I increased my salary from $22K to $180K salary before a layoff. Taking a pay cut in my next role felt like a step backward.

Elianor Williamson is a 36-year-old living in Seattle. Business Insider has verified Williamson’s income and employment history with documentation. The following as-told-to essay has been edited for length and clarity.

I went to school for wine. My major was originally education, but while studying abroad for a year in Ireland, I took a class on global food and beverage, and loved it. I switched majors to global wine studies — a little bit of the marketing world and a lot of the wine world.

I was drawn to it because it seemed like a fun, cool, shiny, interesting career path. Salary wasn’t really discussed in my two years of studying; looking back now, that was disappointing.

After graduating from Central Washington University in June 2013, I worked in the wine industry for about half a year at a tasting room, pouring wine for people and helping at events.

I was broke and didn’t feel I could make any money in that space. I wanted to start a corporate career.

Here’s my salary journey since then.

Event coordinator, $22,000

Later in 2013, I found a nonprofit in my area that was hiring for an event coordinator role for wine-related events, like fundraisers where we’d auction off wine for donations.

My offer was around $22,000, my first salary. I was thrilled; before, I’d been paid hourly. I had an office that I went into every day.

I did that for about a year, and I realized there was a sort of ceiling on salary for nonprofit work.

Marketing manager, $45,000

A friend of a friend worked at a marketing agency, which I knew nothing about, but he got me an interview.

I was offered a role as a marketing manager in 2015, and they asked what I was looking for from a salary perspective. I’d read all these articles about not being the first one to share a number, so I was like, “Well, it’s going to have to be a lot more than what I’m making now,” which wasn’t helpful, because I hadn’t told them what I was making.

We went back and forth, and finally I asked for between $40,000 and $45,000. They came back and offered me $45,000.

Again, I was thrilled with that. I moved out and got my own big girl apartment with a roommate.

Program manager, $61,000

I was at that marketing agency for three years, during which I had three different titles, and one promotion in 2016. I was promoted to a program manager, and my salary at that point was around $61,000.

In April 2018, I was like, “I actually kind of might hate this. I don’t know what I want to do with my life.” So, I quit with nothing lined up.

Everyone in my life thought I was insane, but I just needed time to figure things out.

Contract project manager, $40 an hour (annualized around $83,200) for a six-month contract

I was unemployed, job searching, and applying to things. It only took six weeks for me to get an offer for a 6-month contract project manager role at Zillow, project managing content that would be shared at a big event for real estate agents.

I was paid $40 an hour, or about $83,200 annually.

Project manager, $90,000

When my contract was ending, I wanted to convert to full-time, so I pushed and worked with my manager to make it happen.

In November 2018, I was converted to a full-time employee at Zillow with the same title — project manager. However, they bumped up my salary to $90,000, and I also got some stock options and other full-time benefits.

Because the equity we got as employees vested over a period of four years, I don’t really consider that a huge incentive or part of my income, because I wasn’t able to take advantage of that.

Campaign manager, $101,000

A year later, there was a reorganization, and my title changed. I moved to a different team as a campaign manager, and my salary bumped up to $101,000.

This was a huge milestone for me because I was finally making six digits, which I’d been wanting to hit for a while. I was so excited and celebrated with my husband.

I did that for two years.

Senior project manager, $135,000

In 2022, there was another reorg within Zillow, and I got a promotion to senior project manager. My salary was $135,000.

The environment at Zillow had changed under new leadership, so I decided to look for something else.

Senior program manager, $150,000

Later that year, a former colleague got me an interview at a real estate tech startup called OJO.

Once I got the offer and was negotiating my salary, she also encouraged me to ask for more money —so I did.

I was a senior program manager with a salary of $150,000. I also got a $10,000 signing bonus, which was great. I did that for a year.

Senior program manager and operations manager, $180,000

OJO was acquired by the Royal Bank of Canada in 2023 and rebranded as Houseful.

I made a lateral move to be a senior program and operations manager. Six months later, I was making $155,000, plus a 20% annual cash bonus, which I’d never had before. It was huge.

That year, my total compensation was over $180,000, which was absolutely mind-blowing to me. I was ecstatic.

In March 2025, I was impacted by layoffs. I was unemployed for about five months and collected unemployment. It was a super stressful time.

I started a TikTok account, where I shared my experience of job searching and interviewing hardships, and the mental energy it requires to keep going.

Global brand operations manager $145,000

In August 2025, I started as a global brand operations manager at Starbucks.

I was originally offered a salary of $131,500. I was terrified to negotiate; I was desperate for a job and would’ve 1000% accepted it at that salary. But I knew I’d be disappointed; I know my worth and what my work experience warrants in the market.

After researching the best ways to negotiate, I emailed them back three different options I was comfortable with. I gave a combination of more PTO, a higher salary, a higher bonus, or a bigger signing bonus.

I ended up accepting an offer of $145,000 with a 10% annual bonus and stock. Although I’m technically making $10,000 less in salary than what I was making before, the gap is significantly bigger if you consider my previous full compensation of $180,000. I’d love to get back to that. I think it’ll probably take a couple of years.

It’s been hard to feel like I took a huge step backward, but I’m grateful to work at Starbucks. I love the brand, and it’s a great fit for me right now. It’s hybrid, and I love going to the office and seeing people.

I am highly driven by making more money, progressing in my career, and climbing the ladder

There’s something in me that ties success to money and my career. I don’t know if that comes from a societal narrative or if I’ve just always been a very driven and determined person. I want to do good work and to feel like I’m contributing.

From a logistical standpoint, more money allows me to live the life that I want to live. I feel like $250,000 to $300,000 in total compensation is what I would be very content with. My husband and I prioritize travel; I want to go on two vacations a year. We love nice things. We want to get a nicer car and have a nicer wardrobe.

My husband owns his own business, so we could invest in more of his videography equipment. We could invest in a second home, maybe a rental property. We could retire early, at 60 or even 55.

It’s wild to think that when I was making $45,000, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment and going out every weekend and living the dream. I was contributing to my 401(k), and I had a car. It’s a bit of a whiplash to be now making $100,000 more and still be like, “I want more money.”

But 10 years later, we bought a new house, and have a higher mortgage. Interest rates are insane. And we have a toddler, so we’re thinking about daycare costs and a college fund we probably need to start for him. Our priorities have changed.

I’m in my mid-30s, and it’s hard not to compare yourself to what other people are doing in this stage of their life; there’s such a spectrum. I think no matter what anybody chooses to do, it’s fine. Follow your own path.

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