Salary Story: How I Made My Way From A Soul-Sucking Job To $92,000

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 people more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here.

Age: 30
Location: Newark, DE
Current industry and job title: Banking and finance industry, associate business analyst
Current salary: $92,000
Number of years employed since school or university: 8
Starting salary: $32,500 from 2015-2018
Biggest salary jump: $55,000 to $85,000 in 2022
Biggest salary drop: $50,000 to $45,000 in March 2020. My company was trying to “preserve cash” during the pandemic.

Biggest negotiation regret: When I was offered $85,000 for a marketing consulting job at a major bank in 2022, I didn’t negotiate at all because I had sticker shock as I was only making $55,000 at the time. Looking back and knowing what that position was paying at the company, I definitely could have gotten at least a little more.

Best salary advice: Try to negotiate! The worst they can say is no. Always strive for more and strive for better. Nobody is looking out for you the way you must look out for yourself.

I worked at a banking call center. This job was soul sucking. I had nightmares every night about work. I was waitressing prior and a few friends also worked here, I took the leap for health insurance and steady income.

I jumped to another bank for $36,000 yearly salary and worked in the auto finance department processing loans. I couldn’t stand being on the phones anymore and the constant pressure to perform in my old job, so I woke up one morning and said I wasn’t going to be working there anymore, and never looked back.

This was my first significant salary jump. An acquaintance working for a construction company knew their marketing department desperately needed help, so I interviewed with zero marketing experience and got the job. This job kicked off my interest and success in marketing and the rest of my career.

This is my most significant salary jump to date. I had content and email marketing experience but zero experience in paid search, and my manager took a chance on me. This job was challenging and I worked the hardest I ever have in my life. I left my previous job because there was no more room for growth, plus they offered no maternity leave which didn’t sit right with me.

This is my current job. I stepped back from marketing and now review marketing copy for compliance with federal banking regulations. I am the happiest I have ever been in a role. I left my previous job because I just wasn’t happy with the work I was doing and the constant demand.

I hope to move to the next level in my current company, which would be a VP role. My next raise should get me close to crossing the six-figure mark, and with a promotion I hope to make around $120,000.

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