Hey all, r/salary randomly showed up in my notifications and I've enjoyed lurking. Thought I'd share my progression, less about the numbers, more about the journey.
Graduated with a BCom in Finance and did exactly what I set out to do. Spent five years working through finance and markets roles at a bank, progressed to what I thought would be my dream role, and quickly learned to hate it.
Leaving was scary. It was what I knew and walking away felt like starting over. But I made the jump into project coordination in the NZ public sector, found my feet, and worked my way toward change management. Best decision I've made. More meaningful work, I'm good at it, and I actually enjoy going to work.
Recently took the next step and moved from permanent employment to self-employed contracting. Same skills, just backing myself a bit harder. It's going well and I've just had my contract extended through to mid-2027. The pay is significantly better but it comes with real trade-offs. No FTE protections and the very real possibility of gaps between contracts.