Anonymous wrote:OP, I grew up in a pretty middle class, blue collar family and still was swayed by the idea of this type of career (although for me it was more "save the whales"). My parents supported this career trajectory (but lets be honest, would I have listened if they didn't?). After a few years of Americorps and similar low-paying internships post-undergrad I went back to grad school and it took my master's advisor saying, hey, you'd have a lot more options if you take some stats classes, to realize I needed a job that would provide enough salary to pay off my student loans. I still applied to the non-profits but ended up as a govt contractor and transitioned to a Fed a few years later.

I guess what I'm saying is, it's not too late to obtain additional skills that would broaden your options.

Anonymous wrote:OP, we should be friends. I also grew up between the US and abroad and pursued a career in the nonprofit world--except I did that because I didn't know any better. I come from a very blue collar family and I didn't know any lawyers/consultants/etc. The nonprofit world is hellish, and I couldn't wait to get out. I am now 36 and managed to transition into tech last year--you should look into that.

Anonymous wrote:I made $143k at the nonprofit I quit last year, so I suggest you fix your resume and get out there and beat feet to a new job

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made $143k at the nonprofit I quit last year, so I suggest you fix your resume and get out there and beat feet to a new job

What is the difference between someone like this and someone like OP- the type of nonprofit they work at, or just the positions they're in?
- someone not in the nonprofit world

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.

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 wrote:What kind of nonprofit?

I'm an english lit major who still went into a legal area because I truly do love the law. I work alongside lawyers and make the same as them- 135k and I'm 35. There are lots of jobs out there, you just have to find them and hustle a bit more.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:There's plenty of people with basket weaving degrees earning $150k+. In sales, or consulting, or as a Director of whatever. You need to work towards promotion, or lateral into higher paid position elsewhere, or do consulting or sales.

Yep, me. Degree in English. Making $170 at 32. Been in consulting since I graduated college.

How did you get a job in consulting?

Started in government consulting after college by applying to a pm role. Moved into the big 4 and stayed there for a while in commercial consulting. Honestly, all of my partners have said they just look for smart people they can put in front of clients. The main skill needed is learning how to problem solve in my opinion. A lot of my peers also have degrees in english, history, psych. OP the easiest way to jump into a new career would be to learn new skills. Salesforce is hot and many of my friends have jumped into that career. It's boring but it pays well. Check out Trailhead. My focus is human capital.

Anonymous wrote:I know nonprofits don't pay like private sector, but it still seems like you're underpaid. My S.O. is about the same age and works at a nonprofit and makes over $100K. This is the environment to get out there and get a new job, that's the only way to get a significant raise.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thank you for the ideas but I feel stuck as my nonprofit job is administrative so I have little business skill to be able to transition to consulting.

Anonymous wrote: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.