u/Hairy-Nothing-5868

I'm 33 years old and only make around $65k, and honestly I feel like I'm behind people close to my age. When you got into that higher income range, did you feel like your life became more stable, or does life just get more expensive and expenses still increase too?

Is there any career path that could realistically get someone to that number if I'm willing to take classes or get certified in it?

For context, I'm currently working in sales and need to increase my income because rent and basic bills have become difficult. Any advice?

I know someone who, as soon as he gets fed up with a job, just quits it before even looking at what jobs are available. I completely understand being exhausted and suffocated at work, but I don't think it's worth ruining yourself financially over it.

He usually stays unemployed for several months, and by the time he finally finds something else, he's gotten himself into heavy debt. Then he spends a while trying to get out of it, gets frustrated with the new job, and goes right back to repeating the same cycle from the beginning.

I want to help him think about the situation rationally, but I don't really feel like it's my place. And honestly, if he still hasn't noticed this pattern on his own by now, I'm not sure my trying to explain it to him would make much of a difference.

Honestly, I don't have a computer science degree, and all my work is from home. This situation was ideal when I was in a relationship, but now that I'm single, I feel isolated most of my waking hours. The tech job market currently feels very stagnant, which means I feel my earning potential is very limited in this field.

I'm here in California, where the nursing profession has strong union support. Starting salaries for new nurses reach significant six-figure numbers, often around $105,000 to $110,000, with many opportunities for overtime and large raises after several years in the field. What's more, this can be achieved with just a diploma. I've also heard that medical facilities often fund additional education for their employees.

So, is it really crazy for me to consider leaving a comfortable, work-from-home software engineering job, even with the current stagnation? Or am I just looking at 'the grass is greener on the other side' without seeing the full picture? I miss direct interaction with people, and the idea of having a career with a more tangible impact is very appealing to me right now.

Long story short, I went and got a specialized master's degree, paying for it entirely out of my own pocket, to become very good at my job. It worked, and I became so competent that now that my manager is retiring, they are promoting me to his position. But the catch is, they also expect me to continue doing my old job.

In return for me literally taking on two full-time jobs, they offered me a paltry few thousand dollars raise (I have a fixed salary). By doing these two jobs, I'll be adding at least 10 to 15 hours to my work week, easily.

So I did the math and saw how much it would cost them if they hired someone to replace me in my old position. Between salary, benefits, and training, it would cost them about $150,000. So my plan is to ask for a $50,000 raise, which is exactly one-third of the money I'll be saving the company by doing both jobs.

Even if they agree and give me what I want, the company will still save $100,000 because they don't need to hire someone new. It seems very logical and a no-brainer on their end, but maybe I'm missing something. Do you think this is a reasonable request?