How Middle-Class Workers Can Transition To Higher-Paying Jobs
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Being in the middle class used to be synonymous with having it all — a good living that enabled you to own a home, a car, go on vacation and still have money left over to save. Now, however, the middle class is feeling the pinch of higher costs of living and in some cases, wage stagnation.
How can middle-class workers transition to higher paying jobs? Experts offered some suggestions.
You Don’t Have To Start From Scratch
DaVonda St. Clair, a career strategist with DLSS Consulting, understands that for many middle-class professionals, the idea of transitioning to a higher-paying job feels overwhelming — especially if you’ve spent years building expertise in one field. For those who fear that earning more requires starting over, going back to school or diving into a completely different industry, she suggested that is not always the case.
Why Middle-Class Professionals Struggle To Make the Leap
The biggest barrier to a higher-paying job is not a lack of ability, St. Clair said, it’s a lack of clarity about how to translate your current skills into a new, lucrative role.
“Take Angela, a former HR manager making $72,000 who felt stuck. She assumed she needed a degree in tech to move into a high-paying role. But once she realized that her compliance and risk management experience aligned perfectly with privacy analyst and governance roles in tech, she quickly transitioned into a $130,000 privacy analyst position without learning to code, without a degree in technology or IT certifications,” St. Clair shared.
Transition Within Your Current Company
The best way to transition to a higher-paying job is to look within the company you already work for, especially if they are willing to teach and train you, according to career coach Lynn Berger.
“They know you and if you are a good employee and have good reviews it can be a good hire for the company as well,” she said.
Show your worth through volunteering on assignments, taking classes outside the company to show your commitment to the field and getting involved in professional associations, she urged.
Map Your Skills to High-Paying Roles
Many mid-level professionals already possess valuable skills — they just need to match them to high-demand industries, St. Clair pointed out. She shared some examples of people she’s worked with who’ve done so.
- A customer service supervisor ($58,000) transitioned into a customer success manager role ($115,000) by emphasizing her experience handling escalations, managing customer relationships and training new hires.
- A paralegal ($65,000) shifted into regulatory compliance in fintech ($125,000) by highlighting her knowledge of legal policies, contract review and risk mitigation.
- A high school teacher ($60,000) leveraged his curriculum development experience to land a $120,000 instructional design role in EdTech — without additional degrees or training.
- A retail operations manager ($75,000) transitioned into supply chain analytics ($140,000) by showcasing her expertise in inventory management, vendor negotiation and operational efficiency.
Look For Tech-Adjacent Roles That Don’t Require Coding
Tech is one of the most in-demand industries around, and isn’t just for programmers, St. Clair said. “There’s a massive demand for policy analysts, compliance experts, data governance specialists and AI ethics consultants.” Jobs that exist within tech that don’t require coding include:
- Digital marketing data analyst ($130,000)
- Learning and development trainer at a tech company ($125,000)
- Healthcare tech consulting ($145,000)
- Business intelligence consulting ($150,000)
Optimize Your Resume
St. Clair said that you can do a number of things to position yourself for a higher salary within just a few months by “optimizing your resume, LinkedIn profile and interview strategy.”
This includes using LinkedIn strategically to engage with recruiters and hiring managers in your target field; leveraging direct applications to any connections you make rather than cold applying; and highlighting the right skills.
Monetize Expertise Through Consultative Sales
Another often-overlooked path is leveraging years of industry expertise into a career in consultative sales, according to Lief Larson, CEO at Salesfolks.
What does this mean? It means taking your professional expertise, whether in healthcare, technology, manufacturing, finance, or other specialized fields, and turning it into a sales-related career, he explained.
“For example, a nurse who understands hospital workflows can transition into medical device sales, guiding hospital administrators and clinicians toward the best-fit solutions. A software engineer might move into enterprise software sales, helping companies navigate complex purchasing decisions with an insider’s perspective,” he said.
Why Companies Value Industry Expertise in Sales
Larson said there are “tens of thousands of companies” actively seeking sales professionals with deep, real-world experience in specific fields.
“These organizations aren’t just looking for someone who can pitch — they want someone who can translate complex needs into tailored solutions. It’s why job postings for sales roles often mention ‘industry experience preferred.'”
Compensation Potential in Specialized Sales
Sales roles that require industry expertise often come with compensation packages well above traditional middle-class wages, Larson said. “For entry-level specialized sales roles, base salaries typically start between $70,000 and $90,000, depending on the industry. More experienced sales professionals can command base salaries of $100,000 or more.”
Regardless of what kind of role you transition into, don’t panic, look for opportunities to leverage existing knowledge or skills, learn new skills within your industry that can give you access to higher-paying jobs and network with others who hold positions you desire.
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