Female in late twenties who shone at work but received neither a salary raise nor bonus questions her future

27-year-old female here. Am currently working in R&D creating scents for a perfume company, been with it for around 5 years. Never thought I'd end up doing this lab stuff, then again I was always passionate about all things fragrances. While I love my profession, I reckoned I have hit a plateau.

The previous product I worked on became a bestseller mere months after being launched, so much so my manager heaped incessant praise upon me. Exasperatingly, though, my pay has since forever stagnated at a measly $2.7k/month; adding insult to injury, no bonuses whatsoever were accorded during the immediate past year.

Oh, how I feel like a total loser. I ruminate a lot of late, crying ever so often. My friends are all married and excelling in their careers, I really don't wish to trouble them with my personal woes (truth be told, we had grown distant from one other over time, thus venting things in their presence admittedly might not seem too appropriate either).

Should I leave or should I stay? I want – no, I need a better-paying job, yet what if I still can’t snag any despite an exhaustive, protracted hunt? Does that mean I am doomed to a life of mediocrity?

#frustrated #salariedemployee #stagnantpay #loser #mediocrity