No. 20 – How To Get A Six Figure Salary

NalyRice.com
April 13, 2023

Strategies for earning more pay as women professionals in corporate America.

“How do I make six-figures?”

This Equal Pay Day, I’m sharing ways that helped me earn six-figures by the time I was 25, and how it may help you on your career path.

In my 18 year technology career, I began by working as an entry level Marketing Specialist in a technology incubator being underpaid and overworked.

Over the years, I’ve worked hard at building the core of startups and established businesses with technology marketing, executive strategy, and public relations.

It helped me go from Marketing Specialist, Manager, Director, and into Entrepreneur. This included hiring, nurturing, and scaling staff. It inevitably helped me learn to lead a small remote global team.

Becoming a Writer, is like being in a startup all over again.

Here are some of my tips if you’re interested in how to get a six-figure job. Also, threw in a “wild card,” at the end to help keep things in perspective about pay versus job satisfaction in general.

Summary:

Internships
Six-Figure Jobs
30, 60, 90 Day Plan
Top 3 Goals
Knowing When To Quit
Side Hustles & P/T Jobs
Entrepreneurship
*Wild Card*

Six-Figure Jobs

Some jobs simply pay more than others.

You want to make sure the job you’re looking into has the potential for a six-figure salary.

Check out this article on Indeed with 26 jobs with six-figure salaries.

Veterinarian (National Avg $101,183)
Aeronautical Engineer (National Avg $102, 277)
Product Manager (National Avg $102,216)
Nurse Practitioner (National Avg $116,603)
Architect (National Avg $110,437)

Find out by searching on a salary finder website for the job title and city you’re looking into.

It’ll show a salary table with an estimated median salary. Sometimes it’ll also show the low to high range of salary to compare.

Utilize the salary report to help negotiate an annual salary that is comparable to job titles in your city and state. If the job you like doesn’t pay six-figures, you’ll have to assess another plan.

30, 60, 90 Day Plan

The more initiative you show for a job, the better.

Developing a 30, 60, and 90 day plan after doing research and reviewing the job descriptions can help you assess whether you’re committed to the job.

It’ll show the company you have truly thought about the role, how you’ll fit into the team, what value your skills bring, and how it benefits customers.

Bring a resume. Good!

Bring a portfolio. Great!

Bring a 30, 60, or 90 day plan too. Best shot!

It’s also a good test into whether or not you truly want the job.

Top 3 Goals

Understanding what your company, department, and manager are able to do in terms of raises is important. Many times, miscommunication can make reviews awkward.

Be sure you are clear with your direct manager about what it takes to earn more money or get a promotion.

Make a note of the top 3 things you have to do in order to earn a raise. Verify.

Keep in mind, some companies are not in good shape financially as they go through cycles of expansion and retraction. Sometimes raises aren’t possible at all due to budget constraints. Understanding this gives you the opportunity to assess your future there as well.

Now, complete those three items to the best of your abilities by an agreed upon date. Set-up a follow-up calendar reminder in advance.

Knowing When To Quit

Sometimes, unfortunately, quitting is the best solution to get higher pay or a promotion.

The tricky part is knowing when to quit.

Company culture is hard to change, and sometimes positions are all filled, or they aren’t good at hiring from within.

You’re left with two options: either accept the limited salary options or leave.

Moving to another company where your skills are needed, at a salary that is satisfactory to you, may be necessary. Sometimes it’s not about the salary pay, but the job benefits that affect a move.

Side Hustles & Part-Time Jobs

Many people enjoy their jobs and are content with leaving work on the laptop.

Then they can focus and invest in a side-hustle, part-time job, or hobby.

This is true for many artists, musicians, athletes, writers, and more.

I started out side-hustling for many years before I made the leap into entrepreneurship with marketing technology and enterprise clients. I thought my path would be done there, but now it’s morphed again with NalyRice.com and my writings.

We live in a wonderful time when the internet allows us to invest in our creative passions and interests that can also turn into income streams.

Entrepreneurship

Taking the leap into entrepreneurship can earn you more money, but also requires an extraordinary amount of energy, money, time, dedication, and investment. It’s not the fastest or easiest route, but it can be incredibly rewarding too.

This is the riskiest option with the most reward.

My suggestion is to start out side-hustling while you still have a full-time job, get a couple consistent customers, and go from there.

Whether you’re looking for VC funding or starting a small business, you’ll learn a ton along the way.

Be scrappy, test your product, and get one (preferably more) paying customers before you quit your job or seek funding. Whether you get VC funding or not, it still can’t replace a great product or service that people willingly buy on their own. If you find that you can’t make one genuine sale, it’s time to rethink your approach, reframe the target market, and/or evaluate the business as a whole.

* Wild Card *

Who cares about making six figures?

I mean seriously, who made making six-figures the marker for being “successful?”

Define your own success and understand why you want it.

It isn’t everything.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to earn more money – more power to you.

However, resist putting your self worth into it. Sometimes we make more money, sometimes we make less. Once you earn a six-figure salary the thrill dies off.

Don’t trade money for the job without authentic job satisfaction.

Do what you love at the end of the day.

All love,