Middle age DH career boost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - anyone who tells you you can’t increase your salary is lying. Here’s my trajectory and I am not a troll (but am nyc):
Age 37 - $110 (media) switch job to $130 and step up. Age 39 switched to $180 in new company plus bonus. Got raised at that company the second year to $250 plus bonus. Switched age 41 to new company (also startup) and got tc $300, then switched when that company folded age 43 and got $430 plus bonuses of varying types - now at 45 am at $800 all in. But I have worked insane insane insane hours to be ‘worth’ that much and also clearly job hopped my way up. You just gotta hustle like crazy - you can do it. But you will have to find a way to pull 10 hour days - so if you want to stop work from 6-8 then you gotta jump back online once kids in bed. Good luck!

How did you find those jobs? I have literally applied to hundred jobs over the last couple years, many interviews and probably a dozen offers, and all paid lesss than my current contracting job!! Did you ever take a lower paying job and count on income rising fast — how do you identify that opportunity?

Did you switch fields?

A million applications, endless networking - I didn’t exactly change fields but I added strings to my bow each time and always had steep learning curves. Startups are the key - I chose lack of job security (but did not take job cuts per se). I took some jobs that others would have considered much less reputable than the org I was at. Also looked all over the us.

How were you networking? Do you have kids? It’s hard to go to after work events when we have family dinner — and my current job no one ever leaves so no natural network building there!

All over the US is hard — I just want a chance to have more challenging and better paying work without giving up all home life — unless the pay is high enough off the bat for DW to just quit. It’s like the Temple of Doom bag of sand for the scull!

I networked on LinkedIn mostly then set up coffees and intro meetings by reaching out to ppl. Both those w open roles and those without. A lot of messaging. The truth is you have to put in about 10 hours extra a week beyond your job at least to both get and then maintain a more challenging role. But I would argue it’s more valuable to your family for you to work a couple extra hours a night and on the weekend (do it when they’re watching tv or asleep) than for you to be ‘there’ at all times.

Wow, so like cold messages local folks in target industry and asked to meet??? I’m not sure one that bold, probably why I’m an SME not tech sales!

I’m a very niche SME in a technical field, have no contracting or budget power at my employee — I am a little unsure how much people would like to meet me just for informational interviews with a middle aged man? Are people really this generous of their time??

It’s kind of hard for me to judge but you have to target the kind of people that you could really help. So in my case I’m really good at social media - so I had a story to tell and I reached out to ppl who needed social media help. If you have a particular tech expertise then find the big dogs in the world of that and reach out and say (making this up) I am amazing at coding back end architecture for large multi national defense corps and am a huge fan of (insert contractor name) and would love to connect.’ Also in tech you should look at the app blind and get some advice there

Thanks. I use blind a lot but have actually asked for referrals yet. My org is small so if I start posting I will be identified from my Blind handle very easily.

So you are talking about reaching out to specific people about a job for them, not just building a network or posting on LinkedIn. So just start essentially spamming people “I have a lot of experience in widget sharpening, and I see you use a lot of widgets building your gizmo, and I think I have some insight on how you could save money and have sharper widgets and become an asset for your team”. Only you have a story format which makes it less self serving I assume? I should ask ChatGPT for ideas, but what kind of story were you telling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - anyone who tells you you can’t increase your salary is lying. Here’s my trajectory and I am not a troll (but am nyc):
Age 37 - $110 (media) switch job to $130 and step up. Age 39 switched to $180 in new company plus bonus. Got raised at that company the second year to $250 plus bonus. Switched age 41 to new company (also startup) and got tc $300, then switched when that company folded age 43 and got $430 plus bonuses of varying types - now at 45 am at $800 all in. But I have worked insane insane insane hours to be ‘worth’ that much and also clearly job hopped my way up. You just gotta hustle like crazy - you can do it. But you will have to find a way to pull 10 hour days - so if you want to stop work from 6-8 then you gotta jump back online once kids in bed. Good luck!

How did you find those jobs? I have literally applied to hundred jobs over the last couple years, many interviews and probably a dozen offers, and all paid lesss than my current contracting job!! Did you ever take a lower paying job and count on income rising fast — how do you identify that opportunity?

Did you switch fields?

A million applications, endless networking - I didn’t exactly change fields but I added strings to my bow each time and always had steep learning curves. Startups are the key - I chose lack of job security (but did not take job cuts per se). I took some jobs that others would have considered much less reputable than the org I was at. Also looked all over the us.

How were you networking? Do you have kids? It’s hard to go to after work events when we have family dinner — and my current job no one ever leaves so no natural network building there!

All over the US is hard — I just want a chance to have more challenging and better paying work without giving up all home life — unless the pay is high enough off the bat for DW to just quit. It’s like the Temple of Doom bag of sand for the scull!

I networked on LinkedIn mostly then set up coffees and intro meetings by reaching out to ppl. Both those w open roles and those without. A lot of messaging. The truth is you have to put in about 10 hours extra a week beyond your job at least to both get and then maintain a more challenging role. But I would argue it’s more valuable to your family for you to work a couple extra hours a night and on the weekend (do it when they’re watching tv or asleep) than for you to be ‘there’ at all times.

Wow, so like cold messages local folks in target industry and asked to meet??? I’m not sure one that bold, probably why I’m an SME not tech sales!

I’m a very niche SME in a technical field, have no contracting or budget power at my employee — I am a little unsure how much people would like to meet me just for informational interviews with a middle aged man? Are people really this generous of their time??

It’s kind of hard for me to judge but you have to target the kind of people that you could really help. So in my case I’m really good at social media - so I had a story to tell and I reached out to ppl who needed social media help. If you have a particular tech expertise then find the big dogs in the world of that and reach out and say (making this up) I am amazing at coding back end architecture for large multi national defense corps and am a huge fan of (insert contractor name) and would love to connect.’ Also in tech you should look at the app blind and get some advice there

Thanks. I use blind a lot but have actually asked for referrals yet. My org is small so if I start posting I will be identified from my Blind handle very easily.

So you are talking about reaching out to specific people about a job for them, not just building a network or posting on LinkedIn. So just start essentially spamming people “I have a lot of experience in widget sharpening, and I see you use a lot of widgets building your gizmo, and I think I have some insight on how you could save money and have sharper widgets and become an asset for your team”. Only you have a story format which makes it less self serving I assume? I should ask ChatGPT for ideas, but what kind of story were you telling?

love to hear your story approach Pp