OS and Software > No, I Will Not Fix Your #@$!! Computer > IT pay

IT pay

They pay the least possible to prevent you from walking, at least in my experience.

I heard some HR bullshit about paying the 75th percentile of the 50th percentile once during a review. Left soon after. Sorry, but good luck with that. Lol.
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Baka wa shinanakya naoranai

reply to payscale
Yeah they try to low-ball you coming in the door. The lower you start, the lower you'll stay since most places give percentage increases when they do give raises.

reply to payscale
There's also the "don't piss off the existing employees" factor to consider.

I just took a new job and it was explained to me like this:

"We take your education and relevant work experience plus any certifications and base it off that."

Did I get what I wanted? No. But it's technically a raise.
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"There are two American flags flying on the property I reside on. Anyone who tries to take them down will be rendered inoperative." -Lindy

reply to payscale
Some companies have HR or accounting people who calculate what they can afford to pay and/or how much they need to pay. Smaller companies pay what they have to pay and, if they can't afford it, don't hire. It sometimes depends on how it would affect the price of the goods they sell.

Larger companies aren't going to care what you think unless you have a skill they really need, which you probably don't have. Only the elite can manipulate their salary. Otherwise you come across as demanding or arrogant and they don't want your type hanging around telling others how you did it.

In some ways, it's marketing. Goods are priced by what the market will bear. Companies pay what the market says your worth. In California, IT workers get paid 2.5x or so more than here in St. Louis cause that's what it costs to get them. If that same company moved to St. Louis, they wouldn't pay their IT workers as much cause they don't have to.

reply to payscale
It depends on the company and the culture of the organization.

At the last place I worked, they always paid in the top 25% of the area for every job. The main reason was the president was all about keeping employees. The way you keep them is to pay them well, and you have the culture that keeps them engaged and coming back.

The place I worked previous to that they tried to lowball everyone. Paying people low while offering bonuses if the company did well. I worked there for 7.5 years because the bonuses were good for the first few years. After that, I should have left, but I didn't.

In the end, it all depends on the company.
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My domain - Nightfall.net

I actually work in the public sector. I like the job and the people i work with but once i leave to go home and sometimes when i'm actually working the only thing i think of is what bills can i shuffle around. For the past 4 years i have been carry around a sheet where i workout what bills i can pay at that time and what will have to wait....I just would like to be at a comfortable point financially so i can take a vacation (haven't had one in years), enjoy life and family.

I asked my manager how did she determine my salary? she said at the time i was hired she thought my skills and responsibilities were comparable with the other positions. Which i guess is a fair answer....but i'm to the point where i need to find a 2nd job or just find a new job so i can do those things i mentioned above...

This isn't an IT issue, this is a personal finance issue.

Your employer is under no obligation to provide for you more than they need to pay someone for that position.

The biggest raise you can get is to figure out how not to live paycheck to paycheck.
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flickr | Of faith, power and glory

Yep. That and if you really think you're worth more money, you're going to have to go out there and find it from another employer.

Truth is, most people aren't worth that kind of money. Most IT folks are nothing more than techs with a few certs under their belt. That's all I am. Fortunately, I got a job as an AIX Admin. Some time under my belt with that and now I have some negotiating room for raises down the road. Until then? I can be replaced easily. You think you're the only guy who can configure a router or a switch? A tech with access to Google can set that up.

Be honest about your skillsets and if they're crap, improve them.
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A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -MLK

That's a very good point. Part of why I've been successful at my job, a large part, is because I'm able to communicate very technical concepts in a way that users and management can understand. They may not know every nitty-gritty detail, but at least when I say DHCP, DNS, or IP address, their eyes don't immediately glaze over anymore.
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Cogito Ergo Nom

reply to payscale
If your bills exceed your income then you need to take some drasic action. Most people get too much stuff and their bills eat them alive because they can't manage money. Wants always exceed needs but some people can't table the wants so they lead to excessive bills.

Remember you can make money for a vacation simply by putting some aside one year. If you had bought 5 shares of Apple 3 years ago for $500 you'd have $2,500 today. On a more conservative note if you invested $500 in ICMAX 3 years ago you'd have $775 now. Make your money work for you!
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"Anyway I am going to need to go with, never argue with an idiot as they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience." - matt5

reply to OmenQ
I feel like an enigma really because all the guys in the IT dep. are sort of one dimensional, they don't diversify their knowledge where as I am a well around IT person and resume reflects that. I must say that i am competitive and very passionate IT as a whole, the other IT staff well....ask them why they don't have an iphone (for example)? their answer would be because everyone else has one. Now i don't knock their personal preference but the point is we live in a mobile society and if you have never typed a command, seen darwin or have the desire to experience something you never seen you don't belong in IT. My knowledge consumption has always been continuous and always will be on the other side of that i strongly believe IT professionals like myself should be compensated for well for what we know in addition to what we can do

reply to payscale

reply to payscale

"Jack of all, master of none"?
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Baka wa shinanakya naoranai