I just started going Independent in my field and the earning potential is way higher this way so yes I am happy with my wages. However the job security is way lower and networking is super important. It makes me kind of nervous but last year I made 5x what I did the previous year, so I’m hopeful that I can keep that trend up. Unfortunately this year has turned out to be a lot slower and more tedious than last year, so I had to revise my expectations. Being independent has given me so much more freedom though I don’t think I would ever want to go back to working under someone else.
No. I am an elementary / special education teacher.
My salary is not even a near-decent compensation for the effort I have make every day to keep the most disturbed kids in line. Or the physical abuse I have to put up with, constantly.
I’ve been punched, kicked, bitten, spat on, had chairs thrown at me and stabbed with pencils and scissors so many times.
But since we teachers have “a really long summer vacation, how the fuck do you dare to complain about your shitty pay?”
Yet I try to fight the good fight and force myself to the school every day, since somebody’ has to try to fix those kids before they’re truly beyond saving.
I make about $150k but I also live in the San Francisco Bay Area so, while I'm comfortable renting an apartment and being able to save for retirement, I know I am far from being able to afford property. (I could move away but all my family is here.) So I'd say I'm currently satisfied only because I've come to terms with never having that complete housing security.
Satisfied enough, I guess. I make a little over half a million a year. Thing is, I burn about $30k/mo right now trying to keep my small businesses afloat (debts from mid-covid, payroll, medical benefits for employees). A little less than $10k/mo goes to my own bills, savings, retirement, health, etc. Rest usually goes back to the community or local charitable causes.
I take zero money out of my businesses and haven’t for 3 years or so now.
What would be great is if I could get back to where the businesses are self-sustaining, but the last few COVID years changed so much that I’m beginning to doubt it’s possible and at the moment I don’t have the heart to just shut them down or leave the employees without a job.
But, I can’t work 80 hours+ a week forever. I have a family too. I think it will help once the debts are paid off, but just trend/trajectory-wise it will still take some additional foot traffic and sales growth that I’m just not sure will happen anymore.
No, I'm not - but it's complicated. I settled for a job with a lower salary than I'm used to because I wanted a mental break.
But, the employer pulled a bait-and-switch. After I signed the hiring agreement, they saddled me with a more advanced role that easily makes twice my agreed salary. I fought for a fair adjustment, but it turned into a perpetual "moving goalposts" situation.
So, after a year of doing a $175k-$200k job for $100k (mostly for the sake of my resume), I essentially said fuck you, pay me - or I'm out. They didn't budge, so I resigned. Here's hoping my next employer is at least slightly less greasy.
I was. I was making 100k AUD, able to support another through University and easily pay my relatively small mortgage.
With interest rates gone up, I’m paying 50% more for the mortgage, and bigger increase than that on food, gas, electricity, rates and hot water. We are on the edge of comfortable, though our budget still has a little fat we can trim. I don’t like the effective pay decrease I’ve had this last while, so no; I would be happy going back to two years ago levels of comfort.
I am. I make about 120K to work from home, and do maybe 10 hours of actual work a week. Rest of it I'm just dicking around on the internet or playing video games.
However, in my city, when I socialize, people seem to think I am living in poverty, wasting my life, etc. Apparently I'm suppose to be working 60 hour weeks to make 200K+, and live in a million+ dollar house and all that crap. IDGI, but that is the attitude in my city.
My dream was to be a professor, but I realize that making 60K and working 100hr weeks was not a recipe for being miserable forever.
No. I am paid well, but there are people in my department who do FUCK ALL and get paid 40% more than me. I get shit done. I have made my position known to my boss. Ball’s in her court.
Fully agree with this. I’m currently interviewing and have reached the “reward phase” where 3-4 companies are offering me salary & benefits packages. I’ll likely be taking the lowest package with the farthest drive because that work interests me the most and offers interesting travel opportunities. Just a little heartburn on the salary though, but still more than what I’m making now by 15%. But yeah there’s a lot to weigh out.
You should definitely pursue that. That’s how making 40% or 50% more can happen overnight - by simply changing jobs. Of course you’ve got to factor in the extraneous things like commute and child care, but that’s the general rule of thumb. Change jobs every 3 years, make more. It’s statistically proven.
I’m in one of those spots where I make pretty good money but I know I could make more if I left to work for a bigger company- however, I really like my company and it’s really low stress and very low BS that I have to deal with. I like my coworkers and I have a great relationship with the clients. I’ve been there for nearly 15 years and it has excellent work life balance. So when I consider all of that, an extra 20k doesn’t really sound that great if I hate my life every day.
This is where I’m at. I’m in my early 40s, and have a family. My job is pretty low stress and I have a great work/life balance. Everybody is happy. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Same- with kids and a wife and a house that is non stop projects I value the time I get to spend away from work a lot. I have a 401k, I’m going for stability over squeezing every last dollar out of every opportunity.
I also think of it this way- I’m a big DIY guy, and the money I save on labor is basically another salary. The fact that I have fun doing it too is a bonus. My work affords me time to do that rather than being on call at all hours.
I'm nearly 40 and every lady I try to date thinks a low stress lifestyle with a work/life balance is a horrible thing. They are all obsessed with 'ambition'. And when i talk about wanting to actually be a father to my children and having a life outside of my job, they basically tell me to f myself and that I am not a 'real man'.
Found mine before I really had a career. Ambition can also be saving for retirement and post work life. I am also a DIY person, I rack that up to having hobbies and wanting to learn stuff outside of work.
I read a lot of biographies about people who’ve made boat loads of money, and one of the big sacrifices of that is family. You just don’t have enough time for making money all the time and managing a family.
And yet soooo many people I meet seem to think this lifestyle is 'for losers'. Apparently you are supposed to be a miserable corporate drone so you can make an extra few bucks to spend on useless crap that you don't need.
Yes, for the first time ever. Something came up at work where a peer started giving me direction and deadlines. I have 10 years on my resume and I’m highly paid. I started to say to myself “they don’t pay me enough for this shit” but then I realized that they in fact do pay me enough for this shit.
The other guy is a genuine idiot too. He’s a new manager who cusses in meetings to establish trust, but then turns around and talks shit on his employees. He’s already made a joke to me that crossed the line of sexual harassment. I’m going to accept his deadline while raking in the cash as I await the incident that will finally get him fired.
I am extremely overpaid. I am also quitting soon and will most likely find an underpaid job, so I’m really trying to make the most of my extra money right now!
It’s possible to be overpaid and unhappy where you are. When you’re spending 40hours/week doing something, it doesn’t matter what you’re paid if you hate it. Happiness is more important than money, as long the lower level of money is still enough for you.
I have a job in an American tech company. I’m paid Silicon Valley entry level wages which easily puts me in the top 10% earners in my country.
I’ve been at this job for 5 years. I’m not learning or doing anything new, I lost my favourite teammates in layoffs, I don’t respect my company and I’m tired of having 8pm meetings with the US west coast.
I’ve bought my apartment now, so my living costs are about to go way down, and I’m being offered a giant severance package if I leave now, no severance if I quit at any other time. Now’s the time!
I always feel like the tipping point is where you are starting to mostly consider other aspects (work-life balance, work load, colleagues, type of work) over pay.
For me that’s happening now, before I would mostly take the salary into account.
This is where I’ve been for a couple of years now. Could I make more money and have more responsibility? Absolutely. But I make plenty, I work with good people, and I “work” from home twice a week. My week is 10 hours of real work, 10 hours of meetings about that work, and 20 hours of fucking around waiting for other people to finish their work. I do most of my fucking around at home where I can do whatever I want. Do I really want to give up this slack ass job to chase a 10->15% raise? I’m not sure I do.