In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young people more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

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Age: 36
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Current industry and job title: Research Nonprofit, director of development
Current salary: $200,000
Number of years employed since school or university: 14

Starting salary: $29,000
Biggest salary jump: $74,000 to $137,000 in 2019 from a job change
Biggest salary drop: $137,000 to $0 in 2020, when I was laid off during COVID

Biggest negotiation regret: When I was 23 and didn't negotiate the offer for my second job out of college. I wish I hadn't taken the first offer since my gut was telling me something was off with the company. I would have spent more time vetting the company, and pushing back harder on the dollar amount, and other benefits. I only found out later on that many of my peers already felt comfortable negotiating. Some were in positions that were considered more junior than mine, but were making more because they had negotiated. My parents are immigrants and I once asked them why they didn't tell me to negotiate — it's because they never had, even up until they retired.

Best salary advice: If you're feeling nervous about asking for more money for yourself, imagine you're doing it for a friend or someone you care about as you're doing the negotiation. It's always easier to negotiate for others than yourself.