Age: 29

Current Location: East Bay San Francisco, CA

Current Industry & Title: Health Care, Registered Nurse

Starting Salary: $65,000 base in 2012 (plus 12% in lieu of benefits)

Current Salary: $157,000 plus call, overtime and shift differential (approximately $1,500-2,000 per month) + $33,000 a year from my side hustle

Number Of Years Employed: Six years as a registered nurse, in health care since 2009

Biggest Salary Jump: $70,500 jump in 2017

Biggest Salary Drop: $11,000 in 2016 (I moved from night shift to day shift I lost my night differential pay)

Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: "Not pushing harder for a relocation bonus when I first moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I had received one when I moved from Canada to Arizona. I was told I could not have relocation assistance due to the nurses union in California, but the following year the hospital that hired me was offering $30,000 sign on bonuses for new hires to the operating room. It was very expensive to move to the San Francisco Bay and relocation assistance would have been very helpful."

Best Salary-Related Advice: "Don’t be afraid to negotiate, counteroffer, and shop around. Also even though one company may pay a little less, their overall benefit package may be better than their competitors. For example, one hospital may offer low deductibles, more time off or paid time off, pensions and better 403(b)/401(k) match but pay slightly less hourly. You have to look at the bigger picture and see if long term it works better for you. When I moved to the Bay Area I had my pick of four hospitals that gave me offers that were all within one dollar hourly of each other. So to make my decision, I saw if that hospital offered a pension, their time off packages, if they were unionized, and how quickly my medical benefits kicked in."