I Make $100K As A Director Of Curriculum In Education

In our series My 6-Figure Paycheck, women making more than $100,000 open up about how they got there and what exactly they do. We take a closer look at what it feels like to be a woman making six figures — when only 5% of American women make that much, according to the U.S. Census — with the hope it will give women insight into how to better navigate their own career and salary trajectories.

Job: Senior Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Age: 28
Location: Boston
Degree: Bachelor's in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Master's in Nonprofit Management
First Salary: $41,115
Current Salary: $100,000

"As the oldest child of two immigrant parents, I don't exactly remember what I wanted to be when I was a kid, but I do know that the expectations were really high. At some point in high school, I decided that I wanted to be in medicine, and so I followed a pre-med track through college. However, by the time I wrapped up my undergrad degree, I was super burned out and was looking for any way to take a break from school, while also paying my bills. In thinking about that, I kind of fell into teaching and I've literally never left school ever since."

"I have a bachelor's in brain and cognitive sciences from MIT with a minor in public policy. I also have a master's in nonprofit management from Northeastern University with a concentration in leadership."

"My undergrad degree was covered completely by my college. I did have about $5,000 in credit card debt from books and other college expenses. I also had roughly $35,000 in debt from my graduate degree, though about $17,000 of that was forgiven for my years of service while working at a school in an underserved community. Thus far, I've paid off an additional $10,000, so now I have a little over $7,000 left."

"No. I was initially hired as an apprentice teacher at a school, and was promoted to teacher, instructional coach, and principal over the span of eight years. I recently changed schools, and I now work at a district level."

"My job is to support principals with the specific types of coaching that need to happen at their schools."

"For most of my career, I didn't negotiate my salary because most schools have pretty ironclad teacher salary scales that are negotiated by teacher unions. However, this past year, when I decided to leave a school that I had been at for about eight years, I purposefully told myself that I wouldn't accept a job that offered less than six figures. I knew my skill set and my experience matched up with what I was asking for."

"No. While I enjoy this level of work, I do miss the daily interaction with students, teachers, and parents. Ideally, I would like to have a job where I get to have a more direct role with the students in our school. Being a young principal of color was a super unique experience that I know really inspired my students, and I miss having that level of impact."

"I would spend a little more time networking and building relationships outside of my organization. When the time came for me to change things up, I really relied on the friendships and partnerships that I had created along the way."

"Take the job even if you feel unprepared — chances are that a good mentor and a willingness to work hard will make up the difference."

Are you a woman under 35 with a six-figure salary ($100,000+) and want to tell your story? Submit it here.