[Career Advice] 31F, 9 YOE in Edu Ops/PM making $19.5k USD. Hit a massive salary ceiling. Failed a Product Design interview and need brutal advice on how to pivot.
Hi Reddit~ 👋
I’m a 31-year-old female from Taiwan with an English degree and 9 years of experience, mostly in the education and project operations sector.
I recently interviewed for a Product Design (UX) role. I don’t just love the core of the job—problem-solving and heavy cross-functional communication—I’m exceptionally good at it. My strength lies in taking a messy, unorganized situation and building a structured system that works. However, I failed the first round of a specific interview (a technical SEO/marketing funnel test) because I lacked that specific domain knowledge. It was a wake-up call, and now I’m looking for a way out of my current "low-pay, high-stress" trap.
My Professional Highlights: I’m currently the Head of Extracurricular Ops at a prestigious bilingual school. I operate more like an Ops Manager or a mini-CEO:
- High Revenue Generation: I plan and execute summer/winter camp projects that generate ~8M TWD ($250k USD) in revenue in just two months. I handle everything from vendor negotiations to full financial budgeting.
- Data-Driven Optimization: I have a knack for using digital tools to fix operational leaks. I implemented an AI-driven automation that boosted our registration conversion rate from 71% to 86.73%. I also built an interactive decision tool that drove an 11% growth in YoY enrollment.
- Stakeholder Management: I manage projects for 1,400+ attendees annually. Despite dealing with a "high-maintenance" customer base (elite parents), I’ve achieved a 80.08% survey response rate and high satisfaction scores.
The Struggle: Even though I’m generating significant ROI for my employer, my salary is stuck at around $19,500 USD/year. I work 10+ hours a day and struggle to find time for my actual interests, like Crypto, DeFi, and learning UX. I’ve tried to hustle after work, but I ended up oversleeping and being late (not a good look 😂).
My Questions for you:
- With my background in Ops, high revenue generation, and "master-level" communication/problem-solving skills, what roles should I be targeting to break this salary ceiling? (Product Ops? Tech PM? Sales Ops?)
- If I want to pivot into high-paying Tech or Product roles, what hard skills or certifications should I focus on in the next 6 months? (e.g., SQL, Python, Figma, or Scrum Master?)
- How can I better "rebrand" my education ops experience so corporate recruiters see me as a high-value Business/Product person instead of "just a teacher"?
I’m open to any and all feedback—brutal honesty is welcome! Thanks in advance. 🫶