Love my career, but I need to find a way to make more income.

[whh2222]

I am in need of some guidance/fresh ideas. 
 

I am currently working as an administrative associate at a university. I really love the work I do, the people who I work with, and the community I serve. I graduated college in 2022, and I have had a few career positions, but this one is the best fit in terms of work environment and the kind of industry I’m in and work I do. I love being in a learning environment and playing my part in it. 
 

the only issue is that my income isn’t where I want it to be. My salary is $39k annually, but after the deductions from my ORP (which I’m required to have) as well as my health insurance and taxes, I take home around $2,300 a month. 
 

This level of income technically works for me now. I can pay my bills, afford to go out and spend a bit on myself. But I definitely need to level up long term. 
 

Thing is, I’m pretty uncertain of what path to take to get there. I work 40 hours a week. Being some crazy entrepreneur would be hard to balance with full time work. I’m not sure how or when an opportunity will arise professionally, as I’ve only worked in my position for 3 months. 
 

I used to sell weed in my 20s. I made like 12 grand doing that and used it to pay for college. Easiest money I ever made, but I live in a new city and don’t have those resources. And besides, I feel like I’ve outgrown that life anyways. 
 

idk if anyone has any ideas, or at least an idea of how to go about this. Thanks!

[Human Mint]

I don't have any idea for you. I am currently deciding what to do for a living myseld and trying to aquire as much skill and knowledge as possible. But I do have some questions:

What exactly you do as an administrative associate?

What about it that you really love?

Did you choose to work at an university because you like education?

Could you create a business on your own that entails that kind of skill and how it would look like?

Edited February 21 by Human Mint

[Michael569]

Have you tried sending our your resume and applying for different jobs? Usually the easiest way to get a raise is to jump to another job rather than applying for raise at the uni. With basic administrative skills you can apply for tons of jobs out there in marketing, sales, procurement, project management, supply chain, finance etc. There are also tons of business coordinator or analyst roles which serve as entry points into different areas of the corporate environment. Although not sure if that line of career is appealing. 

Maybe have a look at your CV, bring it up to speed and then either use LinkedIn or other preferable way to search for jobs in your area? 

Alternatively you could also try to build something of your own as a small business. Its not an easy path but can be rewarding one. If you find yourself having enough available time while having a stable income at the current job, that could be an option as well. If that sounds appealing but you feel unsure where to begin then Leo's course could be the stepping stone, it was for me and many guys around here. 

17 hours ago, whh2222 said:

used to sell weed in my 20s.

if you're looking for a legal and sustainable way to make money while staying out of prison and avoiding life-long criminal record that will stick to you like a face tattoo, I'd let this path go

Edited February 21 by Michael569

[whh2222]

On 2/21/2025 at 8:30 AM, Human Mint said:

I don't have any idea for you. I am currently deciding what to do for a living myseld and trying to aquire as much skill and knowledge as possible. But I do have some questions:

What exactly you do as an administrative associate?

What about it that you really love?

Did you choose to work at an university because you like education?

Could you create a business on your own that entails that kind of skill and how it would look like?

1. I do a variety of things at my position. I work with purchasing for the university for certain supplies in 3 different departments, I keep track of the budgets, I work with students applying to internships and checking background checks, and I am also an access coordinator for cpu tech which includes updating and surplusage technology for the different departments that I work in. 

2. What I love about it is that I have a great community of people who genuinely care about seeing me succeed and being supportive. And the environment is fun and friendly. It doesn't feel like this cold cut throat bottom line style organization.

I have worked in previous positions that have a shitty environment. I was the operations manager for a security company, and my field supervisor was resentful towards me getting the position and being hired out of nowhere, when he had been with the company for years. He kept sabotaging me, and nobody gave a shit. My work life balance was also complete shit. I was on call 24/7 and thats not even an exaggeration. The difference between my happiness in my current position versus my previous is night and day. And I was making only $1000 more. I make 39k now and 40k at my previous job. 

3. I researched the various industries in which I wanted to transition into based on my values, and university was at the top of the list. I have always loved being in college and really enjoyed my experience. I always saw working at a university as a place I would enjoy. 

4. No idea. I am having trouble thinking of ways that I could. 

Edited February 22 by whh2222

[whh2222]

On 2/21/2025 at 8:38 AM, Michael569 said:

Have you tried sending our your resume and applying for different jobs? Usually the easiest way to get a raise is to jump to another job rather than applying for raise at the uni. With basic administrative skills you can apply for tons of jobs out there in marketing, sales, procurement, project management, supply chain, finance etc. There are also tons of business coordinator or analyst roles which serve as entry points into different areas of the corporate environment. Although not sure if that line of career is appealing. 

 

I have been in this position for 3 months. I don't intend to jump ship  or switch jobs for at least a year. And even then, I want to think twice. This job doesn't necessarily pay as much as I would ideally like, but this is my 3rd major career opportunity post undergrad, and the previous two had shit work environments. I don't take having good people who actually care and support me for granted. I would have to feel absolutely certain that changing jobs would truly be the right move for me. 

And also I need to have more positions on my resume where I have a long work period. I have an average of like 6-9 months for my major career positions and I don't want the reputation of jumping ship too early.

 

Quote

Alternatively you could also try to build something of your own as a small business. Its not an easy path but can be rewarding one. If you find yourself having enough available time while having a stable income at the current job, that could be an option as well. If that sounds appealing but you feel unsure where to begin then Leo's course could be the stepping stone, it was for me and many guys around here. 

Yes, it would be tough, but doable. I just haven't a clue what that would entail. I like writing and creating songs in my home studio. But I don't truly expect to make serious money off my art. And I'm not a professional studio engineer, so I doubt I would have much luck building a studio for others to record. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to look into, but the time it would take to learn something of that magnitude would be a true commitment.

 

Quote

 if you're looking for a legal and sustainable way to make money while staying out of prison and avoiding life-long criminal record that will stick to you like a face tattoo, I'd let this path go 

Yeah...I wasn't suggesting I would go back to that. I was just speaking on past financial success. That may not be a stable or clean way to live, but at the time it was a huge break for me that gave me a lot of opportunity. Please hold your judgement and snarky remarks. 

Edited February 22 by whh2222