headshot of a woman in an orange jacket
Jonea Gordon, a data-privacy program manager at Cruise.
  • Jonea Gordon is a data-privacy program manager at Cruise, where she earns more than $400,000 a year.
  • She started her career as a lawyer and pivoted to real estate and recruiting before data privacy.
  • Her advice to others looking to grow their salaries is to come in prepared and confident.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jonea Gordon, a 35-year-old year data privacy program manager based in Philadelphia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a data-privacy program manager with a background that includes roles at Meta, Google, and Cruise. Transitioning from law to data privacy and income growth from $90,000 to over $400,000 in five years marks my journey in this field.