I’m almost at 400K TC this year, which is a huge milestone for me, but don’t really have anyone to share this with, so thought I could post my learnings and reflections here.

MBA was fundamental in my career shift. I didn’t go to a super top school, maybe a T25 or so. Things would have been a lot easier for me if I had just majored in some business-related field in undergrad, but I insisted on wanting to give journalism a shot. I was young and ambitious, but that spirit dwindled quickly. I admire those of you that can stick to it — now I just make sure to donate money to maintain a free and independent press. We can all contribute in different ways.

I did not leverage my jumping off point from consulting in the most effective way I could have.  Looking back, taking a pay cut AND a title reduction was a bad move lol. But I trusted my own skillset and capabilities, and I would say after a few hops around in the strategy space, I have ended up back where most of my peers landed. Don’t panic about making a bad decision, just learn from it and continue to make better decisions.

After a certain earning point, money just exists to save and multiply. I wish I had saved more, sooner. I was a big spender and probably overly generous to the people around me in ways that weren’t beneficial (buying drinks, tables, dining out, etc.). But again, on the topic of not regretting bad decisions, I am just really maxing out on saving everything that I can now that I’m more conscious of my discretionary spend, and am now squirreling away about 100K/year. This has again allowed me to “catch up” with my peers.

I took on a side consulting gig last year that turned into a full-year engagement this year on top of my normal job, so I’m using that as a means to leverage my business expenses and lower my tax burden. My thoughts here are to stay in touch with people, as you never know what opportunities can pop up, and push yourself on what you think you’re capable of. Leverage the whole history of what you’ve learned, frameworks you’ve applied in the past. I don’t know how long this gig will last now that AI is rendering consultants obsolete haha, but it’s good to capitalize on opportunities you have today.

[Sales] [VHCOL in CA] - $393K, 15Y comp progression