A female-focused glimpse into different paths to financial success.
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What's your age, location, pronouns?
Early 30s in Southern California, she/her
What’s your current job?
I'm a mid-to-senior level marketing manager at a tech company (I know, it's such a broad title). In the few years I've been at the company, my role's evolved to fit changing business priorities. Initially, I did more revenue-driving B2B marketing, then consumer brand marketing, now I'd say my job is somewhere in the middle. It's the nature of the industry, economic conditions, and countless reorgs - for better or for worse. Marketing forces you to be adaptable like that!
Walk us through your pay journey. How did your income progress over time? What were the turning points that led to the most salary growth or loss? What were times where you struggled the most?
2012: $10/hour as a marketing assistant. Honestly, I was just stoked to be landing a job in my field straight out of college, in a city that wasn't my hometown. I worked at a boutique marketing firm that did a little bit of everything, from promotional goods, local TV commercials, and even legal doc preparation (never quite understood that one...). After a year it was pretty clear my skillset - and bank account - weren't benefitting, so I lined up another job and quit.
2013 to 2016: $40k plus pocket change as a marketing consultant + odd jobs holder. After a very brief stint as an executive assistant (accidentally crashing your boss' car on an errand is a career ender...), I was lucky to land my next gig at a small healthcare marketing consultancy. Even though I had no experience - or interest, really - in healthcare, my boss (the CEO) saw my potential and decided to take me under his wing. Despite how green I was in my career, he included me in senior-level activities, trusted my opinion, and genuinely cared for my personal and professional development. It ultimately led me to pursue an MBA in 2014, which he heartily supported. He allowed me to continue working for him flexibly while I was in school, but that couldn't pay all the bills, so I also took odd jobs here and there, including a bartender, luxury store sales associate, and cafe runner. I consider this the first turning point in my career, getting me one step closer to aligning my skills in marketing to my passions in tech, media, and entertainment. To this day, I contribute a lot of my success to my boss's mentorship. It's true when they say a manager can make or break you. We're still great friends to this day - he's like my second dad!
2016: $45k as a media planner. My first job post-grad school was at an advertising agency where I got to work with entertainment clients. It was the opposite of glamourous, and in my ways felt like a step back, but I continued to stay tenacious and keep planting seeds. This does mean more job hopping is on the way ;)
2017: $65k as an advertising account manager. My first big jump! It was a short stint (~9 months) because the agency turned out to be pretty toxic, but the leverage and confidence it gave me to land higher paying jobs was worth the short-term pain (I also met some of my best friends here).
2017 - 2020: $70k to $95k as an advertising account manager, then associate director. I finally started to feel like I was on the "right track" with my work. I landed at an agency I loved, with fulfilling work and interesting challenges. The skills my old boss gave me in managing senior stakeholders, relationships, and strategic work really paid off here and set me apart from my peers. After a year and a half, I was granted an out-of-cycle promotion with a huge pay bump. Unfortunately, after some research and chatting with colleagues, this still put me in the bottom of the payband for the role, so I ultimately decided to leave...which is where I got my next big break, in tech!
2020 - 2022: $150k+ with equity as a marketing manager. I applied to a FAANG company on a whim and got a call back. After a grueling interview process and plenty of doses of imposter syndrome, I was pleasantly surprised to hear I got the job - and I'd be making 6 figures! This was a goal of mine for quite some time, and I managed to reach it a few years early. By this time, I'd started to develop a pretty good reputation for myself (the industry is small in my city). In early 2022, an old colleague reached out letting me know there was an opening at their company to lead a big new marketing initiative and that I'd be a great fit. I took the intro call out of curiosity and my eyes nearly popped out of my eyes when I heard the salary.
2022: $300k+ with equity as a marketing manager. I was lucky to be hired at the peak of the "post-COVID" tech boom where companies seemed to be outbidding each other for employees. I was initially offered $250K but figured I'd shoot my shot and landed on $300K plus fully remote benefits (which unfortunately have since been revoked). I'm not going to lie, the money has been a game changer. Now that the economy isn't as great as it used to be and the market is much fiercer, I don't have any incentive to leave - even if the work and company have been tumultuous as of late. Those golden handcuffs are real!
As I've gotten older, my priorities and approach to work-life balance have evolved a ton. In some ways, I see this being my absolute top of market, and I don't see myself making more than this in my next role, whenever that is. So for now, I continue to stay grateful.
Any recent purchases that made you excited or happy?
A trip to see a Formula 1 race abroad. My husband and I both love fast cars and travel, and figured this would be the year we'd splurge to combine the two since we're hoping to try for kids soon. I'm Team Ferrari, he's Team Red Bull. Outside of the fancy watch I got myself to commemorate getting my last job, most of my fun money goes towards experiences.
What’s one of the worst money mistakes you’ve ever made?
Not understanding the importance of saving early. When I first started getting a regular paycheck, it was like a race to see how quickly I could spend it. My husband is a similar high earner, but he started saving and investing right after landing his first job post-college. It was a shock to see what I could have stashed away had I been more mindful of my spending, especially now that my biggest financial goal is to retire early.
Would you attribute your financial success to luck, privilege, timing, and/or hard work?
A little bit of all three. Privilege gave me the foundation to take risks and pursue what I wanted to do, luck got me the opportunities to prove myself, and hard work continues to keep me on that path.
What would you want to be if you weren't doing this job?
I'd have loved to work in hospitality, like a hotel manager or something along those lines. One of my dreams is to open up a bed and breakfast with a surf shack or yoga studio. I'm hoping to make that a reality someday : )
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Really enjoyed this one!