How a Charlotte native’s TikToks are bringing more transparency to what jobs pay
Asking people about their salaries could be considered overly invasive, but Adam Ali does it with the hope of inspiring a new generation to contemplate careers they’d otherwise overlook.
Ali, however, approaches people with a camera and posts their responses on TikTok.
The 20-year-old Charlotte native took a break from attending Belmont Abbey College in Gaston County to figure out a career path to pursue. Understanding that many college and high school students are unsure of what they want to do for a living, he decided to create TikToks of himself interviewing professionals around Charlotte. He posted his first video on April 23.
Ali asks about their salaries, skills and qualifications, education and the level of fulfillment from their jobs.
“There’s a lot of young college kids, or people who just graduated, that don’t know what industry is paying what,” Ali told The Charlotte Observer. “I think this is a great way for people to see what people in Charlotte are really making.”
The 22 interviews on Ali’s TikTok account, American Income, have over 8 million combined views. He’s interviewed a software engineer, a cardiac surgeon, a lawyer, a data analyst, an accountant and even Carolina Panthers cornerback Keith Taylor Jr.
“It’s just me going out there and pursuing these random people I’ve never met,” Ali said.
Ali has interviewed people at a car show in south Charlotte, and most recently near Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Sycamore Brewing in South End.
At Belmont Abbey, Ali majored in accounting, which he acknowledged “wasn’t his favorite thing.” Some people Ali has interviewed haven’t gone to college, like the software engineer he spoke to this week who learned coding in his free time. He’s also spoken to doctors and other professionals who have had 10-plus years of schooling after high school.
“I’m trying to make this as diverse as possible,” Ali said.
Although Ali is interviewing people who make near or more than six-figure salaries, Charlotte’s median household income is $65,359, according to the Census Bureau. Ali said he’s working on interviewing people with varying salaries for future TikToks.
“I just started, and I’m trying to do the best that I can,” he said.
One thing Ali says he hopes to accomplish: transparency. Some job postings don’t include salaries, which could discourage young adults from applying, he said.
“Normalize talking about salaries,” Ali said.
If enough people watch his TikToks, Ali said it could bring more graduating students and young adults to Charlotte for new careers.
“I read through these comments and all I see is, ‘Hey, I didn’t know Charlotte was like that, I need to move there,’” he said. “My videos just may inspire some people to move to Charlotte. You never know.”
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
