Deeply regret being so short sighted
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Anonymous
| 35 seems old until you think that you have easily 30-35 more years left to work. Find a master’s program to work on over the next 2 years and then get out of the non-profit sector. |
Anonymous
This sounds like valuable information. |
Anonymous
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I have a history degree and after staying hoe. With kids or 10 years I’ve clawed my way to 150k. I was 42 when I rejoined the workforce. It is not too late for you OP.
What kind of work do you do at the np? |
Anonymous
| I was a lit major and make a solid six figures. I also grew up like you did abd made choices when i was younger to take lower paying feel good jobs. I then pivoted in my late 30s. It isn't too late. Go corporate. Also apply for foreign service or USAID. It isn't too late. |
Anonymous
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My dad was an FSO and I grew up overseas with many of the same experiences you describe (although it is not the glamorous existence many seem to think) and also majored in English. But my parents always taught us that the life we led was all in service to our country and to understand that the perks were not because we somehow we’re entitled to them as individuals l, but rather for us as representatives of the US. It was very grounding.
So I never thought I’d have that life as an adult and chose to go to law school and worked long hours to build a comfortable life. But I understand how you ended up where you are because I saw it happen to others. All I can say is you can’t blame your upbringing anymore because you are an adult with agency. Figure out what you need to do to get on track for a higher paid job. |
Anonymous
| You are still very young to make changes. You can pursue a new path. You are not locked into anything. Hire a reasonably priced career coach and start the work of figuring out your next steps. |
Anonymous
| OP, I had a similar career revelation but it occurred to me in my late 20s. I actually did end up going back to grad school to switch to a STEM field. It was truly the best decision of my life. It’s not too late to reinvent yourself at 35. But don’t wait much longer. |
Anonymous
Thanks always happy to help. I also will add one of my friends at work (in consulting) was a teacher for about a decade. Moved into consulting by pursuing an MBA and is now making like triple the salary. You also don't need to get an MBA. There are so many free courses you can take online like coursera to upskill. |
Anonymous
| No pain no gain…pay now (as you did not) vs pay later (as you are) |
Anonymous
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I am generally sympathetic to this because to an extent I can relate - I was a starry eyed 22 year old who pursued nonprofit work with no regard for my future salary. But honestly my sympathy doesn't extend too far because if you are making $63k at 35 you really have to look inward to figure out why. I am still doing "social good" type work but I've rotated between private and nonprofit sector work, and my current (nonprofit) salary at age 35 is $150k. I'm job searching now and aiming for $200k in my next job (probably I'll end up doing policy/comms work in the private sector but a short list of nonprofits pay this range too - foundations, notably).
You may need to gain some new skills, or network, or job search a little more aggressively and with more of an eye toward salary, but there is really no circumstances that would require you to be 35 with a college degree and, presumably, some relevant work skills and limited to $63k. You and I both will probably never make those Big Law salaries but there is a HUGE gray area between what you're making now and that. |
Anonymous
Both. Non-profits encompass a wide span from small community-based organizations to the Gates Foundation. Nonprofits also have a wide range of funding streams, some more stable than others. Even a small non-profit, if its natural constituency is quite wealthy, can have a balance sheet that supports higher salaries. Executive positions, higher-level administrative positions, jobs like in-house counsel, or fundraising jobs tend to pay more than the program side which provides direct services. So I'm a director of development at a small non-profit and I make significantly more than my peer program directors. I think there is a lot of room to make moves to earn more, but like any industry, most of us need to put in the effort (demonstrating worth, developing skills in areas that pay more, netowrking) to see the reward. |
Anonymous
| OP should be able to do much better than her current salary. In the DMV, most kids just out of undergraduate make $60k. Don’t go back to school, unless you need the degree to practice, like an attorney. As others have said, many mid-career professional jobs mostly require smarts and problem solving. If you are great at writing, or communications in general, you could really soar in consulting or similar fields. It is amazing how few people can write a decent report. If you liked living abroad, you could emphasize that in your job search, like look for an expat job. |
Anonymous
Yup. I’m an attorney at a big non profit and make $200k+. I’m clearly still being rewarded for going to law school, and probably could make more at a different company, but I’ve got a good gig here. People also LOVE to cite BigLaw and Finance salaries. Please please remember that the people making $500K+ or $1M+ made it to the top of a very small pyramid. And it’s very hard to stay there. Even the top 15% of lawyers and finance types will make $200-400k or so, so it’s important to have perspective. |
Anonymous
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I am so glad I did not pursue a career path in NGO like I thought I wanted to do in my early 20s.
Instead, I went into the tech field earning six figures by 30 back in the 90s. Granted, I think working for an NGO would be more fulfilling into terms of doing good, but doing good doesn't pay my bills, save for retirement or my kids 529. |
Anonymous
| This is silliness. I have an English degree and was making $85k at 35 over 15 years ago. If you want more money, you need to move into leadership positions. |