Going hourly rate for UX/Experience Director? Please add years of experience, city, and awards. Used to charge $145/hr but that was a while ago (then, 12 yrs, NYC and Boston, top agencies and financial institutions exp, top notch portfolio with deep strategic, UX, IA, interaction and usability work, some awards).
Coach
If you're driven there is no "stalling out". Look at the number of ex MBB in F500 c suite. If you're looking to coast it's very easy to chill at 300K in industry at the sr director level, no different from those 50 year old SM/D in consulting who will never make partner. Else the ceiling in industry is higher than consulting (eg, Sundar Pichai).
Source: went from consulting to industry and tripled my TC in under 5 years
Lots of variables, ambition being the biggest one.
Director seems low. Most post-MBA MBB and tier 2 consultants are making close to 250 after a couple years and are likely hitting 250 in their first post-consultant job. Director is a pretty common first title as well for them. It’s unlikely that they’re staying at that level for the next ~30-35 years.
This feels accurate, whether you’re in industry or consulting you need to show up and play the game, and not everyone wants to do it.
Would say Senior Director to VP is probably the terminal value if you exited consulting early (SC/M) and don’t want to run for an executive role.
Left as an SM a year ago and now at $500k+. I doubt I will cap out here since there is room to grow at big banks.
$260k base and probably $100k bonus
Will vary on a lot of factors. But people jumping ship at M/AP level in late 20s / early 30s should easily be able to move to VP at most major firms. VP is where it starts getting tricky to move higher due to a high drop off in number of roles and competition.
I have seen people leave larger companies at those levels for a more senior role at smaller companies. Some people also build up nest eggs and take on more “part time” or entrepreneurial roles in their 40s/50s (not common but happens).
Overall, I think most people that are ambitious, smart and spent a few years in consulting at the start of their career can definitely crack into upper 6 figures by mid / late career (also, lots of people forget that retiring at 60-65 would make your career 30 years long). No data to back that up but just based on general gut instinct from what Ive seen so far.
It depends a lot on many circumstances, including the type of consulting you were doing and the role you have in industry. When I left tech consulting (as a Sr Mgr) as part of a layoff during an economic downturn, I was unemployed for several months and eventually took a project manager contract position, paying about 1/3 less than my last consulting salary. Eventually, I was able to take that opportunity and move into a Director role and then VP. I was at a fortune 1000 and earning in the low 300s TC.
I think you’re right. Topping out at $350. With increases in our career-time, I think hitting $450k is more doable.