My old lead told me to take the pay cut for the title, and I still think he was off

Ruby Foster · 2026-10-29T00:05:04.885865+00:00

Six weeks ago my old team lead sat me down at a diner in Akron and told me I should take a $9k pay cut for a job with "Senior" in front of it, since the title would pay off later. I get why he believes that, he climbed that way himself in the 2000s. But I keep hearing this advice pushed on career switchers like it's a rule, and from what I've watched it mostly means doing the same work for less money while the title gets thrown around in meetings. Two friends who made the jump both stalled at that same level for close to two years, and no one handed them a raise out of nowhere. Where I'll change my mind is if the new team actually teaches you a skill you can't get where you are, so I'd rather ask for the training than take a discount for a word on a card. Did a title bump ever actually pay off for you, or was it just cheaper for the company?

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My old lead told me to take the pay cut for the title, and I still think he was off | Career Switch Diaries - Rigidtalk