Where do you live? City and State (or Country if outside the U.S.)
San Diego, CA
Do you like where you currently live? Why or why not?
Yes I do. It took me a little bit to adjust when we first moved here (we moved from Texas) but now I really appreciate being near the water and all the activities that are available to us here. We’ve made a good group of friends and the weather truly is unbeatable.
Do you have any hobbies? What are they?
Yes! When we moved here I started learning to surf and now I’m totally hooked. Not to be cliche but I also love traveling. I also hike and I love to read – historical fiction is my go-to.
What is your highest level of education?
Doctorate
Where did you go to school? What did you study?
I went to Purdue for my undergraduate degree in Exercise Physiology and University of Texas Southwestern Dallas for my Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree
Are you currently employed?
Yes
What is your current occupation?
Full time Account Manager, per-diem inpatient Physical Therapist
Do you like your current occupation / job? Why or why not?
I was really unhappy working full-time as a physical therapist – the lack of flexibility, poor pay for the degree level I have, all the changes post-covid, and burnout really took a toll on me. I worked really hard to transition out of healthcare and now I’m an account manager for a CX consulting firm. I’m now fully remote with a 4-day work week and unlimited PTO. I will never look back!
What is your yearly salary (or approximate yearly compensation)? Feel free to include any bonuses or other compensation perks you may receive this year.
My current account manager role pays $68k. Taking a significant pay cut from my PT job was hard, but the growth potential in account management/project management roles far exceeds the potential in the healthcare world. I’m slated to get a raise at the end of this year.
Have you ever been promoted at work? What position(s) were you promoted to?
Yes. I was promoted from PT I to PT II – it was a part of a clinical ladder and so I basically just had to meet the criteria and years of experience to meet the promotion. I was never able to get a promotion just based on my merit alone in healthcare.
Have you ever negotiated your salary? If so, how did that go / what was the outcome?
Yes, I negotiated when I was first out of PT school. I ended up making ~5k more per year with a sign-on bonus than most of my classmates. In San Diego, the hospital system I work for is unionized, so I wasn’t able to negotiate my per-diem rate at all. When I took my account management role, I also negotiated—which was harder because technically, I was now entry-level but I still ended up making a little more than I expected.
Do you have a second job or side hustle? If yes, what is it and what do you do?
Yes – I still work as a PT on the side. It’s so funny to say that now being a physical therapist is my side hustle but here we are lol! It pays well and has a low monthly commitment. In Dallas I was a fitness instructor and a Pilates instructor but I’ve taken a break from that in San Diego.
If you have a second job or side hustle, about how much money do you make *monthly* from your second job / side hustle?
Depending on how much I work I make minimum $1000 and maximum $3000.
What is your relationship status?
Married
Do you and your partner have joint or separate finances?
We’re still figuring it out! We split some things and share some things. It’s a little messy but we’re working on it
What is your *monthly* rent / mortgage for your household?
3.1k but it will be 3.5k when we move in a month
Do you have any children / dependents? If yes, how many?
No
Do you have any pets? If yes, what kind?
No
About how much do you spend on groceries *each week*?
$200
Are you debt free?
No
What kinds of debt do you have?
Student loan
How much *cash* savings do you have currently?
$10,000 +
Are you currently investing/saving for your retirement?
Yes
About how much money do you have invested/saved for retirement? Are you satisfied with this number?
I have around 75k. I’m proud of this number as I have a significant amount of debt from physical therapy school and I’ve saved that amount while paying off my loans. Of course I wish it were higher but it’s really hard to do both at the same time
What’s been your favorite purchase this year?
We took a 3-week vacation to Italy and France and eloped! We paid quite a bit for our photographers but the experience was so worth it
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
Take time to think about what you actually want out of your life instead of following the conveyor belt of society. It’s ok to take a break before deciding to go to graduate school. Slow down
What current goals do you have? (ex. Health goals, Fitness, Money, Career, Travel, etc.)
My husband and I want to finish paying off my student loans next year. Personally, I’ve been working on my stress management and setting boundaries. I have a really great therapist and my mental health has been a big priority for me this year
What are you currently struggling with, if anything?
We have to move due to unforeseen circumstances, and I’m not excited about moving for the 4th year in a row. I also catch myself in the comparison game a lot. Housing here is so expensive, and I feel like I’ll never be able to afford a home or kids.
What accomplishments of yours are you most proud of?
I am SO proud of myself for getting my current job. So many people in healthcare complain about being unhappy but so many sit in the same job waiting for retirement and treating patients on autopilot. I remember telling my husband at the start of the pandemic that I was so jealous he could work remote and that I would never be able to have that kind of flexibility with my degree – but here I am! I actually did something about it and made the change, which was not easy, but totally worth it to me.
What makes you imperfect?
I spent seven years in school and a lot of money to get a degree to do a certain job, only to find out I wasn’t happy doing it. Talk about imperfect lol! We’re all just figuring it out. I can be really hard on myself – especially about my student debt. But I’m learning to be kinder to myself and you should too 🙂
It’s Personal is an anonymous blog series about the personal lives and finances of women.
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