yep my sister was a manager for PacBell and did quite nicely. She worked like a dog though.
I had lots of opportunities to do things that saved a ton of money. Often 2x or more of my annual salary. The effort was rewarded both in promotions and spot monetary awards. I left as a D55 Systems Analyst. The company dangled a position at Bellcore and a master's program to keep me on. I didn't want to move my family to New Jersey. My current employer hand carried an offer to my front door. Easy decision. It has been 33 pretty good years.