I'm not even going to mention all the crappy part-time jobs I held while in college. After I graduated, I moved from part-time to full-time working for a rental company. Starting wage as $8.50/hr with mileage reimbursement. No benefits. No PTO. I never got a pay increase despite having a 90% occupancy rating, creating methods for keeping turnover and check-ins efficient, and trained and managed two assistants.
After a year I was let go. Manager gave me 2 weeks notice stating he couldn't offer me anything more, there was no room for growth and I had outgrown them. Said he'd give glowing reviews and I was eligible for unemployment benefits as I did nothing wrong.
I found a job to start the Monday after my last day there. Customer service in the insurance field. Starting pay $11.50/hr, crappy benefits but benefits, decent PTO package. Worked there for almost 5 years with increase in pay every year. When I changed positions I was offered a $2 pay increase so after 4 years was making $15.30/hr. 4 months before I was let go (no reason given), we had our annual review. They had offered me a 60 cent increase in wages. At this point I was the only person doing my job (with 2 assistants during the busy season), which had previously been done by a team of 3 (6 during the busy season). I came with a list of my accomplishments since taking over the department. I had asked to be bumped to $18 and was scoffed at by my manager. “That's administration level pay”. If she was making $18 damn girl, you better ask for a raise too.
So fast forward to being let go. To keep myself alive I took a shitty job. Back to customer service, $11 an hr. Yep, after 5 years of working my up I was making less than I was when I started. Felt great.
I had no intentions of staying there though and after only 5 months had found a new role. Starting pay $18.50 as a new hire with no managerial work and as part of a largish team. Unlimited PTO which we are encouraged to take. Do I think it's the 'perfect' job? No. But do I at least feel like I'm treated like a human being? Yes. Can I afford to live and actually have money set aside for bigger expenses and savings? Yes.
I'm hopeful for the future here too. Our team currently has 2 supervisors and our director. When I was hired they mentioned splitting us into tier 1, tier 2, team leads, and then the supervisor/director once our teams are in good places. I'm hoping for a tier 2 or lead position and hope to see a pay increase with that. But for now, knowing that I am in fact worth more than my previous shitty supervisor is enough to make me smile just a little bit when reflecting on our horrible workforce.