How A Gen Z Professional Boosted Her Salary From $72,000 To $186,000 In 5 Years

Gen Z individuals are leading the way in finding unconventional ways to increase their salaries and become entrepreneurs.  

As a case in point, Cinneah El-Amin has experienced a remarkable financial transformation, more than doubling her salary to go from earning $72,000 to $186,000 in just five years, according to a report by CNBC’s Make It. 

El-Amin, who has experience in the banking and tech sectors, was warned against job hopping but climbed the career ladder by switching jobs frequently to increase her salary. Now, after being laid off from her last job, the 28-year-old is taking a break from the corporate world to focus on growing her online career and lifestyle platform called Flynanced, according to the outlet. 

El-Amin's Journey: El-Amin, a graduate in Africana studies from Barnard, joined American Express after completing a master's program at Wake Forest University.  

She started as a senior product analyst with a negotiated salary of $72,000. In 2019, she received a promotion to a product development role and an equity adjustment, bringing her salary just below six figures. 

In 2021, El-Amin's network connections helped her secure a product manager position at Mastercard with a base salary of $130,000. She achieved a 22% targeted bonus that year, to earn over $150,000. Despite initial advice against job-hopping, El-Amin felt validated by the significant salary increase. 

“Seeing almost a year later that I made more than $50,000 by making that move, I definitely felt affirmed in that decision,” she told the publication. 

Later that year, El-Amin embarked on a rigorous job search, submitting over 150 applications and searching for seven months. Eventually, she secured a product manager position at PayPal with a salary of $186,000 after negotiating and receiving a $29,000 signing bonus. Unfortunately, she was part of a company-wide layoff in February 2023. 

El-Amin's Advice: Despite feeling nervous, El-Amin believes in the power of negotiating pay. She prepares a script, highlighting her qualifications and the value she brings to the company. Thorough research helps her build a strong case for the extras she requests. 

“I’ve learned those feelings are normal, and I still have to make my ask in spite of feeling nervous,” she told the publication. “I know that the worst that they can say is no, we can’t do that. But as I’ve seen in my own experience, I’ve been able to get a lot of things just by asking.” 

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