I realized admin work was the most stable for me (most likely) so have been chipping at that. I’m not an executive assistant, just an admin assistant (termed “project coordinator” so they can give me other jobs around the department as they like) and just got bumped to $75k (in Boston).

I knew that English degree and staying up late at night writing papers would help me with A. professional tone in emails and B. typing as fast as humanly possible and C. reading comprehension when my PI sends me an email that at first glance reads like a “choose your own adventure” book but is really just a long list of 25 things to do asap.

Edited to add: I haven’t really read much MMM but reading that jobs that pay $50k BS and his response to your blog/internet criticism in general definitely put me in the “no thanks not for me column” he sounds like an out of touch asshole.