High Salary, No Growth Potential

[Anonymous]

I have an interesting job, make $350K a year with (at least, to date) roughly 5% increases each year, work from home with no travel, and usually work around 40 hours per week (though it can be pretty stressful and difficult-think client service). I'm a hard worker and efficient employee and generally deliver results way above expectations. My challenge is that there is little potential for growth in this job. There are very few spots above me, and they are filled, and I'm hungry for a title change and to move from IC to a manager role. Many of the folks who are in roles above me are average to below average but are good enough to not be fired (and, at least to date, the bar is pretty high to be fired). Because I'm a good worker, I often get asked to do the jobs that no one else wants to take on. I essentially plug holes where needed, and given some potential for downsizing there are likely to be more holes to fill, with uninteresting and minimal paths to leadership (a parallel example would be a token senior associate role and having no chance for partner because they just don't want to make more partners). it's also a place where there's information hoarding and musical chairs at the level above me, rather than opening opportunities for upward mobility.

I'm creative, well-credentialed, and tired of getting shitty work. But I also know I have it good. I'd love to hear thoughts from people in similar situations, or who have moved on from similar situations. TIA!

[Anonymous]

you make 350k working 40 hours a week from home. Step back and think about how good you have it. I'm trying to thing of a job where that would be bad pay for 40 hours from home and I can't come up with one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you make 350k working 40 hours a week from home. Step back and think about how good you have it. I'm trying to thing of a job where that would be bad pay for 40 hours from home and I can't come up with one

+1

[Anonymous]

How old are you? Will you face ageism if you wait too long to leave? What does the rest of your life look like? Kids, spouse, health? If you have kids at home it sounds like an awesome gig.

[Anonymous]

It’s all just pros and cons. No job offers everything.

Pros: good pay, potential for nice raises, interesting work, limited hours, WFH

Cons: No promotion potential, get dumped on occasionally

The pros seem to outweigh the cons by a lot.

For me, I have decent pay, great pension, great leave, WFH two days a week, interesting work, can retire early but similarly limited promotion potential, long(ish) hours, stress, nightmare processes/bureaucracy and bad managers. I have hated it at times and been looking at leaving but honestly it is tough, because the pros are all pretty strong.

[Anonymous]

You have a reasonably sweet job. 40 hours a week and fully remote? I’d stay and make myself indispensable.

[Anonymous]

You are looking a gift horse in the mouth. Promotions and job titles don’t actually matter or say anything about your value or worth as a human being. Look for ways to find fulfillment outside of work.

[Anonymous]

I’m in the exact same situation but making just over $300k. I have come to terms that the flexibility, lack of stress and enjoyment of my job, when combined with my salary, are sufficient for me. I have an amazing work life balance. My next step up professionally would be a partner in a firm and that’s just not the life I want.

[Anonymous]

No tears for you.

[Anonymous]

I'm in a very similar situation with a lower (but still really good) salary. I'm struggling with this too. In the back of my mind, I know I should shift my mindset to being happy where I am, but I'm still kind of raging at some structural aspects at our company that dictate who and what roles can and can't get promoted. I've worked really hard to get to this point, moving up the ladder, and realizing that maybe this is the top (for me) is hard to accept. But everything else about it is great.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, this is OP. What I struggle with is that I have so much proven potential and constantly feel like I’m standing right outside a window peeking into a crack to the room where decisions are made. Sometimes I hear my own ideas or versions of my presentations in those windows. I have a stronger academic and professional background than 95 percent of the entire group and I regularly spend time on initiatives that are outside my core duties that almost always have eventually picked up speed and been further implemented.

I think being left out is driven by two things: 1) there are 1-2 middle manager at the level above me that I think feel threatened and don’t want to see me shine; 2) I have high expectations and seek out opportunities to work with peer and junior colleagues with the same work ethic and energy (I’ve been told that others feel left out; again I don’t manage any of these people). I’m pretty direct and make my feelings known, which I know is not a good thing and I’m working on it.

One other complication is that for a few reasons completely outside my control and due to no negotiation or other efforts by me, I’m one of the most highly paid people in the group. I suspect (but don’t know for sure) that I earn more than anyone else at my level and potentially more than some of the people at the level above me (there’s only one layer between me and the head of our group). So I think sometimes there might be a sense among managers that I should just shut up and do whatever I’m told.

So all of this has lead to a lot of FEELINGS for me: feeling left out, not respected, not recognized, and not given opportunities that let me lean into my talents. The feelings keep me up at all hours of the night and saddle me during the day at work. It’s not a good place to be in, and I’ve got to get out of that headspace one way or another. As someone (Toni Morrison?) once said, I know I’ve got to either find a new situation or change my feelings about this one. And I’m feeling so stuck in both directions.

Thoughts, advice, real talk, I’ll take it all.

[Anonymous]

Find a good therapist.

[Anonymous]

I hear you. I’m PP on pros/cons. I have been looking to leave because the upward mobility is so limited (by bureaucracy, not performance. Two of my bosses have said they would bump me up two levels but can’t).

I think it helps to try to put a dollar figure on the positives and think of what it would take for you to make the jump elsewhere. For me, the number is at least $350k, probably closer to $400k. I make about $260k, but the leave, pension, and early retirement are unmatched elsewhere, and I would probably have less job security and have to go in more days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, this is OP. What I struggle with is that I have so much proven potential and constantly feel like I’m standing right outside a window peeking into a crack to the room where decisions are made. Sometimes I hear my own ideas or versions of my presentations in those windows. I have a stronger academic and professional background than 95 percent of the entire group and I regularly spend time on initiatives that are outside my core duties that almost always have eventually picked up speed and been further implemented.

I think being left out is driven by two things: 1) there are 1-2 middle manager at the level above me that I think feel threatened and don’t want to see me shine; 2) I have high expectations and seek out opportunities to work with peer and junior colleagues with the same work ethic and energy (I’ve been told that others feel left out; again I don’t manage any of these people). I’m pretty direct and make my feelings known, which I know is not a good thing and I’m working on it.

One other complication is that for a few reasons completely outside my control and due to no negotiation or other efforts by me, I’m one of the most highly paid people in the group. I suspect (but don’t know for sure) that I earn more than anyone else at my level and potentially more than some of the people at the level above me (there’s only one layer between me and the head of our group). So I think sometimes there might be a sense among managers that I should just shut up and do whatever I’m told.

So all of this has lead to a lot of FEELINGS for me: feeling left out, not respected, not recognized, and not given opportunities that let me lean into my talents. The feelings keep me up at all hours of the night and saddle me during the day at work. It’s not a good place to be in, and I’ve got to get out of that headspace one way or another. As someone (Toni Morrison?) once said, I know I’ve got to either find a new situation or change my feelings about this one. And I’m feeling so stuck in both directions.

Thoughts, advice, real talk, I’ll take it all.

Yikes, this sounds less good than your initial description. I have more of a 50 hour a week job, making $100k less than you and hybrid, but there are no stress or feelings.

[Anonymous]

^ Given that your salary is out of the norm at your level, your risk of layoff is high. Are you the breadwinner?