u/IcyAcanthaceae9534

I always like to know the salary range from HR early in any discussion. Simple logic: No company hires someone without having a clear budget for that position.

A few days ago, a headhunter contacted me about a job opportunity. I was very interested, especially since it's the exact same type of work I'm doing now, but at a bigger and stronger company.

Naturally, she asked about my current salary. I held back and refused to tell her until she revealed the budget. I do this partly because she's not allowed to ask for it in my location, but more importantly, I know very well that I'm earning a very low salary in my current job; I accepted it primarily to gain specific experience.

After some back and forth, she finally stated the salary range. And it was truly more than double what I'm earning now. Then she pressed to know my current salary. As soon as she heard it, her exact words were: "That's a huge injustice." It was clear then that we both agreed I was earning much less than I should be.

When it came to my salary expectations, I asked for the highest figure in the budget she mentioned - or at least the middle. Her immediate response was: "That's completely unrealistic; the most you can expect is just a 25% increase."

So what should I do now?

A small note: This isn't a recruiter from the company itself; this is an independent headhunter.

Would it be inappropriate if I contacted the company directly?

Here's my story in short: I started as an IT support tech about 6 years ago. Four years ago, things got shaken up at work, so I moved to the warehouse and became a supervisor. Fast forward to about a year and a half ago, I was promoted to Operations Lead, managing logistics, the field team, and a group of account coordinators. Honestly, the pay is amazing and allows me to live very comfortably (I have my own apartment, a nice car, etc.), but the truth is, I hate opening my laptop every morning, and the day-to-day is becoming soul-crushing.

The problem holding me back is that this was my first real job after school, so I have no other practical experience at all. I have a two-year degree in a completely different field, so I can't use it to open any opportunities for me (and I have no desire to work in that field anyway).

On the other hand, I've discovered I have a real passion for the project management side of things. I don't have any certifications in it yet, but I juggle multiple projects and clients every day. My current role is a mix of people management, project oversight, and client relations. I literally can't stand the people management part anymore. I used to be very empathetic towards my team when they had problems, but lately, I've become jaded and I'm turning into the kind of manager I never wanted to be - my only concern is getting the work done so I can sign off. On the other hand, I genuinely enjoy the project work and dealing with clients. I love simplifying our processes to make things run smoother and keep clients happy.

I'm fairly confident I can frame my current responsibilities as project management experience just to get my foot in the door somewhere, but I know I'll likely have to accept a lower salary, and possibly a lower title too. What makes it even more tempting is that I have a few friends who keep nagging me to move to the Pacific Northwest, and the idea sounds amazing, which makes me want to leave here even more.

But a big part of the problem is my feeling of guilt. I feel like my position at this company is excellent on paper, and they've spent a lot of time and money developing me, giving me their trust and more responsibilities. I feel like I'm throwing away the effort of the last 6 years we built together, and that's what makes the decision so hard. In short, I feel like it would be a disloyal move on my part after all their investment in me.