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Have you looked at the LOCATION of those six figure jobs?
You can get a six figure job, if you're living in Silicon Valley. The problem is that $100K is nothing to live on there. You can qualify for food stamps on 100K there. Just try to find an apartment you can afford there, cost of iiving there is ridiculous.
Stop looking at the TOP line (salary) and look at the bottom line (salary minus cost of living)
Sometimes you don't need MORE money. Sometimes taking a job with LESS money in a LOWER COST OF LIVING area means you're coming out ahead.
$100K in Silicon Valley versus $75K in Smallville, Mississipi.
Earning more is always good. Focus on your career and the money will come. When I started my career, I was more focused on trying to make myself indispensable in my field than worry how I could bump my salary by X. I also value stability, job satisfaction as well as complete benefit package. Salary is just part of the equation.
I'm actually happy with what I get.... Right now I have made $20K this year so far. 5 months in.... Estimating that if things stay the same I could see $45-$50K this year.
Exactly. Outside of being an investment banker, lawyer, or doctor, salaries sometimes have huge ranges with organizations offering pitiful compensation packages. I was just approached by a recruiter who asked to interview me today. After speaking with the recruiter, for a fortune 200 company I should mention, he told me that I was making 20k more than the range. It's for the exact same type of work.
That's why I'm relentless about making more money. I spent way too many years in my 20's being too passive. After relocating, and a career change, I had to essentially start over since HR can't seem to transfer skills from previous jobs unless it is literally the keyword they are looking for.
Um, even in the fields you mentioned you can have a huge range in salaries. Physicians working for a place like the VA in a low-COL area might make around $100K to start even in the specialties and make more than 2-3x that to start elsewhere. I live in Chicagoland and government attorneys can start at under $50K working in various positions in and around Chicago, while private sector attorneys obviously make much more. I work with people who were in the private sector and they didn’t make that much or or have good compensation packages. That is just the way it is.
I don't think its reasonable for anyone when most Americans are sweating it out for less than half that, including people with decades of experience or MS's and Ph.D's. Of course there are high cost areas that might be exceptions but nobody is forcing anyone to live there.
But that's really another topic.
I agree and the truth is there is a ton of money floating around. Lots going to waste and senior leadership with nothing but crumbs leftover for the remaining employees. I'm not supporting any organization that pays slave wages while trying to manipulate me into feeling grateful for what I get. Behind closed doors, you better believe people are counting their coins while squeezing every drop out of their workers. I go where the money is.
I think part of the problem, or a big part of the problem is , many people don't want to put in the work or the time to get to the point of making that kind of money.
At some places, they will never pay fair wages. Sometimes you need to recognize when the work relationship is favored more to one side. If I am not seeing substantial raises annually, money put forward toward professional development, as well as work that continues to keep me relevant in my field, it's time to go.
Corporate training is a cost center (unless you work for a company that sells training classes to corporations.) If I'm a shareholder in the corporation, you do not make me any money. You cost me money. Your existence costs me money. There is very little linkage between you teaching something in the corporate training company and one of your students doing something to make me money - let alone $160K.
Try getting out of a cost center and into a profit center, where you can demonstrate just how much money you could make me. Show me you can design new products to sell for me to make money. Show me you can reengineer existing products so they'll sell more or cost less to build, thereby making me money. Show me you can close deals thereby making me money. Show me you can directly support customers in such a way they are delighted with us and do repeat business, thereby making me money. Show me you can rearrange company business lines in such a way as to save $$$, thereby making me money. Show me you can help keep the company legal in all of its operations, thereby avoiding litigation expense and costly fines & awards, thereby making me more money. Show me you can plan our operations in such a way as to minimize the income tax burden we incur, thereby making me more money. Show me a strategic trend I'm missing or competitive threat I don't see together with tactics on how to deal with them, thereby making me money.
Figure out how to make earn your employer $400K and watch your compensation get a big bump.
Initially, I was making a prior company money by creating the content they were selling and making half of what I am making now. I was consistently told that it was the most they could afford, while paying people on our sales team high six figure incomes. Consistently received positive feedback on my work and from our clients, yet "couldn't afford" anything more. It was straight up greed is what it is and I kicked them to the curb for a higher paying job in corporate training. Continued to use company after company to get the salary I have now.
I'm also responsible for change management, so you could make an argument for ROI. Regardless, I have considered this and contemplated going into consulting; however, I don't want to travel upwards of 75%. I'm at a point in my life that I would like to be home during the week. I'd be open to maybe 10% travel, but it's unlikely that a high paying consulting job would have so little travel.
Have you looked at the LOCATION of those six figure jobs?
You can get a six figure job, if you're living in Silicon Valley. The problem is that $100K is nothing to live on there. You can qualify for food stamps on 100K there. Just try to find an apartment you can afford there, cost of iiving there is ridiculous.
Stop looking at the TOP line (salary) and look at the bottom line (salary minus cost of living)
Sometimes you don't need MORE money. Sometimes taking a job with LESS money in a LOWER COST OF LIVING area means you're coming out ahead.
$100K in Silicon Valley versus $75K in Smallville, Mississipi.
Guess where you're living like a king?
Not referring to any outliers like Silicon Valley. Talking about places that have relatively lower to moderate costs of living.
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