I like talking about financial transparency.

@missleighh

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Why it worked

The video provides a transparent and relatable look at career progression and salary growth over a significant period, directly addressing common misconceptions and offering a dose of realistic hope to viewers.

Summary

The creator shares her salary progression over 13 years, starting from $34,000 in her first corporate job at age 23 to $147,000 in base pay in 2023, with a total compensation of $292,000 last year. She emphasizes that this journey took time and effort, contrasting it with the online narrative of overnight success and high earnings.

Structure

1Introduction and early career struggles (2013-2015)
2Job hopping and slow salary growth (2016-2019)
3Transition to salaried position and significant increases (2020-2021)
4Reaching six figures and continued growth (2021-2024)
5Addressing misconceptions about quick success and financial reality
6Personal journey and encouragement for viewers

On-screen text

$34,000 $35,000 $40,000 $47,000 $48,000 $54,000 $65,000 $70,700 $87,500 $115,000 $121,000 $124,000 $135,000 $143,000 $147,000

Original caption

Let me just say this, everyone’s career and financial journey is different. So many factors play into it: education, socioeconomics, where you live, your degrees, the economy, the field you’re in, age etc. This video isn’t meant to start comparing each other’s circumstances, although I know that’s what some will do. But, it’s to transparently share my specific journey, to give you insight into an average person’s finances (because it seems like all we’re fed online is that everyone is making millions😅), and the fact that, truthfully for *most* people, it takes time to get to where you want to be professionally and financially. And that’s okay! That is *life* baby. What I hope is that this gives those of you, who are younger and just starting out in your careers, a realistic look into salary progression and to give you hope that it gets better and you will make more money. It just takes time and consistency but you’ll get there! 💕 #finance #salarytransparency #finances #moneytok #finance101

More from @missleighh

More breakout videos from this creator.

I like talking about financial transparency. So let me share with you my salary progression over the past 13 years as a 36-year-old. Let's take it all the way back to 2013. I was six months out of college, I just turned 23, and I just started my first corporate job. And I was also pregnant. Okay, so let's keep that in mind. I was making $34,000 a year. I was making 1650, um, and I was an hourly employee. So I wasn't salary. I was with that company for the next, like, two years. Um, in 2014, I made $35,000. And then in 2015, the year that I left, I was making around $40,000. Now, in 2015, I did leave to go to another company and I started making $47,000 again. I was hourly, still in all these positions, so I was not a salary employee yet. And I was only with that company for like less than a year. I just wasn't there that long. And then in 2016, I started working for another organization, and that's where I've like, I spent the chunk of my career at. I was there for about five and a half years, which is the longest stint that I've had with an organization. In 2016, when I started with this new organization, I was making again like 47,000. It was pretty much the same as the company before. In 2017, I was making 48,000. In 2018, I started to see like some bigger bumps, I was making 54,000. Um, in 2019, I started making 65,000. That was actually a pretty big bump. And a lot of these came with like a new role, so I was being promoted to a new role. In 2020, I finally moved into a salaried position, which I personally prefer versus an hourly position, and I was making $70,700, which to me I thought was like a lot at the time. Now, one thing to keep in mind is when you're at a company, a lot of times you're not gonna see like significant pay increases. Typically you really have to leave the organization. But I did stay with this organization for another year and I left that organization in 2021 making 87,500. So that was the most money I ever made at that company. Where I started to hit six figures is in late 2021 when I moved into a new company. So in 2021 I finally hit the six figure threshold. I was making $115,000 as base pay. The company that I am currently with and started with in 2021 also offered stocks as well as bonus, but I'm not gonna include that in my base salary. I can make another video on that. So I just hope this gives you kind of some hope, ha. That things will get better. Just, it takes time. In 2022, I started making $121,000. In 2023, I was at 124,000. In 2024, I made $135,000. I was promoted that year and within that year my salary was increased to $143,000. And then last year my base salary was $147,000. Um, and so I just wanna share this in the spirit of like, transparency. I think the younger generation specifically has been fed this narrative that like, you need to be like an overnight success or an influencer or a content creator or a YouTuber and you're gonna be making all this money. That's not the case, right? Truly, only like 20% of individual Americans are making $100,000 or more. Only 5% of individuals in the U.S. are making more than $250,000. I made $292,000 last year, total compensation. And I am part of a very tiny percentage. But it has taken me 13 years to get here. Right. So when people see like creators and celebrities and all these people online, when you're getting pushed this messaging that everyone's making all this money, it's a lie. It's a very distorted reality. And I like to share this because I'm just a regular person who went to school, who started working in corporate, had a kid, like, I've worked in corporate for the entire 13 years that I've been fully working. I've never taken time off, and it's just taken time. But everyone's circumstance and journey is completely different. And I think when we're constantly comparing ourselves to things that are unrealistic, we just have this distorted vision of where we're supposed to be. And I spent a lot of my 20s feeling like I was failing because I wasn't making all of this money. Um, and I wasn't. I was right on time, and I was right on track, and so are you.