IT Employment

Common? - Yes!

It can depend on your industry. Look at a college campus. The highest paid employees are usually the coaches. In some cases they may have three levels on management above them, that get paid less.

Or if you manage a team of experts, it is entirely possible that some of them may get paid more, because of their expertise.

...is being paid normal wages and you are being underpaid with everyone else. The other possibility is he has a specialization such as CCIE. Quite possibly the employee is a crab transitioning through the company. For those of you that don't know, a crab is someone who has been promoted to their level of incompetency and is being shifted sideways in the company; can't be promoted higher and won't be demoted. Forever being moved from department to department until they die or quits. Usually found in government departments.

where I got paid more than the guy managing me. It was quite simple my skill set had a higher market value.

What does what someone else is getting paid have to do with you or the job you do? Did you feel underpaid before you saw someone else was making more?

There are many reasons this person would/should make more than you.

Education/training/experience

If you excel in all these over the person, then you have a valid complaint. Otherwise this is just being petty.

My mother works in IT and has years and years and years of exp and a masters. Yes, she makes more than her boss does.

Get over it and do your job and worry about yourself.

Compensation has less to do with corporate hierarchy than you might think.

Just because you're higher on the organizational food chain than someone else, whether than person is a member of your staff or someone else's, is no reason for your comp to be higher than theirs. There are all kinds of factors that come into play.

For example...I have a staffer who's been with the organization for many years. Good person, does a good job. Gets his raises every year. I recently hired someone with a lot less experience, but with some key skills. Had to make an offer that pays the new guy more than the old guy. So it goes.

This phenomenon is pretty typical in sales organizations also. The sales guys, who are on commission, make more than the managers (at least, the good ones do). It's nothing to get upset about.

I can say its very rare but it definetly happens..Particularly MNCS which span across the globe..with the currency conversion when there is some movement it might happen...But i rather took it in a different way...instead of worryin about the check he is taking home i will make myself more competetive so my management will compensate me better..

With that attitude, you better be careful about getting fired. It is an ignorant, and annoying attitude to have, and one that usually results in a firing, to think that you are suppose to always get more because you are the manager or supervisor, or director, etc.
Grow up.