AMA on alternate career paths: Went from 4.2LPA to 25LPA in 2.5 years

[clothedinsalvation]

I started by working at a tech services company for 2 years, was getting paid 7.2LPA.

hated coding. Decided to quit.

Switched lanes into something creative: aka advertising. Had to take a major paycut to join a small ad agency.

Started at a stipend of 20k per month.

Did good work. Plateaud there after two years, earning 35k or 4.2LPA.

Worked at another agency. I had consulted the CEO of this agency during my previous job so he knew of my work going in. Wasn’t asked about my previous salary etc. Asked for 9LPA, got 7.8.

Then joined a tech startup at 14LPA.

Stopped consulting on the side, put my all into the work. Got a couple of raises - one after 8 months and the next after 5 months.

I have a shit load of personal debt (inherited from parents) so I don’t have much by way of savings. But i guess the easiest way to get out of that trap is to increase one’s earning capacity.

Not here to show off cause I know i used to be super annoyed whenever someone came and flaunted their salary on Reddit or quora. But for the longest time I thought that kind of money is only possible for tier 1 college engineers.

If any of you are following an alternate career path and want some tips on increasing your earning capacity, AMA.

 

[marsbars]

@clothedinsalvation This gives me a ray of hope. What do you currently work as, and how does you typical day looks like in terms of work if i may ask?.

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@marsbars Lead a small marketing team. My core skill is writing. So I take care of content, ads, and collaborate with other teams on growth related projects, overall just handling chaos with a smile on my face

 

[dwaldmann]

@clothedinsalvation You might also post this on r/developersindia. I think this post belongs there.

 

[littlelostgirl]

@dwaldmann I don't think he's into development now.

 

[jeorgehome20]

@clothedinsalvation when do you feel ready to switch ?

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@jeorgehome20 Varies from person to person i think. But here’s my experience

I was actually good at my tech job but i was feeling so lifeless. I ran like a simulation in my head to compare a tech career vs a creative one.

Scenario 1: I could keep doing a stable tech job for 10 years, earning slightly above average salary but hating my life. And by 10 years I would have run out of all motivation and passion, so there won’t be any real path forward for me. If I’m lucky I might get a inflation raise every year.

Scenario 2: I switch fields and take a paycut. If I am not able to at least match the scenario 1’s growth in 2-3 years, I simply go back to the soul sucking field that pays more. But my gut feeling was that if I was doing something I’m really passionate about, the paycut wouldn’t even matter in the long run.

Turns out that was the right call. Every day I’m excited about work and that keeps me outperforming everyone else around me.

As for the triggering event, there was none. I had an inkling of an idea and planned my exit for around 6 months. This was more of an analytical / thought out switch. Not an instinctive one.

I had to line up my Plan B and C before doing such a drastic shift.

 

[br4nd0n]

@clothedinsalvation What were the plans B & C?

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@br4nd0n Plan B was to start a web design agency. It combined both my skills pretty well. And i took up some consulting gigs with startups and senior leaders building personal brands, helped create simple websites for 25-40k each.

Plan C was do a walk of shame and join my old tech company. I held on to those relationships just in case. That’s why i didn’t throw in the towel and still gave them 110% during my notice period

 

[miguel76]

@clothedinsalvation Mature thinking. Target high points.

 

[hoangnganvy1993]

@clothedinsalvation Man the timing of this post is unreal. I have been planning to switch to Graphic Design forever. I finally decided to give myself 6 months to save money and learn as much basics as I can since doing full time job doesn't allow me to learn a lot. After 6 months planning to quit my job and dedicate myself full time to enter GD domain. Luckily my parents are ready to support me for a year. Any thoughts on the plan or advice ? Really hoping things work out else I can come back to my current field.

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@hoangnganvy1993 I think you’ve got it sorted. Sounds like a great plan.

Good that your family is encouraging too!

All the best my friend!

 

[yofriend]

@hoangnganvy1993 Good luck friend. GD is really fun. It can be exhausting at times but the amount of growth we get while working with different industries, plus constant upgrade is very fulfilling, at least for me.

Good luck with your training! Make a kick-ass portfolio,
A portfolio which is on par with the current industry.

 

[lemartes]

@hoangnganvy1993 What would your learning resources be for a beginner at GD?

 

[shillrtr]

@clothedinsalvation Im learning ui/ux thoughts on this field? Work life balance and pay wise?

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@shillrtr It’s a great field. One of the few “truly remote” jobs out there.

Pay is good, though Indian companies tend to lowball

The most lucrative areas in this field:

1. series A / B startups where the product delivers but it looks like shit
2. join a design agency. This will be more grind, less pay. But I would suggest starting with this cause your portfolio will look solid even after a year’s work with a good agency.

Couple more tips:

• Don’t bother with cover letters etc. when applying for jobs. Take a web page and product screen and share a better mockup. Easy way to stand out.
• Find a mentor. The craft is reallu really important if you want to dictate the terms with your pay and WLB. Good mentors might want to get paid (which is fair) so you might instead want to send some eligible mentors a Starbucks gift voucher and say something nice. They’ll usually oblige.

 

[jtphins54]

@clothedinsalvation great tips!

very stupid question - What do u use to create mockups? Something like figma ? how hard is it to learn it?

 

[clothedinsalvation]

@jtphins54 Figma is one. Sketch is another. This is not my area of expertise so can’t comment on the best one to start with.

Although my designer friends say other tools are quite easy to learn if you are familiar with any one. Learning fundamental design principles (hierarchy, ux psychology, etc) is much more critical

Similar thing holds true when you’re learning video editing etc. learning premiere or final cut pro will take maybe a month or two. Learning good “video editing” will take years.

 

[peterd1]

@clothedinsalvation Where does one begin with learning UI/UX ? I don't have a tech background but have an aptitude for design and wish to do some low key side hustle as hobby. Does it also require a coding acumen? Asking it in a broad manner. Any course/video/ Websites that you guys recommend are worthy ?

 

[kimmyrose]

@clothedinsalvation How can one enter advertising, or PR and corporate comms while working a full time job in an unrelated field? What kind of skills should one work towards gaining and how? Breaking into in as someone inexperienced seems very difficult and leaving the current job isn't an option.