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No raise and afraid to ask

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by silvioandpauly 1 view

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So I've been doin the IT thing for many years. It looks like the IT jobs pay ALOT less than they used to.

My company hasn't given a raise in 4 years. So I'm still making above the job postings I see. Do I ask for a raise or keep my trap shut for fear I'll get a pay cut?

What a friggin' nightmare IT has become. I saw a college job posting. The post for a maintenance tech was the same salary as a net admin.

15 replies

by jamesrl

I have plenty of evidence, from a personal perspective, that the market is a lot less than it was.

How well is your company doing though - are other groups getting raises? If the company is cutting back, laying off, restricting travel and no one else is getting raises, I would hesitate to complain.

On the other hand, if things are going well and the company is growing, I'd suggest that if you aren't getting annual raises at the rate of inflation, you are taking a pay cut.

There are lots of markets that pay more. Even with 20 years of IT experience, I make less than many building trades people - thats because of supply and demand. In my area the housing market has been full steam ahead for 10 years, and shows no sign of stopping. New immigrants can get an entry job and after three years, make pretty decent money.

But I have enjoyed what I do, and I know that I used to make a great living - I am greateful that I had the good times. And that I didn't over-extend myself.

James

by dc_guy

I know many people who are not getting raises, and are happy merely to have a job at all. IT is not what it used to be. It's going offshore now that it's a mature industry.

America is a great place for innovation and creativity. But when a technology gets to a point that what matters most is quality, economy, and tiny incremental improvements, it's time for it to go to countries that naturally turn out that kind of work.

There are probably a lot of people out there who can do your job and really need the work. If you believe you deserve a raise, you're going to have to demonstrate to your management that you are doing the job better than those other people could, and that you are making or saving money for the company.

by silvioandpauly

The other half of it, is the department was downsized twice, so I get to do almost everything now.

Like I said, the pay's still good so I'm not really complaining. I'm putting as much as I can away for now...........

by house

I don't know about your work setting. The IT industry seems to be geared towards contract work nowadays. Don't spend too much time in one place. Expand your skills and float around for a bit.

If your company refuses to give give you a raise, go somewhere else. They will soon find out how valuable you really are when they hire book smart students who can't make the connection between their knowledge and the real world.

The most important thing is that you enjoy going to work. Sounds like a hostile environment to me. I've been lucky in that the jobs I've had were always in a very laid back setting. If you cannot say hello and joke around with the senior executives...get out of there.

by fmalgapo

I am in the same boat as the original poster. My company's profits depend solely on sales. I took this job to get away from contract work / consultancies as they were not stable. Then I come to find that I am handling a lot more responsibilities that I signed up for. My job title once I began is even different that what I thought it was going to be and I had to adapt to these conditions. Well in 6mo, I saved this company $30,000.00, made lots of changes, improved hardware/software. Now I come to find that the newly hired Warehouse manager is making more than me. Hell, we have consultants that come in part-time to as needed making MUCH more than me. I too am nervous of asking for an increase as either I may not get it or may kill what job security I already have.

by jamesrl

Depend on sales.

Companies depends on sales - of products or services or both.

You don't tell me what kind of role you are in and what your responsibilities are. Perhaps the Warehouse guy has more staff or other responsibilities you aren't aware of - or maybe he was a better negotiator.

Don't focus on what someone else makes, focus on what value you bring to the company. Keep working both at providing value, and making sure someone appreciates the value you are bringing.

James

by house

...are working the same "contract" hell that you left behind. We gotta choose the lesser of the two evils and stay in tune with the game.

I think that IT and freelance business skills go hand in hand. Although I wouldn't mind finding a 9-5 stable and organized position (might be peaceful).

Warehouse manager??? I know what you mean about seeing basic "slack" position salaries compared to yours. Even my co-worker said to me "You've gotta understand...you can't do what they do and they can't do what you do...they're worth every penny!" I still want to slap some sense into him. Perhaps I should climb the ranks until I don't even have to show up or do anything at all for that matter. I can talk to people, keep secrets, play politics, and eat for free just as well as anyone else.

by packet spoofer

need to be sacrificed for some tactical career shifting....The so called "security" that you have at that company will: A. grind your career to a halt...and b. Continually reduce in financial value as the cost of living increases.
I have recently been in your position, and as you have been doing, stayed put for "job security" reasons. I was forced into the job market due to the company going under...
This forced me to contract. The uncertainty of contracting can be a great motivator to network in the industry with peers, and update your skills. The experience can also give you an income and time to "Select" a job rather than just taking the first one that comes along because you are desperate....It is scary though, but so is staying put in a dead end job that is going nowhere and doing nothing about it...
Good Luck!

by fmalgapo

My official job title: Dir. of IT
I am also the sole IT person of this company (only 1 or 2 people have basic real compute rskills out of the remaining 50 employees)
When I took the job, it was advertised as PC Technician / sole IT person of the office. I come to find out, we have 5 other locations, and I have been to all but one, which will be in 2 weeks. My responsibilities include, managing all IT functions of the company: maintaining the WAN, interfacing with Vendors, desktop issues, server issues and maintenance and IT budget accounting. I will soon be provisioning a large upgrade modernizing 2-3 branch offices with DSL access from dial-up. I will also soon be handling/updating our company website which is primarily done through Cold Fusion / SQL / .net which I have no experience in but company will pay for my training and all necessary equipment. I will soon be swamped. If i were to leave right now, this company will be in the dark as no one else has access to server/host/firewall/router PWD's. I will soon be proving my worth to my manager who is also the Controller of the company. Anyone with tips on how I can convince them to get an increase. Oh yea, here comes the salary part. I make $35k/yr, my own office/laptop/bberry, free business travel all expenses paid, occasional use of company car, and lots of financial responsibility as my management trusts me. The only thing that hurts is the pay as I see it? Now what do you guys think? I used to make $40k/yr as a Level 1 tech support at a Fortune 500 company but got treated like dirt. But as I see it, my job title commands a high salary as I see similar responsibilities posted on other job sites asking double my salary.

by jamesrl

Don't think of business travel as compensation - its what you need to do your job. Likewise the equipment, use of car etc.

And don't think about your title. In most organizations, Directors are people that Managers report to. My director has about 40 staff in the hierarchy of levels that report to her.

Don't think about what shape the company would be in if you left - that sounds like blackmail.

You accepted the job description at the salary that was offered. Where you have leverage is in the additional items that have been added to your plate. If you take on the web page and it wasn't in your job description, then you have taken on additional responsibility, and if it is as valuable and well done as you hope, you should feel some justification in asking for more money.

Regarding what you see on the web, don't forget that different regions pay different salaries. I could make twice as much in New York City, but I still wouldn't be able to afford a home there. There are also substantial differences based on benefits.

James

by house

I think that your position is a model of the perfect IT job. I love reading and education myself in the various fields within our industry.

To have a company pay for my formal training and offer me the opportunity to expand my skills would be a dream come true. Too many IT jobs are departmental and involve assembly line style tasks.

Skill development and satisfaction beat the crap out of salary. Hell, I might even work there for free.

by lumbergh77

I am in the EXACT same position. I used to work for a big company for 40K/year and was treated like dirt. The company I work for now has about 50 employees. There are a couple others who are somewhat knowledgable about computers, but I am the main IT person. I take care of the network, routers, databases, website work, and have written some console apps. I'm making the same salary you are, but the benefits aren't as good. I have health insurance and only one week vacation (with no sick days) and I don't have an office. I'm sitting out in the production environment which is noisy and full of distractions. But management treats their employees with respect and it's fairly close to homem so I can't complain too much. There's no such thing as a perfect job.

by joe_sunga

That is a load of bs that the job posting for maintenace tech and net admin is the same salary, well what happened to the good old days?

by silvioandpauly

I couldn't believe it myself. Also saw a job for IT coordinator at the local school district. Was paying about 40K - they want someone with 2000 server and A/D knowledge, PC's, network (routers, etc.)

PS - The superintendant of the district makes 155,000.

by mikel~t

I would quit working for any company that didn't give at a minimum a 3-4% annual cost of living increase.

And 4 years is a pretty good commitment to any company as an IT worker.

If you are happy where you are at, and if you are making enough money to get buy, you really don't have much to complain about. I've seen plenty of qualified individuals making very little money, but had to shut up and deal with it because it was the only job in the area they could get. The job market is terrible for IT in my area...so much so that most people leave the area just to get a job worth having.

If you like where you work, talk to your supervisor...negotiate a fair annual raise...keep doing the same good job you have been for the last 4 years....

Mike

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