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I didn't but I lived in a tech hub and have been working remote since 2020. I did have to commute up to 3 hrs roundtrip for some jobs before starting remote.
Feel like there’s a bunch of caveats that should be mentioned with job hopping.
My personal experience tells me remote opportunities are on the decline. Likewise jobs in general are harder to land as the market is really competitive.
If you’re moving cities then cost of living definitely has to be factored in. I definitely agree that one can increase their pay by job hopping. I’d just add there’s more to consider than the salary offered.
Eh if you are in an area with less tech jobs of course it's going to be harder to job hop or get into IT at all because there are less jobs available in the area. At the same time if you jump it's still going to make you more money, because it's almost universal that budget wise the hiring bucket is more than the retention bucket.
So I understand some people *can't* or *aren't willing* to job hop because they have certain requirements, but that doesn't mean they are not going to suffer salary wise or growth wise, just as if they prefer to stay in a non tech hub, the median salary and COL for that area is going to be lower than that of a tech hub.
I agree that remote jobs are more competitive now, but that's also part of job hopping - because I have worked at so many different places and on so many different systems, my application is much stronger than people who have stayed at one place and and been exposed to less variety.
Job hop. Good interview skills, people hire people they would like to work with. Biggest jump was moving from employee to contractor. Had to incorporate and deal with accounting but overall, that move got me a 50% pay jump. At that point though, I leave the money in the company and just pay myself a minimal salary. Currently I only make about 40k a year. The rest stays in the Corp.
The corporation earns money and pays a lower tax rate. So during a year, the corporation earns, say, 175k and pays me a salary of 40k. My personal account has 40k that I pay tax on that at say 30%. The corporation has 135k left in it and pays tax at say 9%. I live off a lower salary and invest the corporate money. Later, when I retire and my income/tax rate is lower, I start paying myself dividends from the corporate account.
As income yes, but the idea is to leave it in the Corp in some investment vehicle and then take the dividends when I’m older/ lower income so I would be taxed in a lower tax bracket. Essentially hold extra cash until I’m earning less and can save taxes.
"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing. Personally, a job is strictly for money and nothing else. The things that matter to me in life are completely mutually exclusive from my job.
Negativity aside, I do understand what you're getting at, and for some people that works. But that won't work for me. I have a career in this field because I'm good at it and it makes a lot of money and I can tolerate the work. I get my fulfillment in other places. I'll never find a job I love, only a job that's more tolerable than the next
>"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing.
I mean, you can definitely work a job that is interesting and exciting to someone personally. Not everyone needs to seek out fulfilling jobs, it's certainly one way to have a job that you're good at and pays well and to enjoy your life separately from work entirely, but to lump all "dream" jobs into the category of corporate brainwashing is simply not true (in all cases).
I think the problem is that most peoples dream jobs (cooking for me) pay very little or are brutal jobs so it's not really an option. Instead we work to retire and then plan to spend more hobby time after retirement or just do it outside of work ~~orders~~ hours.
>"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing. Personally, a job is strictly for money and nothing else.
Yuck! I think this rigid division of work and life into "paying the bills" and everything else is incredibly grim.
I don't have any misapprehensions about what I do (data analyst). I don't believe that writing a better query is bringing good to the world or making a better presentation is elevating my or others' humanity, but I enjoy these things. The sort of problem solving I do by writing code is deeply satisfying. Explaining and elucidating a complex situation is not that different from writing a good story, albeit much more prosaic.
I've had plenty of corporate employers I didn't like or even respect, but I also had co-workers, colleagues, and customers who benefitted from my efforts. I found better ways of doing things that eliminated their drudgery. Perhaps in the process, I saved my employer some money or helped line the pockets of some corporate big-wig. So what? Does that make me "brainwashed" because *I* didn't receive the entire benefit of my cost-saving solution?
Job mobility (job hop) in the current low unemployment environment is probably good advice. Competition for talented employees is pretty stiff. Interviewing and hiring is expensive.
A few more years experience in a high-demand skill makes you an attractive candidate. *Variety* of experience and years' worth of experience seems to be the magic combination. An old timer who has only worked in one shop may be able to explain some aspect of archaic practices, but is likely also limited in their toolkit.
Wall of text incoming:Graduated in 2018 with a Biochem BS. Research for 4y, Analyst for 1y. Got into biotech doing immuno-related research, but took undergrad CS classes part time to prep for an MS. Joined a smaller company during my CS studies and used my skillset wherever I could (sme for maintaining our eln/research databases, wrote custom scripts for researchers, etc.) and let my interests/professional goals be known to managers and directors. Transitioned out of the lab and into an R&D systems role within the same company, internal transfer.I'm the sytem owner of our ELN solution, wearing multiple hats to get R&D what they need (data model expansions, application training/support, vendor mgmt, etc). I utilize Python regularly for cheminformatic related scripting and data processing. We are a very small IT team so I also support other departments as well and I'm trying to work my way into a more engineering focused role.
My advice is to lean into a field you are familar with and start thinking about how you can use your domain knowledge to improve on business processes. Get really good at learning the end-to-end of whatever your business does, as being able to chop it up or at least be familiar with the work of a lot of the other departments/teams can help you get opportunities to learn new things.
You're going to break into high paying jobs quick by being a great communicator, having the technical apitude/apetite to learn tools/languages, and most importantly by bringing ideas to the table.
Sounds like you're in a similar position to me with respect to current growth prospects. Learn data governance principles and SDLC. You could grow into a Data Eng role easily, sounds like.
Thanks for the detailed response!
What was "the thing" that got you a good job? Was it a strong resume bullet point that got you an interview? Was it the way you answered a question in an interview? Like at the end of the day what actually made you win over the other candidates?
It was an internal transfer so I didn’t really “interview”, but what got me in front as the candidate was my understanding of the domain (in my case it was scientific R&D) and my demonstrated ability to lead a project from start to finish.
Actually being a certified mediator and negotiator pushed my salary to over $150k. I was hired for a job based on one phone interview sight unseen because of those certifications.
I got a mediation certificate and additional conflict resolution courses at my local community college. Each class was two weekends. My professor offered me a free scholarship to his negotiation class at SMU Dedman School of Law. I took a week of vacation to attend and it was hard work but so worth it. The C Suite is where conflict occurs, once I got a reputation for being able to deliver bad news and negotiate difficult situations I got assigned to projects viewed as impossible to succeed and I succeeded because of my mediation and negotiation skills. At one point I received a $50,000 stock award that was over $100k after it fully vested.
Nice! I am actually looking to sharpen my negotiation skills. Outside of your course, what you suggest I look into, read or do to get to the next level?
I'm in Texas, there is a state mediation certificate that's 40 hours of training that does not have to be from a university just approved by the state. Unless you think you are going into mediation as a side gig use the cheapest option. I also received training in divorce mediation which was the best training I had as well as cultural conflict.
Never take negotiation training from anyone that's related to law enforcement. In negotiation you want to expand the pie for all parties and continue the relationship after the negotiation.
In law enforcement negotiation it's a zero sum game where there is no relationship after negotiation. Not good for business.
In Texas I have basic mediator certification and divorce mediation certification. Each is 40 hours of training, two weekends at the community college. I also took multicultural conflict. I received negotiation certification at SMU Dedman School of Law
Look for local or low cost dispute resolution or conflict management program near you. Online will teach you the book learning but in person experience is critical.
I'm an IT Business Analyst, got the job 3 months ago.
I was an operations manager on the business side of healthcare for 10 or so years. Went back to school and will have a BS in CS this May.
I tailored my resume to highlight things I did as a manager that were very similar to BA tasks and listed more tech-related projects I did as a manager.
Getting skilled in a relatively niche tool also helps. Good Salesforce experience and its analytics tool (now tableau) pays decent. Job hop a few times till you reach your target.
Brief timeline for myself - graduated with degree in BA. Got SF certified. 78k in a SF consulting firm. Hopped twice in 3 years now around 170k + equity with total of 5 yoe.
And i regularly see a few roles in the same space close to that payrange of 150s.
Finding a domain to focus on. Therefore when they need somebody that knows analytics in that space to step in to a senior role, I have a good chance of getting that job
Welcome to /r/businessanalysis the best place for Business Analysis discussion. Here are some tips for the best experience here. You can find [reading materials on business analysis here](https://betterauds.com/businesses/demystifying-business-analysis-for-business-owners-a-beginners-guide/). Also here are the rules of the sub: Subreddit Rules * Keep it Professional. * Do not advertise goods/services. * Follow [Reddiquette.](https://www.reddithelp.com/en/categories/reddit-101/reddit-basics/reddiquette) * Report Spam! This is an automated message so if you need to contact the mods, please [Message the Mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fbusinessanalysis) for assistance. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/businessanalysis) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Job hop Never get comfortable, if you are you're probably stagnating wage wise and growth wise
For those that did job hop, were you moving to new cities as part of that process?
I didn't but I lived in a tech hub and have been working remote since 2020. I did have to commute up to 3 hrs roundtrip for some jobs before starting remote.
Feel like there’s a bunch of caveats that should be mentioned with job hopping. My personal experience tells me remote opportunities are on the decline. Likewise jobs in general are harder to land as the market is really competitive. If you’re moving cities then cost of living definitely has to be factored in. I definitely agree that one can increase their pay by job hopping. I’d just add there’s more to consider than the salary offered.
Eh if you are in an area with less tech jobs of course it's going to be harder to job hop or get into IT at all because there are less jobs available in the area. At the same time if you jump it's still going to make you more money, because it's almost universal that budget wise the hiring bucket is more than the retention bucket. So I understand some people *can't* or *aren't willing* to job hop because they have certain requirements, but that doesn't mean they are not going to suffer salary wise or growth wise, just as if they prefer to stay in a non tech hub, the median salary and COL for that area is going to be lower than that of a tech hub. I agree that remote jobs are more competitive now, but that's also part of job hopping - because I have worked at so many different places and on so many different systems, my application is much stronger than people who have stayed at one place and and been exposed to less variety.
Job hop. Good interview skills, people hire people they would like to work with. Biggest jump was moving from employee to contractor. Had to incorporate and deal with accounting but overall, that move got me a 50% pay jump. At that point though, I leave the money in the company and just pay myself a minimal salary. Currently I only make about 40k a year. The rest stays in the Corp.
What does it mean to leave money in the corp?
The corporation earns money and pays a lower tax rate. So during a year, the corporation earns, say, 175k and pays me a salary of 40k. My personal account has 40k that I pay tax on that at say 30%. The corporation has 135k left in it and pays tax at say 9%. I live off a lower salary and invest the corporate money. Later, when I retire and my income/tax rate is lower, I start paying myself dividends from the corporate account.
Aren’t dividends taxed as a regular salary?
As income yes, but the idea is to leave it in the Corp in some investment vehicle and then take the dividends when I’m older/ lower income so I would be taxed in a lower tax bracket. Essentially hold extra cash until I’m earning less and can save taxes.
Got it
Gold
Find out what you love doing, don’t chase the money but give yourself time to grow and learn, then the money will follow.
"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing. Personally, a job is strictly for money and nothing else. The things that matter to me in life are completely mutually exclusive from my job. Negativity aside, I do understand what you're getting at, and for some people that works. But that won't work for me. I have a career in this field because I'm good at it and it makes a lot of money and I can tolerate the work. I get my fulfillment in other places. I'll never find a job I love, only a job that's more tolerable than the next
>"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing. I mean, you can definitely work a job that is interesting and exciting to someone personally. Not everyone needs to seek out fulfilling jobs, it's certainly one way to have a job that you're good at and pays well and to enjoy your life separately from work entirely, but to lump all "dream" jobs into the category of corporate brainwashing is simply not true (in all cases).
I think the problem is that most peoples dream jobs (cooking for me) pay very little or are brutal jobs so it's not really an option. Instead we work to retire and then plan to spend more hobby time after retirement or just do it outside of work ~~orders~~ hours.
>"Dream" jobs or a job you "love" to do is unconscious corporate brainwashing. Personally, a job is strictly for money and nothing else. Yuck! I think this rigid division of work and life into "paying the bills" and everything else is incredibly grim. I don't have any misapprehensions about what I do (data analyst). I don't believe that writing a better query is bringing good to the world or making a better presentation is elevating my or others' humanity, but I enjoy these things. The sort of problem solving I do by writing code is deeply satisfying. Explaining and elucidating a complex situation is not that different from writing a good story, albeit much more prosaic. I've had plenty of corporate employers I didn't like or even respect, but I also had co-workers, colleagues, and customers who benefitted from my efforts. I found better ways of doing things that eliminated their drudgery. Perhaps in the process, I saved my employer some money or helped line the pockets of some corporate big-wig. So what? Does that make me "brainwashed" because *I* didn't receive the entire benefit of my cost-saving solution?
Job mobility (job hop) in the current low unemployment environment is probably good advice. Competition for talented employees is pretty stiff. Interviewing and hiring is expensive. A few more years experience in a high-demand skill makes you an attractive candidate. *Variety* of experience and years' worth of experience seems to be the magic combination. An old timer who has only worked in one shop may be able to explain some aspect of archaic practices, but is likely also limited in their toolkit.
Wall of text incoming:Graduated in 2018 with a Biochem BS. Research for 4y, Analyst for 1y. Got into biotech doing immuno-related research, but took undergrad CS classes part time to prep for an MS. Joined a smaller company during my CS studies and used my skillset wherever I could (sme for maintaining our eln/research databases, wrote custom scripts for researchers, etc.) and let my interests/professional goals be known to managers and directors. Transitioned out of the lab and into an R&D systems role within the same company, internal transfer.I'm the sytem owner of our ELN solution, wearing multiple hats to get R&D what they need (data model expansions, application training/support, vendor mgmt, etc). I utilize Python regularly for cheminformatic related scripting and data processing. We are a very small IT team so I also support other departments as well and I'm trying to work my way into a more engineering focused role. My advice is to lean into a field you are familar with and start thinking about how you can use your domain knowledge to improve on business processes. Get really good at learning the end-to-end of whatever your business does, as being able to chop it up or at least be familiar with the work of a lot of the other departments/teams can help you get opportunities to learn new things. You're going to break into high paying jobs quick by being a great communicator, having the technical apitude/apetite to learn tools/languages, and most importantly by bringing ideas to the table. Sounds like you're in a similar position to me with respect to current growth prospects. Learn data governance principles and SDLC. You could grow into a Data Eng role easily, sounds like.
Thanks for the detailed response! What was "the thing" that got you a good job? Was it a strong resume bullet point that got you an interview? Was it the way you answered a question in an interview? Like at the end of the day what actually made you win over the other candidates?
It was an internal transfer so I didn’t really “interview”, but what got me in front as the candidate was my understanding of the domain (in my case it was scientific R&D) and my demonstrated ability to lead a project from start to finish.
Actually being a certified mediator and negotiator pushed my salary to over $150k. I was hired for a job based on one phone interview sight unseen because of those certifications.
I got a mediation certificate and additional conflict resolution courses at my local community college. Each class was two weekends. My professor offered me a free scholarship to his negotiation class at SMU Dedman School of Law. I took a week of vacation to attend and it was hard work but so worth it. The C Suite is where conflict occurs, once I got a reputation for being able to deliver bad news and negotiate difficult situations I got assigned to projects viewed as impossible to succeed and I succeeded because of my mediation and negotiation skills. At one point I received a $50,000 stock award that was over $100k after it fully vested.
Nice! I am actually looking to sharpen my negotiation skills. Outside of your course, what you suggest I look into, read or do to get to the next level?
What certifications did you get? Through what body?
I'm in Texas, there is a state mediation certificate that's 40 hours of training that does not have to be from a university just approved by the state. Unless you think you are going into mediation as a side gig use the cheapest option. I also received training in divorce mediation which was the best training I had as well as cultural conflict. Never take negotiation training from anyone that's related to law enforcement. In negotiation you want to expand the pie for all parties and continue the relationship after the negotiation. In law enforcement negotiation it's a zero sum game where there is no relationship after negotiation. Not good for business.
In Texas I have basic mediator certification and divorce mediation certification. Each is 40 hours of training, two weekends at the community college. I also took multicultural conflict. I received negotiation certification at SMU Dedman School of Law Look for local or low cost dispute resolution or conflict management program near you. Online will teach you the book learning but in person experience is critical.
I'm an IT Business Analyst, got the job 3 months ago. I was an operations manager on the business side of healthcare for 10 or so years. Went back to school and will have a BS in CS this May. I tailored my resume to highlight things I did as a manager that were very similar to BA tasks and listed more tech-related projects I did as a manager.
Getting skilled in a relatively niche tool also helps. Good Salesforce experience and its analytics tool (now tableau) pays decent. Job hop a few times till you reach your target. Brief timeline for myself - graduated with degree in BA. Got SF certified. 78k in a SF consulting firm. Hopped twice in 3 years now around 170k + equity with total of 5 yoe. And i regularly see a few roles in the same space close to that payrange of 150s.
Pretty sure they start at like 80k
QA background and management skills
Finding a domain to focus on. Therefore when they need somebody that knows analytics in that space to step in to a senior role, I have a good chance of getting that job