New Jobs + Let's talk about salaries

Hi there,

In today’s issue, I’m writing about salary expectations and lifestyle creep. Plus a fresh set of remote social impact roles.

-Navid
Do good work. Get paid well.

Friday night we had some friends over and somehow the conversation shifted to them quizzing me about guessing salaries for random roles in different parts of the country (spoiler: I guessed almost all of them within a $5K range). Turns out, I've gotten pretty good at this stuff. From there, one of our friends started talking about how a $130,000 salary for someone working in HR in Houston "isn't that great." We started comparing it to what life looks like in NYC, but even then I thought... hmm, that's actually not a bad salary for New York either. They kept coming back with "well, you can't really afford to buy a place in NYC on that salary." That may be true, but how many New Yorkers are actually buying real estate?

Here's something I don't think we talk about enough: our salary expectations need to be examined. Somewhere along the way, we picked up this idea that every new job must pay more than the last one, no matter what. But why?

Our perception of how far money can be stretched is shaped entirely by the life we're already living. I think this might be part of why we see such stark political divides in the U.S. these days. The numbers tell a pretty wild story. The median household income in America is around $80,000, but you need to be earning over $153,000 to crack the top 10% of earners. That's nearly double. And the average gap between a median earner and a top 10% earner is over $180,000 a year. These two groups are not just living differently, they are living in completely different realities.

So when someone in that upper bracket hears "$130,000" and thinks "that's not much," it makes some sense. It doesn't feel like much, from where they're standing but I wonder if they have accounted for lifestyle creep. The more you make, the more you spend, usually on things you didn't need before and probably don't need now. You don't start getting your groceries delivered because you need to. You do it because now you can.

Take New York City as an example. There are people who make a lot of money and live very comfortably, and there are people who are not making a lot of money but are also living comfortably. They're just not spending their money on the same things. One person can't imagine life without a car, a doorman building, and DoorDash on speed dial. Another person takes the subway, splits a two-bedroom in Queens, and cooks at home most nights. Same city, completely different experiences of money, and both people are doing just fine.

So let's actually look at the numbers, because they might surprise you. Here are the median individual salaries in some of the most talked-about U.S. cities:

They are also nowhere near $130,000 and yet, millions of people are living in these cities, paying their rent, feeding their families, and yes, even enjoying their lives on these salaries every single day. So the next time you think a salary "isn't that great," remember that it sits comfortably above the median in every single one of these cities.

Now let's take this conversation global, because a big chunk of the people I work with are not just looking for any job. They are looking for a job that lets them work from anywhere, and a lot of them have their eye on Europe. Let's do a quick reality check on what people actually earn in those cities:

These are the cities people are romanticizing, and the locals who actually live there are making a fraction of what my clients consider their "bare minimum." Here's the wild part: if you are earning even $70,000 remotely and living in Barcelona, you are living like royalty relative to the people around you. The lifestyle you are dreaming about in Europe does not require an American six-figure salary.

This is exactly where that assumption that your next salary must always be higher than your last one can start working against you. It can keep you from taking a role you would love, moving to a city that excites you, or making a career pivot that actually lights you up inside.

I am in the business of helping people do meaningful work while getting paid well. That is my whole thing. I will always encourage you to negotiate, to know your worth, and to go after the salary that reflects your skills and your experience. More money is not a bad goal.

But I also want you to be realistic. A life well lived is not a number on your offer letter. It is built from the choices you make about how you spend your time, your energy, and yes, your money. The people who seem to have it all figured out are not always the ones making the most. They are usually the ones who got really honest with themselves about what they actually need, versus what they have just gotten used to.

Know your worth. Chase your purpose. But do not let a salary expectation built on lifestyle creep be the thing standing between you and a life you actually love.

-Navid

Scroll down to see the full list of new, remote, high paying, social impact roles!

Trends: Justice and democracy organizations are absolutely dominating this week — nearly half the batch sits in that sector, with climate and environment and health trailing. Executive leadership and strategy and operations are tied as the most in-demand role types, with communications and marketing making a stronger showing than we've seen in recent batches.

Our paid supporters get first access to the full list today. Get your applications in before these go on our public job board!

-Navid
Do good work. Get paid well.