I Dropped Out Of Grad School To Go Into Marketing

illustrated by Richard Chance.

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 an art director in New York, an illustrator in Austin, and an ad tech director in Chicago,

Age: 30
Current Location: Jersey City, NJ
Current Industry & Title: Internet, Marketing Manager
Starting Salary: $22,880 ($11/hour)
Current Salary: $110,000
Number Of Years Employed: 9
Biggest Salary Jump: $18,000 ($47,000 to $65,000) in 2013
Biggest Salary Drop: None

Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: “I regret not negotiating more when I transitioned from corporate into the startup world. This startup offered me more money than I had previously been making, so I accepted without a thought. The bump was only about $5,000, and though my boyfriend was adamant that I negotiate, it was one of those moments where I just wanted to get out of what I was doing so badly that I did not want to push back. Looking back, not only would I have asked for more money, I probably wouldn’t have taken the job at all.”

Best Salary-Related Advice: “With every job you are interviewing for, you have to think about not just the salary but the bonuses, the work-from-home flexibility, the number of vacation days, the health benefits, whether or not the company pays for transportation or offers catered lunches. There are so many things that play into making an opportunity worthwhile.

“For instance, there may be costs covered that you may not have considered. For example, my current job, they cover a lot of the costs I was used to having to pay for. They provide breakfast, lunch, coffee, tea, and other beverages every day, and they cover $150 of my transit each month. My healthcare is less than $30 a month, including health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability — you name it, it’s covered. Basically, it’s important not to just look at the base salary — ask questions about the full package, including stocks and other offerings.”