I joined DC as analyst and left as consultant. I started at 3.5k (back then we had 1-2 months variable) and left at sub 5k pay as a con.

3 years on my base has more than doubled from job change/promotion. My peers who are at sc or manager are barely at 7-8k, due to poor internal increments. So staying leaves them 30-40% worse off with not necessarily the best wlb. Comments on grinding till m or sm paying off is not exactly correct, it’s the external hires that come in at better packages.

I work in a bank now if you are wondering.