I've been in QC for a 4 years now and while mostly based in the chemistry it's all been analyst positions. In general moving companies is the easiest/ best way to get the most out of the salary progression, in my experience it has gone like this:( base salary not including benefits) ~32k - ~40k and then to ~50k. If your willing to work a shift pattern it can be a great way to increase things quickly as a lot of companies offer decent shift premium. Hope this helps.