My friend Jack called me recently with news that excited me in a way few things can. He told me he walked into his supervisor’s office, calmly outlined his case for a pay raise, and walked away with a 30% raise. Yes, you read that right — a 30% raise on his existing salary. If you’d only read that part, you might think Jack had a massive career break or just got lucky. However, the real story paints a picture of patience, hard work, and unbreakable determination.
Jack’s path to this point was anything but a straight line. He struggled, needed a fifth year to finish his bachelor’s degree, and walked away from graduation carrying a significant amount of debt in the mid-$100,000s. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone — it’s one of the most common experiences among college graduates today. A career starting with real debt and a challenging job market, one that doesn’t always reward a college degree the way it used to, can lead to a quiet sense of discouragement that follows you into your career after graduation.
As his friend, I watched Jack go through all of it. What stuck with me wasn’t the struggle itself, but how he carried himself through it. After some challenging periods during college that would break many people, he emerged calmer, more resilient, and most importantly, realistic about the decisions he’d need to make for his future. I admire most that he never lost his sense of earnestness or hope for a bright future. Jack didn’t pretend things were easier than they were, but he never let that honesty drive him into existential fear or avoidance through things like unaffordable hobbies or vacations.
Jack got real about his student loan debt and opted not to move into an expensive city, despite wanting to be closer to friends. Instead, he stayed home a few extra years and saved money to pay down his debt. He found his footing by starting at a job in the car industry where he was already familiar, even though his degree was not perfectly aligned with the job he chose. After moving between a few jobs, he found a company that promised him opportunity if he would be willing to take on extra work and show some grit.
Over the past year, I had the chance to work alongside Jack through Michaud Advisory. We spent hours rebuilding his resume and tinkering around the margins to frame his best skills and experiences. Much of this time was spent talking through what he actually wanted for his career, not just what felt safe or immediately available. A lot of Jack’s work was less about adding new skills and more about surfacing the strengths he had already built but never learned to claim effectively. Once he could see his own strengths and how they aligned to roles more clearly, something shifted. He started advocating for himself differently and pushing for what he was worth. And this year, that patience and the groundwork for success finally caught up with him.
If you’re a recent graduate staring down burdensome student loan payments and a job market that feels indifferent to your effort, I want you to hear this clearly: Jack’s timeline is normal. The years where nothing seems to change are not wasted years. They are the years where you’re operating behind the scenes building evidence, experience, and the self-understanding that eventually make a moment like his possible.
Though it would be great, you don’t need a dramatic pivot or a stroke of luck. You need time, honest effort, and at some point, someone or something that helps you see your own strengths as clearly as everyone around you already does. Jack didn’t wait for someone to hand him a raise. He built toward it, one step at a time. When the moment came, he was ready to ask for it and backed it up with an undeniable track record.
Patience Pays Off. Be Like Jack.