In our series Salary Stories , women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions, and job loss, with the hope it will give young women more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.
Been in the workforce for at least eight years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here.
Previously, we talked to a psychologist in Los Angeles, a strategy director in New York , and a social media coordinator in Atlanta.
Age: 32
Current Location: New York City, NY
Current Industry & Title: Education Tech, Sales Research & Insights Manager
Starting Salary: $9.50 an hour in 2008
Current Salary: $100,000 + $10,000 bonus
Number Of Years Employed: 10 years
Biggest Salary Jump: $17,000 ($78,000 to $95,000) in 2017
Biggest Salary Drop: $10,000 ($55,000 to $45,000) in 2010
Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: "I quit my first job after only six weeks. It was a terrible situation and not at all what I signed up for. I found myself working as a personal assistant to a wealthy woman after her previous one quit when I was originally supposed to work on her education initiatives.
"I was living in her guest house in the Hamptons because she was scared to be alone. Meanwhile, my brand new NYC apartment was sitting empty. I quit with no job prospects and no idea how I was going to pay my next month’s rent. I ended up getting a job within a week, but I was in such a desperate state that I didn’t negotiate at all. I promised myself I would never get myself in that position again."
Best Salary-Related Advice: "It’s not just about the salary — look at the whole package. One job I had gave us a stipend for breakfast and lunch every day. That was a huge bonus to me when I was single and living on my own in NYC. I saved a ton on groceries."
"I was in graduate school doing my master’s in English and needed something part-time. I saw in the paper that the local library in the town where I was going to grad school was hiring. I applied and was hired as an assistant in the children’s department.
"This was such a great job for someone studying literature. I got to help kids find books, work with them on their homework, and interface with the teachers when they came in to create projects for their students."
"My second year of graduate school I was offered a graduate assistant position, which provided tuition. This was part of my program, and a professor of mine recommended me for the job.
"In addition to tuition remission, I was also paid $11 per hour to work a weekly rotation in the campus writing center. I worked with students in one-on-one sessions on whatever writing project they brought to the center. This really was an incredible experience and made me want to become a teacher.
"At one point, I actually considered switching my master’s to a teaching degree, but quickly realized that while I liked working with students one-on-one, I didn’t want to be getting up in front of a full class."
"After I graduated, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had a master’s in English with a concentration in 18th-century British fiction. I had some experience in teaching, but I did not feel the least bit marketable.
"I started reaching out to recruiters thinking that maybe someone would have a job for me. It turned out that one did. I interviewed to work with an incredible wealthy woman who had a deep interest in education. She owned a school and had a number of philanthropical projects involving education. We hit it off, and I was hired on the spot.
"I was initially brought on to work on education initiatives since this woman was wealthy and involved in several philanthropic and education efforts. My job was to help her find more donors and write pitches and proposals to help her with school programs. Since my interests and background were in education, I was excited to do this work."
"A few days after I started the executive assistant job, the woman’s personal assistant quit. She liked me and asked me if I would be her personal assistant. This wasn’t at all what I had been hired to do, but I ended up moving into this role.
"She basically handed me a Blackberry, and I started going everywhere with her, booking her appointments and handling all of her personal correspondence and finances. I basically managed her life — even her communications with her own daughter.
"I was living in her guest house in the Hamptons and hating every single second. Meanwhile, I had a beautiful new apartment in the city that I hadn’t spent a single night in. I was working around the clock for a crazy lady. I really mean this — she wouldn’t let me wear certain colors or shoes that clicked because they reminded her of her mother with whom she had a bad relationship.
"I couldn’t take it. I called my mom and asked her what I should do. She told me that life’s too short and reminded me that I had a few month’s rent in savings so I quit, had the driver take me to the bus stop, and got on the Hampton Jitney back into the city."
"I didn’t have anything else lined up after I quit. And, after enjoying sleeping in my own bed for a night, the panic set in. I had savings, but I didn’t want to dip into them, so I started sending my résumé to recruiters. I immediately got a request to interview for a small hedge fund.
"I had no idea what a hedge fund was, but that was okay. They needed someone who could write, keep the executives organized, and arrange events, and I knew I could do it. I was offered $45,000 with full benefits, and I took it without negotiating. Though part of me regrets this, it’s what put me on the path that I’ve been on since. Besides, they also offered a breakfast and lunch stipend every day and gave me a $5,000 bonus at Christmas, even though I had only worked there for a few months."
"I was at the hedge fund from August until around February, and I was so bored as the work wasn’t challenging at all. Plus it was a boys’ club. I started looking for something more in line with my degree and found a role for a communications specialist at a major international law firm.
"I met with the director of marketing at the firm and four others from different partner areas. I was basically getting grilled by lawyers, and it was very nerve-wracking. I also had to do a writing and proofreading test, but from there it was a pretty quick process. I was offered the position, and I did not negotiate. I still didn’t really know how to at that point.
"I was excited to be doing something different in this job. I was responsible for all copy for the website, brochures, and social media. On top of this, I had always wanted to try doing something in legal and saw my writing as a way to get involved in the legal world."
"We had annual reviews with the partners and with our teams. My role had changed quite a bit from doing straight up communications to doing more business development work. I ended up getting a raise in my annual review as well as a bonus.
"I began taking on more projects and started to learn how to write RFPs (Request for Proposals), which became a really important part of the firm’s business development efforts."
"Based on the natural progression of my work, I was promoted during my annual review. I had less and less time to dedicate to communications because of how much I was focusing on business development. Since my role had changed quite a bit, and I was mostly doing business development work, I asked for a title change to be more aligned with what I was focusing on. They agreed.
"At the time, the firm was doing well so I was given a $10,000 raise along with my new title. I felt like I deserved more money, but we didn’t really have room to negotiate, so I accepted it without any fight. I also felt that it might be hard to negotiate with lawyers.
"RFPs became really important to one of our firm’s practices. I became the business development leader for that practice, and my role became entirely focused on responding to proposals and driving new business."
"I reached a point where I could not work with lawyers anymore. No offense to any lawyers out there, but after a few years I was totally burned out. I was working a lot and every project seemed to be high stakes, so I started looking for work again. This was the first time I didn’t work with a recruiter, I was just looking online and Googling RFPs to see what other industries had this need. I liked writing RFPs and was good at it, plus it was very niche so I hoped to find something in that same realm.
"I eventually found a proposal writing role at an education tech company, and I was excited because it combined my newly acquired proposal skill with my education background. It was a startup that was growing rapidly. I had a couple of interviews and was offered $68,000 plus a $5,000 bonus if I hit my numbers. The company also paid 80% of my benefits, offered an unlimited time-off policy, snacks and lunch, and a super casual working environment. I also got equity in the company. I felt good with that offer, especially looking at the full package. It was way more than I’d been making, and I accepted without negotiating.
"This company was such a welcome change from the corporate legal stuffiness. The work itself was more than I initially expected, but it was much more fulfilling. I was working with school districts, and I was happy to be working in the education space and helping students again. I had an awesome boss — it was the first time I’d had a really good boss in my career. I also got to work directly with the founders of the company, which was cool because I was hearing firsthand what their visions for the company were and helping them with that."
"During my annual review, I was given a raise. The process involved me talking through everything I had done with my manager and setting up a career plan. This was the first time I’d had that at a company, and it was nice because I felt the company was planning for the long term and considering how I would be a part of that. It was a good feeling.
"Our company had grown a lot, and my boss and I were a killer duo. They acknowledged that I had been a part of the company’s growth, and they wanted to be part of my growth, as well. I tried to negotiate but because we were run by a board they were only approving a certain threshold that year so I wasn’t able to get any more."
"Again during my annual review, I received a promotion. We talked about goals the year prior and I led projects that year so it felt right — I had shown that I could lead and this felt like a recognition that I could do so successfully.
"I was technically the only proposal writer on our team but my company understood that I wanted to show growth and progression on my résumé, so they gave me a title bump."
"My boss left. At first, I was reeling. I was nervous the company would bring in someone in a director role over me. So I started preparing for the biggest negotiation of my career. During my review, I was initially offered another standard $5,000, which is what I had been offered each year up until that point. But I knew what my boss had been making, so I had come to my review armed with spreadsheets that showed what I had been doing and what it meant for the company financially. I basically said that $5,000 was not acceptable.
"It was tough to do because I was presenting this information to my CEO, but I think he respected me because of it. He recognized how much work I had been doing and ended up promoting me to the head of the department. I asked for $100,000 and I ended up getting $95,000 plus an increased bonus of $10,000, which I was happy with.
"After this, I was fully in charge of all proposals and worked with a team of 30 sales representatives on all of their large sales. I also started working with the C-levels on a regular basis. I felt a sense of relief after this situation; I knew if I hadn’t gotten the promotion I would have left because it would mean the company didn’t value me."
"As a part of my annual review, I was promoted once again. New leadership came in, and I was able to communicate the gaps I had seen in the company. We had grown a lot and our business needs had shifted. RFPs and proposals were still super important, but we were now a known player in the space.
"Today, I still lead all proposal efforts but I also work more closely with the sales team on strategy. I have a strong relationship with the president of the company and he trusts me. We talk about things that are even beyond the scope of my job, and it’s nice because he also tells me where we’re at as a company. With startups, it can sometimes be concerning to think about longevity. I feel good about our communication around this.
"Honestly, if you had told me when I finished grad school that I’d be doing what I’m doing now — things like spreadsheets and pricing strategy — I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s so far beyond the scope of a master’s in English. But I’m working with people who are pushing me, who remind me of how capable I am, and who believe in me.
"I would love to stay in this role for a while. What we do is really cool, and I’m finally combining education and the writing and analysis that I studied in school. My role and title right now are broad, and this is by design. I created them this way because I can pick up projects and pitch people and can make the role evolve however I want. I don’t have a team that reports to me so for every project I assemble one depending on the needs of the project. It’s great to have this sort of freedom."
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
A Week In San Francisco, CA, On A $118,000 Salary
Scaling The Maternal Wall: Why Do We Still Underestimate Working Mothers?
Did This Royal Sussex Instagram Post Just Become The Most-Liked Royal IG Of All Time?
Source: Refinery29 – Ludmila Leiva