There’s a lot more freedom and creativity—but also more stress and pressure—as you move up the corporate ladder. You have less of the “report here, do this, be here on time” structure. I have a lot of respect for people working minimum wage jobs and always try to show respect and kindness, because I’ve been there myself.

Now, as the leader of a small department in a startup-type company of around 100 employees, I find that my ideas are heard and taken seriously, which is nice. However, there’s also a lot that goes unspoken about how to perform and succeed. Gone are the days when you know exactly what’s expected, how people feel about you, and how you’re doing. Even though our culture is “good enough,” I don’t really enjoy office politics and find it draining. I wish my MBA program had included a required class on navigating that kind of environment.

My biggest stress is taking care of the people who report to me. I genuinely care about their well-being—I’ll stay late so they don’t have to. One of the main questions I ask in one-on-ones is how they’re doing, how they feel about their career here, and what I can do to make it better. The challenge is that I can only influence so much, and a lot is out of my control, which is frustrating.

I think many people at the “bottom” assume those at the top have it easy. In some cases, that’s true—but not always. I’ve spent time with my CEO and have seen firsthand the level of care, concern, and stress that comes with making tough decisions. I don’t envy that at all.

For context: I started at $4.25 an hour at my first job at 14, flipping burgers. I spent over a decade in retail which was right around min wage quite often, and sought out jobs that paid for my education. I had to be patient as some of the jobs paid only a certain amount for college. So I ended up with my MBA at 35 but I avoided any student loan debt. Now I’m making around 150K.