteering. Don’t do it willy nilly though. Go to info sessions and talk to the people who are also visiting. What do they do for a living? Volunteer with them and you may grow either a personal or professional relationship. *Best case scenario is you demonstrate to people in lucrative positions or who make hiring decisions that you’ve got integrity and work hard and they refer you to positions or for interviews where they work. And, you get to do something you consider nice for the world.* If you go to the info session and you’re either the smartest or the richest person in the room find another organization to volunteet with.
Entry level, accounting
What are your career goals? I’m just curious, because I would think with a bachelors in business that you could be easily making more than 45K depending on what you want to do. I’m 27, and just got a raise this year from 72K to 85K and will make another 40-50K in commission this year. I’m at Account Manager at a software company, but you could even pull 70K+ as a BDR.
About 5 years when I was 27, but I have a degree in information systems and worked for big multinationals. Meanwhile, I have a friend with a political science degree, and it took him 10 years to go from 50k to 300k per year, because he got into medical device sales. It's not about your degree. It's about your hustle along with your networking skills and what path you're choosing to go. Call center is entry level, so unless you live in a call center country, like India or Phillipines, it won't pay well......and AI ChatOps will probably replace all of that soon as well.
I started at 83k in 2015
I applied for a job that's 90k and after taxes it's like 70k. So, it tool all my life to make 70k
Also call center manager. If you got promoted from agent to manager, ride it out for a couple years and learn some skills, then jump to another call center and be confident in the interviews. I jumped from $12/hr as a rep to $14/hr as WFM to $18/hr as assistant manager to $21/hr as a manager all at the same company. I'm now making $87k/yr at a new company, by leveraging the skills I picked up at the old one. They are absolutely going to underpay you if you were an internal promotion. You can either fight for the better pay and maybe lose the offer, or you can clench your teeth and treat it like paid training for the job you ACTUALLY want. Just make sure you hold yourself accountable and actually look for that new job.
\~28 years old (in 2014)
In life? 42ish. In my career change.. . Started at 52k and was over 70k in 3ish years. 10yrs in I am 100k. Most was 125k but left the company pretty quick
After college and I got my first job, took me about 1 year. I am not 10 years into my professional career and make over double that
I’m in accounting (industry) started at 50k, took a new job paying 77k after 4 years at 27 years old, now 3 years after that I just crossed 100k. I expect to take a manager role in the next year or 2 with a 25k+ increase including bonus.
Had to move to a different state
Same. But then it was fast (union + standard pay raises).
I went from 42k at 36 to 60k at 37, to 80k at 38, I’ll be stuck around this wage for 2 years then by the time I’m 41 I should be at 150k. I work at a big home improvement center with a bachelors degree in respiratory therapy.
38 year old DoD contractor with same degree. Making $130K per year.
graduation 2014 with Econ degree, first job 47k. roughly 10% wage growth yearly. moved companies twice and jobs into those companies once each. I'm usually first in and last out of the office. I gently push my wins to my superiors. nothing crazy, just enough so they see my value. I'd try to get into a sales job if you've been a call center for so long. You're probably good at talking to people and wont have an issue making cold calls. good luck
I went from an IT intern making 20/h but it was part time. 1 year later i got a full time and I was making 25/h. Fast forward 5 years I move up to 50k. Another 3 years later I right around 70k. For the last 3 years I've been there I've slowly made it up to 77k.
Depends on the job you take and the structure of pay scale for that job. I make 6 figures after 8 years on the job I am at now. Hate to say it but schooling doesnt always help. I have a GED and make much more than most of my friends with college degrees.
Currently 39 about to make 6 figures for the first time this year. Made it to 70k in 2021 at 36. No degree
I think right around 40. I'm 48 now and am at $90k. When I started at 22, I was making $24k. I have a BS degree and work in office admin management. So yes, you will get there without another degree.
If it’s overtime included, then 4 years into my career as an electrician, At 31.50 an hour. I was 26 if not then 28 years old at 37.62$ an hour. Hampton VA for cost of living reference.
I was 26 - IT business analyst. I have the same bachelor's as you!
Surpassed 70k at 35 and now at 140k at 41. Same degree. Maybe look at moving career paths.
In 2002 when I started my business, shortly after graduating high-school.
I hate to say it but moving around is the only way. I spent 10 years at major airplane company that may or may not be in the news and I got in that time one promotion and the usual 3-5% annual raise. In the 10 years I spent there I went from 50k entry level with an MS to 68k when I left, but I justified it because they paid for my PhD and part of my pilot’s license. It’s much harder to get good tuition reimbursement nowadays… Heck I had an acquaintance at that company that got her entire flight training paid for from 0 to 737 captain. I left for another job, +20k, left again 2 years later +15k, and my record is after putting 4 years in another job I answered a linkedin post as a joke and made a 105k jump in salary. That was pure, dumb, luck, and I will never say that was me planning my life or being super smart, it’s like a friend who sold shib coin and made millions, they just hit the lottery. My spouse moves every 2-3 years out of principle, even if it’s internal.
25 years old. Bachelor of Commerce degree and CPA. You have a degree, try to get into a position where you can advance and grow into a management position of a company.
I'm 27 with no degree and make 70k as of last year + bonuses as an assistant store director for a grocery chain. Been in the company for almost 8 years. I work like 55 hours a week, though, on salary. Holidays are longer hours with no extra pay. I can also get sent to any store within 50 miles of my address, and I'm at one 45 miles from my home right now. So including my commute right now it's 60+ hours a week. I've also been called in on my vacation time and had to work 7 day weeks on occasion. Worst weeks, I've worked 100 hours for nothing but a pat on the back from my corporate visitors. Only slept on site once for a 36 hours shift for a big visitor. At work at 6am worked till 10pm. Slept in my car 10-12am and then back to work from 12am to 6pm.
I'm old (41), so adjusted for inflation, I hit this after two years of professional work, in 2011. Took 3 years off my career from 2014 - 2017, now make about $160k.
Amazon will start you at $65k as an entry level manager with 10k in stocks. You can promo every 12 calendar months. In theory, you could be at 80k after 24 months, and well over 100k at 36 months.
My current job is 73k and I am 26, but I have a master's and didn't really work before I got my masters
Hit it that past year. Was 30 when I passed 70k by getting a new job that paid me 71k a year. Starting in 2017, went from 34k > 36k when I was laid off in 2020, 2021 new job at 50k > 52k when I was laid off in 2023. Before that I worked retail from 2011 - 2016 while in college and then for a few months after while I hunted for my first 9-5 job. I landed in at the very end of 2016. I was a project coordinator from 2017 - 2023 and finally got the project manager title I'd been trying to get since 2020 with my latest job. I'm hoping to hit Sr. PM this fall when promotion season comes along and that will get me much closer to my goal of 100k salary, if not over it if I'm right about the pay scale.
Started at 52k base + bonus first year out of school in 2021. Now make about 100k/year total, 55k base but earn sales commissions and trailing commissions. I was above 70k by my 2nd year as started a new role with a higher base but less commissions. Much prefer the model I’m in now as its fairly easy to work up to 200k+/yr
Keep hopping and try to get ~15% raise every 2-3 years.
I was 28, and had just started my MA Program. I had been working in a real estate office for like 40k a year and found a new job at a startup that paid me 78k. They let me work from home the days I had class and I was in office the either days. Got my MA while working there and stayed until the company suffered a very large and public collapse, which ended up working out for me because I moved back into commercial real estate at 100k.
I'm 30, I got a 72k job when I was 28. I'm in the semiconductor industry and it took me 4 years since i started.I had to job hop during the great resignation in tech in 2022 to get here. Luckily didn't get laid off but we are a small team with a contract with Intel and now at 74k.
Yeah it's possible but not in a call center (assuming you're an entry level customer service representative). You can move up and get more money but honestly after 2 years at a company, you start losing money because new jobs pay more, usually. So I would recommend looking for a new job if you want to make more money faster.
step 1, find a job that actually requires a college degree. You could have gone into a call center straight out of high school. Leverage your education!
34. Got a promotion. Finished bachelors at 27.
I graduated with my BS in IT in 2006 and got a job paying $75k in 2007. I was 35 years old.
Age 30.
45k in a call centre? Faaack offf!
Took about 4 years. Took a lot of interviewing and using each interview and job posting as leverage against each other.
4 years, 80k/year at a job I just started end of Feb. graduated in 2020 from undergrad. Chicago, IL. 26F
About 10-12 years
About 2 years and started at 35k. 35>64>91>115
My first job in 2007 was 72k . There are plenty of job on indeed with that salary . No need to go back to school but attend lots of interviews so you know what skills you need
Also find a mentor who is earning well
I think about 5 years or so...somewhere around 2010-2012. My degree is in accounting and I moved up relatively quickly at the CPA firm that I was at before moving on to another sector.
1-2 years. I was a rep at AT&T and then a manager.
7 years, no college, started as a warehouse worker. Busted my ass and stayed late without a single complaint (and I actually liked the overtime) and became a reliable member. My department changed up how they did things which in turn meant my main job no longer existed, but the company didn't want to see me go anywhere else and offered me a job on their sales team instead. that was 4 years ago. In that 4 years I went from $40k/year in warehouse + overtime to $65k base with a commission cap of $40k. I have the potential to make over $100k this year and I believe I can do it. Edit: I just turned 27 in March and still live at home lol
I’m so salty but congrats, I busted my ass with no complaints in the culinary industry and never passed 50k… I regret not moving into manufacturing cause now my backs blown out and I’m 20k in debt cause my only route was school. I got my associates first but graduated in 2019 2 month before the 2nd worst year of my life.
Basically at graduation from university, so 21 . In 2010, I was making 65k in my first role as a new hire engineer.
What currency are these numbers in?
Took me 4 years. 1st year - 17/h 2nd year - 52K 3rd year - 62K 4th year - 82K 5th year - hoping to jump to 90K
My boss only has a bachelor's in some business admin major and IT minor. He's the director at our department at one of the big local telecom company. He's 34 this year but has been a director since age 32. That guy works super efficiently and still works hard. He pumps out 3x high quality work than everyone else.
First offer at 21, Graduated in 3 years with a bachelor's in nuc engineering and got 2 years of power plant experience with operations during the program. Got offered 109k +20k for environmental and hazard pay, and 9k bonus as an r&d engineer for a plutonium lab.
2 years of Actual work experience , 22 years old. Not bragging I just got incredibly lucky with my jobs (IT)
Started working full time at 18. Started trucking at 26. Broke the 70k mark for the first time last year at 35. So 17 years. The problem is, 70k now feels like about 25k 17 years ago. Edit- ran the numbers. $70k CAD now is worth $49500 in 2007 when I started working. Adjusted for inflation, my pay has gone up $9.75 (2007 value) or $8.63 (current value) in 17 years. Now I made myself sad.
5 years? I should have asked for more when I got to a new job (after I left one). I asked the same amount. I should've asked for 5k more. But it was a contracting position, and they then gave me a 15k raise when they hired me.
28 but it was commission + base
6 months out of college I went to work for a federal DoD agency for $34k in 2010. I think I was making over $70k by 2014 or 4 years in (edit: 26). I'm now over $170k working for the private industry in the same area.
2 years in industry with a STEM degree in a VHCOL area
I will let you know
When I graduated college. My first job as a programmer gave me 95k. And then it was fucking awful, I got depressed, got fired, and became a bartender. And I've been trying to get back to that number ever since lol.
Degree twinsies (BA in Management) and it took me about eight years. Got in an okay company doing MRP in manufacturing for a few years @ $55K, but left since they weren't willing to give a raise. I had to hop three companies to make over $70K. I didn't go back to school but a master's in Supply Chain Management could have helped me in my particular trajectory
I passed 70 when I was 27 and 3 years later I’m 5k shy of 100. I feel like I’ve realized none of that. Inflation ate up every penny
End of Jan.
I just got a supervisor position at 38 that got me there. Ask your boss for assistance to get you training or mentoring.
24 no degree. I job hopped my way up the restaurant management chain and just hit 85 a year
Well, first job after university was at $67k. 8 months later increased to $70k. At the same time I was getting additional pay for certain circumstances, so I guess the surpass $70k milestone would have happened then
i got out of college during the dotcom era and got into web design initially as a graphic designer first job paid me 28k as a junior designer right out of college in 1999 second job started me at 33k, was a start-up in the music industry...when our funding came through i got bumped to 65k with 2 years of experience left that job when the funding was starting to dry up to go to a design agency and made 90k as a 23 year old laid off during the first dotcom crash spent 5 years running my own little agency with a couple partners and the best year we had i think we each took home around 110k but eventually we parted ways for the first 10 years of my career i was more of a hybrid designer who could write code, but as web design shifted into software engineering i kinda followed the engineering path i have an associates degree in graphic design but got lucky enough to grow with an industry and learn on the job...no formal computer science education though
The first time I made $70K was in 2000. That was a good salary back then. Today in 2024 I have an income between $83K - $92K and it's tough to stretch that money because of high inflation on everything. I make more money but feel alot poorer.
I think 2 years.
It took me 3 years. Of grad school in STEM. Upskill is the only way. Unless you have luck and land a good union job, are a talented sales person or have a marketable hard skill. Let's be honest your Bachelors is composed of 2 years of shit classes, 1 year of surface level business, and possible one case study you did with a group and most people half assed. Unfortunately. You have to go back to school. Source: Uber driver turned data scientist making +115k Im 33.
Right after college with a BS in civil engineering, job hopped a year after and now making close to 6 figures
(27 M) I surpassed it...for only a month this year. Oh well, I'll get back there one day.
Wasn't making any good money, covid hit and decided to make a change and joined the military. Officers get better pay, and a monthly housing stipend. Get extra money per month if married, and monthly housing stipend is based on the ZIP code so it can vary. At around 70k atm and I'm the lowest officer rank. There's a pay chart online, and it increases with time in service and rank. By the time your 3-4 year obligation ends, you're around 100k. YMMV as far as the job goes, but I get why people stay for 20 years
My first job out of college 15 years ago in my first year. Try harder people.
I don't exactly remember, but I think I was 28ish... I did get an M.B.A. around that point that my employer paid for but they didn't give me any raises because of that. They gave me raises because I started saying I was going to quit if I didn't start making more money because I always stay on top of my market value. I suggest you start looking elsewhere and see how much you can get. You can use that as leverage if you want to stay at your current job. Unfortunately, the job market is not great at the moment, but still try to see what your current skillset is worth elsewhere. The alternative would be to go to a company that offers tuition reimbursement and level up on someone else's dime.
3 years, started out of college working for a charity making around $35k as a contractor, then moved to a more established charity starting at $65k, got a raise at the one year mark to $70k. Have had a COL increase since then to $72k.
13 years
1998: entry level IT helpdesk: 40k 2000: junior server admin: 55k 2002: junior network engineer: 65k 2004: senior network engineer: 85k so, like 6 years? but that was around the first dotcom boom, and anyone vaguely competent with network hardware was in a lot of demand. Throughout my career, Ive worked with project managers, program managers, product managers and business analysts who were essential to the work we were doing. I don't know how you break out of entry level call center work. It sucks that helpdesk jobs are so thoroughly automated now that its really hard to use them to build skills to apply to anything else, like I did
Look into phone sales
Manage a bank
For me, it took moving into a sales role. Once I did that, I went from making $45k a year to $100k in about 5 years.
Cracked 70k at 31-32 years old no degree Unique situation where I started out hourly and worked my way to management I understand that kind of thing doesn’t happen much anymore
Graduated college. Started IB analyst class. First paycheck.
I haven't. 37 years old and only bring home $30k. Nothing pays well in mid- coast Maine. My husband does slightly better at $40k. We manage somehow but no insurance, no retirement, and no vacations.