HOLY SMOKES I'M DONE!!!!

[ROYISAGIRL]

Woot woot! I love a good success story!!

Checking in almost 4 years later. Wanted to give an update to inspire everyone working on this.

I don't know if my degree helped me or not, no hiring person has specifically told me that I needed it, but my salary has more than tripled since I first started testing out way back in 2017. First, I was in a motorcycle crash in 2019 that led to me leaving the non-profit world and finding an individual contributor customer success manager role in tech. That's led to sales and partnership roles and I've continued to increase my base pay ever since.

I often find myself mentioning management theories or referencing stuff like the Peter Principle, things I learned from studying for the tests. Even though I only studied to test out, the learning stuck and I believe I am better at my job, especially in sales, marketing, and business management, than I was before the degree. So, while no one is specifically hiring me because of my degree, I am surprised by how often what I learned has helped me be more than I was and that alone was worth the investment. That education has more than paid for itself.

Now I'm looking at what's next. I am enjoying a nice six figure income but sales isn't where I want to be long term, I miss having an impact like I did in non-profit work. I'm looking at possibly going back for a Masters in counseling or a J.D. to practice law. Both wildly different futures but with American politics the way they are, I can see both having a strong future. I desperately want to stop relying on others for a paycheck and I could see both of these paths leading to sustainable self employment.

Anyway, this forum changed my life and I am still incredibly grateful for all the help and advice. Way back in June of 2017, TESU got rid of being able to completely test out but thanks to y'all, I got in before that expired. I appreciate all of you and for everyone still working, you've got this!!