Salary progression as an introvert who hates working but hit 6 figures (none of it makes sense)

Salary progression as an introvert who hates working but hit 6 figures (none of it makes sense) 2016 Foot locker 9/10 $7.25 + commission Worked here from age 16-20, loved coming to work it was fun & chill. Not the greatest place to be for a young girl bc of the older creeps, but it was cool. Coworkers were like family 2017 Customizing/Restoring sneakers 8/10 $30-$45/sneaker Working at footlocker I was always around sneaker heads & they would pay a lot to have someone restore their retros. Hated icing soles but otherwise was pretty steady & had a lot of ppl on campus coming to get theirs done 2017 Airsoft shooting range 7/10 $12/hr Got paid in cash and could basically make my own hours. Worked alone 99% of the time so I just read or did homework during my shift. Boss was a weirdo tho. 2018 Whitening teeth/Doing veneers 4/10 $16/hr + commission This job was random asf but at the time I thought it was great money. It was in the middle of the mall so I had to try to get sales regularly which I hated. Also had to be in ppls mouth which was at times. 2019 Custom paintings 3/10 ~$150/painting I've never really liked painting but can produce it if there's a specific request. Only started painting for a fundraiser for a pagent I was in, but then started taking requests to make more $$. Rated low due to me just not enjoying painting but it was easy enough 2019 Lash extensions 9/10 ~$40/hr My roommates fought and one of them got kicked out, so turned her old room into a salon Just learned by watching YouTube & practicing. Had super steady clients & always wore headphones so minimal talking which I loood. Really no cons except for not being licensed obv 2019 Graduated from college! B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in I/O (the study of what makes people excel at their workplace & business ops) Wanted to get my masters but thought I'd take a gap year (famous last words) 2020 Wells Fargo Customer Service 1/10 ~$25/hr I was so excited because this was my first adult job. They BAMBOOZLED me! This was essentially an inbound call center for all customer service requests. As an introvert I absolutely hated every day I was here. I did this for 3 months which was the entire training period, and quit the second day I was on the floor 2021 Lacuna Loops 9.5/10 ~$50/hr Came across a TikTok of someone making rugs. This was way before it was popular so I spent my last $200 to order the supplies & had to learn on my own. Made one of the very first YouTube tutorials on how to make a rug! My vids blew up on TikTok & I got to work with a lot of cool brands, celebs & even hired employees. I loved being my own boss, but being a legit business was SO difficult for me. Taxes, paying my employees, all of that just went over my head. I went through a major health issue & realized I needed healthcare and stability. 2022 Marketing Data Analyst 5/10 45k salary Felt like marketing was the easiest skill to learn after being self employed. I searched job listings, looked at their requirements and then took free courses related to the skill they were looking for. I did NOT truly learn through the courses, I just wanted to understand enough to get hired by using the buzzwords they were looking for and it worked! This was my first salaried position, unlimited PTO, hybrid schedule, I loved the benefits- but the work itself was not for me. Lots of talking, numbers, and since it was a smaller company, not a ton of training. Got laid off after a year and was distraught! Realized that you can never truly have security. 2023 Social Media Marketing for Nonprofit 10000/10 55k salary I LOVED everything about this job. If you work for a good non profit, the people there are so kind & you can spend your days doing something meaningful. We planted trees across the city, did work in impoverished neighborhoods, every day felt meaningful. My actual job was super relaxed and I was never behind a desk for too long. Although I loved it, I needed to make more money and work towards an actual career. Nothings wrong with marketing, just realized it wasn't for me. Boo hoo cried when I quit this job for my next one. 2024 UX/UI Designer 9/10 110k entry salary The salary jump was insane but this took a lot of time. I joined a boot camp to learn design & they placed me on projects which I worked on with no pay. Applied to 240 jobs A WEEK for 7 months. Lots of rejections, but landed my first role. I love design! I get to think about human psychology and then use that data to create an experience that meets user needs. It allows me to be creative and tech also pays Work remote, 1 meeting a day, but... 2026 As of today (9/9/2026) I got laid off I was actually about the post this right before my meeting where they told me, so it's only right to include it here It's scary having made so much money remotely & then having to figure out how to find another comperable position in this market, ESPECIALLY with AI. But if I know anything, I know I will find a way. So stayed tuned cause who knows, I might be in clown college next I'm free!!