I like my job, but my wife is planning to stay home, so I need to materially increase my income. I’m trying to sanity-check whether I’m realistically capped where I am or if there’s a smarter move I’m missing.
Background**:**
* \~11 YOE in process control at a mid–large chemical company
* Career Progression: plant engineer → team lead → engineering manager
* Houston-based
* Platforms: DeltaV, Allen-Bradley
* Current comp: \~$165k base + 15% target bonus (actual bonus has been much lower lately)
I don’t mind some travel. From what I can tell, the only way to meaningfully increase comp in the short term would be joining a supermajor (Exxon, Chevron, etc.), but the roles seem to be rarely posted publicly or not available.
Am I missing a category of roles (consulting, vendor, tech-adjacent, etc.) that realistically pay more? Or is this basically the ceiling for this skillset unless I change industries or move?
Would appreciate any perspectives from people who’ve made a similar jump.