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John Hess

Prof. Pettay

ENG 111

31 October 2021

COO

Looking out over the city from your corner office sounds like the dream of every

businessman. Every businessman strives and fights to be at the top of their company and the

position of chief operating officer or COO is that. I have always been one to lead and work

harder than anyone and being a COO would match my drive perfectly. Being a COO is a great

career but can be considered one of the hardest jobs in the world.

The salary of a COO can make all of the hard work worth it. According to Northeastern

University in the article “COO Salary and Career Path,” which explains nearly every aspect of

the COO position they state, “Indeed broke the average salary of a COO down further, and found

the top five highest-paying cities in the United States for this career are: Indianapolis at

$179,939, Chicago: $159,980, New York: $157,163, Washington, D.C.: $153,715, San Diego:

$128,012”(COO Salary). This may seem like nothing crazy for the job title of the COO but this

is the average pay for a starting COO. If we are to look at more of a local aspect in Virginia

Beach a job seeker would find according to Salary.com the leading provider of cloud-based

compensation market data, “the range typically falls between $337,210 and $561,934. Salary

ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications,

additional skills, and the number of years you have spent in your profession”(Chief). Regarding

the information presented it can be assumed that the COO job title is well respected in the

Virginia Beach area. Northeastern University states that “A COO can expect a base salary
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between $120,000 to upward of $150,000, depending on their location and size of the

organization”(COO Salary).

This career can be considered the hardest job in the world due to the responsibilities held.

The article “The Role and Responsibilities of the Chief Operating Officer” by the University of

Maryland states, “In some organizations, the COO also oversees and supervises the operations of

the human resources and legal departments. This is common in organizations where the COO

structure is an internally facing job. Overall, however, the COO supports and complements the

role of the CEO”(The Role). Given this information, you can see how not only does the COO

have his normal everyday job of helping run the company but he also oversees all of the internal

and external issues. He also acts as the head of most of the internal departments adding up the

workload. To further describe the responsibilities the University of Maryland also stated, “The

daily responsibilities of the COO can be different, depending on the operational structure and

needs of the company itself, as well as the industry in which it operates… In some businesses,

for example, the COO may be more involved with the development of operations strategy and

maintaining the company’s financial health”(The Role). This information describes the pure

amount of responsibility that falls on to the COO and further defends the idea that it is one of the

hardest jobs in the world. As said by The University of Maryland, “As TechTarget contributor

Margaret Rouse explains, the COO functions similarly to the role of U.S. vice president, in that

the role of president is highly dependent upon the vice president”(The Role). It shows how a

business can not run without the presence of a COO.

Along with the hard work, there are many great benefits and drawbacks of being a COO.

Being well connected with the company is very important and as said by Quantic in the article

“How to Become a COO Your Path to Chief Operating Officer,” “As a COO, you’ll forge a close
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relationship with your counterpart, the CEO of your company”(How). Creating this connection

can result in an “I help you you help me” relationship. On top of this, when the CEO decides it’s

time for him to step down or retire, he will have to look no further than the COO to fill his shoes.

Also said by Quantic “You will be known as the guy who gets things done”(How). As this is a

great benefit being known as that guy to the staff a COO does not get the same recognition from

the general public. To contradict the last statement Quantic also said, “As second in command,

you have to be willing to work behind the scenes without getting the same kudos that are thrown

to the CEO ''(How). Even though the staff recognizes the effort put in, the general public will

never understand the amount of time and effort a COO puts in to make their company successful.

Even though being a COO may be one of the hardest jobs in the world it is also an

outstanding career choice. With the high salary, numerous responsibilities, and the many benefits

and drawbacks to the career it is considered to be one of the hardest yet best careers. With the

many responsibilities and aspects that come with the career shows why it is considered one of the

hardest jobs on earth. Yet my drive and desire to lead will not stop me from pursuing this career.

The corner office with a view of the city is a dream of many and a dream that I want to come

true.
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Works Cited

"Chief Operating Officer Salary in Virginia Beach, Virginia." Salary.com,

www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/chief-operating-officer-salary/virginia-beach

-va. Accessed 25 Oct. 2021.

"COO Roles and Structures: Stories from the Field." The Bridgespan Group,

www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/hiring/coo-roles-and-structures-stories-from-the-fiel

d. Accessed 12 Oct. 2021.

"COO Salary and Career Path." Northeastern University,

onlinebusiness.northeastern.edu/blog/coo-salary-and-career-path/. Accessed 12 Oct.

2021.

Day, Jo. "The Misunderstood Role of COO - 'The Hardest Job I've Ever Done.'" Trumpet, 15

Sept. 2016,

blog.trumpetinc.com/the-misunderstood-role-of-coo-the-hardest-job-ive-ever-done.

Accessed 21 Oct. 2021.

"How to Become a COO 🚀 Your Path to Chief Operating Officer." Quantic, 13 July 2020,
blog.quantic.edu/2020/07/13/how-to-become-a-coo-your-path-to-chief-operating-officer/.

Accessed 21 Oct. 2021.

"The Role and Responsibilities of the Chief Operating Officer." University of Maryland,

onlinebusiness.umd.edu/blog/the-role-and-responsibilities-of-the-chief-operating-officer/.

Accessed 12 Oct. 2021.

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