Am I underpaid

You are not paid by your GPA, your certs or the size of your family, or the size of your debtload.

You are paid by what tasks you do for the company. Now some companies do pay more for certs, mine does not. But we pay people according to ther job description, and we have people whose job it is to catagorize a job description by pay band.

I can't tell you whether 40K is good for your market or not - you should do some research on that - your location, current employment rate all factor into your pay.

The relevant question is, are you being paid a fair wage for the job you do?

A 4 % raise by the way would be only given to well above average performers in my company.

You very well may be unappreciated and underpaid at your current job. You can try to get that at your current employer, but you may have better success jumping ship to a company that pays better.

But you may also find that the grass isn't always greener. Some places that pay well have higher turnover and more stress. Ask yourself if you like your job, your boss, and your work environment, because many people do not.

James

now i'm saying this in a "friendly" type of way ok..

but where do you get off making the assumtpion that only an a** would turn down money?

What are you aiming to provide for your family? I mean your personal finance is your own business..but your the one who posted the details..so do you go for quality over quantity?
Do you need 2 cars?

Two weeks before christmas i turned down a position that would have paid me over 9K a year more than i make now. Why you ask?
Because i believe in quality of life. The extra stress would not have made my life any better. So i would have a bit more money to buy "things" with..chances are that money would have been spent on prepackeaged meals (because by the time i get home i'd have been in no mood to cook), and presents for my hubbby and daughter because i'd be trying to make up for being cranky and b1tchy all the time.

Its a personal choice mate..i enjoy quality of life..a nice glass of red wine with my meal after a good days work..but you know what..when times are a bit tough, its strawberry kool-aid (thanks to my mom who mails it to me) instead.

Don't get me wrong, I've worked myself up from a wee canadian farm girl who didn't finish school, to a DBA. I know what its like to go without..and i've drank a lot more Tang in my life than i'd like to admit, ah the good old days of having $10 left a week before payday..what to buy, food for child, gas or smokes?
I quit smoking for 5 days, walked everywhere and bought fruit and vegetables for my child.

3 years is not a whole lot of experience..your not playing with the big boys yet.. sure you may do the work they do, but thats not how it works a lot of the time. the big boys get 80K a year because they also doing the job of the people over top of them and they feel they should be making 100K a year.
Maybe get a new job..maybe try and get a raise..4% is about standard for a good employee around here. Don't expect to walk into a job making 80K ..maybe in a couple years, but not right now.

Curious, did you get into IT for the money or because you liked it?

I'm such a geek....i rarely admit it, but i LIKE databases..i want to be a SQL Programmer when i grow up..i work on this stuff at home for the fun of it..

I obviously want to make the most money i can, however, not at the sacrifice of my life and family

My husband got greedy. Wanted to have more money so changed jobs. More stress.

Alienated family.

Alienated daughter.

Didn't have time to spend the "extra" money he earned.

Alienated me.

Had nervous breakdown.

Spent 10 weeks constantly at my heels whilst recovering, after 2 years of hardly being around.

Totally changed in personality, outlook and everything else.

Alienated me.

Took three years to get him into full recovery; three years later, I left.

Now my EX husband.

All through stress.

Don't go there.

GG

I have worked in some very stressful 60 hour a week jobs. A few years back I was working a job that required me to travel a great deal. I was laid off, and I took the chance to reconnect with my kids. I spent time with them, went with them on school trips, took them places.

When job hunting, I looked for opportunities to find a job that would be closer to 40 hours a week. Guess what, it pays less.

And my wife and kids know it, and they wouldn't have it any other way. They would rather have more time with me than more money. Thats why I stay even though I could make more money by going.

So call me a self absorbed a** if you like. My family needs me to be there. Money isn't everything, and people tend to overspend no matter what their level of income.

James

although you may be heartened to know that I recently was told my salary requirement was too high and when I asked for clarification they said 'we want to pay what you NEED to make, not what you think you should make.'
in the states, you can sue for that.
ah well. i just keep looking. i think it is fun and i am becoming more professional (well, in my job interviews anyhow)
anyway, the question you need to ask is:
How can I make more money?
that puts the responsibility on you, see, where it belongs, imho. you are attempting to make it your current companies 'fault' imho. an interesting approach to advancement, imho.
If you want/need to make more, specialize.
Learn java, mysql, php, database administration or security.
those all will fetch you more in the 60-80k range. good luck.

.....then yes. If not, then no.

You're making $41,600 per year, plus vacation time, plus medical coverage, plus paid holidays off (I'm assuming, of course, but you should be able to adjust accordingly).

$41,600 divided by 2080 (working hours in a year) equals $20 per hour. If you get 80 hours of free vacation time, that's worth $1,600. If you get five paid holidays off (and it might be more -- federal employees get something in the ten day range), that's worth another $800. If your medical costs your company $300 per month, that's worth another $3,600. Oh, and let's not forget the 7.5 percent of your Social Security that your company pays on your behalf, so that's worth another $3,120.

$41,600 + $1,600 + $800 + $3,600 + $3,120 = $50,720 that your company pays for your services.

Where am I going with this, you might ask? Well, your worth is commensurate with what you can provide for another. If you feel that you're worth more than $50,720 (which is just under $25 per hour), than market yourself. If you branch-out on your own, you'd have to make at least $50,720 to equal what your company is paying you. If you market yourself to other companies, and you want to join their payroll, you have to show that you can provide more than $50,720 worth of value to them.

You can DOUBLE your salary, if you can sell your time (at least 2080 hours of it) for $50 per hour. That?s how you should look at it. Market yourself and sell your time. Entrepreneurs do it totally on their own, while employees rely on the safety net of a company. The former have no restraints, while the latter do.

Regardless of which you do, it?s YOUR TIME; it belongs to you. The question is how much value you place on your own time and how you choose to sell it. Would you sell YOUR TIME to another person for 10 cents an hour? Of course not. Would you sell it for $1,000 an hour? Most likely, you would. Of course, no one is obliged to buy it, so it?s an effort in finding the common ground between the available supply (of whatever it is you?re selling) and the demand for your ?product?. If you want to sell a year?s worth of your time to one company (with almost automatic extensions), it might only be worth $50,720 to them. If they were to buy the same product, but only three months of it, it might be worth $20,000 to them. Do that with four companies, and you just increased your income to $80,000 (but you lose your ?safety net? and you have to work differently).

The question you should be asking yourself is what your value is. Your challenge is to sell that to potential buyers. Employers are buyers, while employees are sellers. If you can prove to your company that your value to them is more than $50,720, and/or your value on the open market is more than $50,720, and/or they can?t find the same amount of value by paying another person the same amount of dollars, then you WILL make more. If your ?value? is not worth more than that, then you must be content to limit your income to that OR you need to find ways to increase your value -- and learn how to market that value, either to your employer or to others.

(Hint: It has NOTHING to do with certifications.)

1) Your experience level is pretty short (only 3 years).

2) You only have an AS CS.

3) 4% is a pretty healthy raise. If you are making 2% raises you are doing something wrong and if it is 3% you are like most Americans.

4) Finish your certs and education. That BS will open more doors for you and in some cases count as experience.

The bottom line is that your job doesn't care how many kids, cars, or mortgages you have. If you feel like you are worth more negotiate with your job or move on. Lose a car, sell you house and move to a smaller one, put smaller amounts into your 401k or do whatever you need to to live better.

Let me give you some advice though, moving into another job might not be the answer. Money isn't the only thing (as others have pointed out) and you need to take into account the behavioral decisions you could make. Do you have a good boss? Can you move ahead in your company? Do you have good hours? How much over time have you had to put in and do you get comp time for it? If your wife has a job, do your hours match (eg both work 9-5) and do you like that? Are your kids in school and do you like the area? These go on and on...

You need to ask yourself a lot of questions before you go off half cocked.

I am the only IT in this company other then the developers, who honestly think they know alot, but sure do screw up a lot of stuff. I have interns come from local colleges and high schools when I have big projects and need someone to scan logs and reset passwords so that is far as my managing people goes in this job. I do however make decisions that a Systems Administrator, by job description on most sites, should not be doing. They shouldn't make decisions as to what ISP to go with, what phone system to have put in, training users, writing policies, and othe high level decisions. I sit in a room of Mangers and VPs once or twice a month and plan on the what route the company should go with technology. I jsut think I am not getting paid for the work I do.

A lot of people seem to think I am greedy which is not true. I just want for my family the things I never had.

My plan is to get Certs (because most compamies around here will not accept your resume without them), find another job closer to home hopefully ( drive 80 miles a day right now), ask my current employer if they would like to match the offer (I do like it here), and go from there with a new plan for the future as far as compensation goes.

And from my first post, I just listed kids and bills so people wouldn't think I just wanted more money because I was a greedy 20 year old who just got out of college, I actually need the money to maintain my families current investments.

I am comparing job description for IT Manager to my current responsibilities and aside from having people under me, I do the rest. My duties are way over a Systems Administrator. I guess I am a Systems Manager or an IT Administrator. A big part of an IT Manager is also the big decisions, like policies, service, vendors, etc..., that do not go with System Administration. I feel that once you start making business decisions you are more than a Systems Administrator.

I would however like to pay for my children to go to college. I had to pay my own way and I don't think my kids should have to do the same. I don't think I will be able to pay for it up front, but will not have to take out such a large loan. I also plan to pay for my daughters' weddings. That is not living in a dream world, it is doing what most upper middle class and above families do.

And I never said I should get paid for my financial situation either. I just believe I should be paid for the job I do. I ma not asking to make the minimum amount that an IT Manager makes in my area, but I would like to make more than the minimum for a Systemm Administrator.

I don't think it is being an a$$ to accept less money either if you are not taking away from your family. If you find a job with less money, less responsibility, but still enough for you to maintain your lifestyle and family the way you feel is the best for them, then by all means take it. But if you feel that you are not providing enough for your family and were offered a job making more money, you would take it. I can always find time for my kids working multiple jobs while going to school, working 80 hour weeks, traveling, or whatever. I have always done it and always will. Just because some of these other people here say they couldn't do it, doesn't mean I should lower my standards to theirs.

I will find another job after I get my Certs that employers love so much around here and give my current company a chance to counter. I do appreciate others opinions, but do not appreciate their attempt to make others think there way is wrong. If you want to live a modest life and have your kids pay for their own first car, college, weddings, etc... good for you. I choose to give every opportunity to my kids that I can so they don't start off on a bad path like I did.

As you probably know (since we've conversed so much), I have a teenage son for whom I pay to attend a very fine private high school. It sets me back about 10k a year -- a significant "after tax" and "after 401k" portion of my income.

He has his sights set on attending one of several universities, all of which carry a hefty price tag, anywhere from 2x to 4x what I'm currently paying for his high school (and that doesn't include room and board and extracurricular activities). We've discussed how his college will be paid for (and by whom), and he knows that my "deal" is that I'll continue to pay the 10k a year, but he has to pay the rest. I told him that I'd pay it for up to six years if he wants to stretch out the college so his grades won't suffer by him having to work at the same time. I've also said that the funds will be cut-off if his GPA drops below a 3.0.

I'm amazed at the ideas he comes up with as a way to make it happen. (The six year idea was actually his, when he suggested a scenario in which he could hold down a ~40 hour a week job and still take a two-thirds class load.) He also wants to do it without having to take-on any significant student loans. He has some scholarship possibilities, which keeps him somewhat diligent in high school, but none are a slam-dunk by any means.

Where's the rule that says parents must "save" for their kids' college? Actually, if you were to ask most financial experts, they'd say to reduce your own debt and save for your own retirement first. Saving for kids? college should be last.

One thing that is absolutely true is this. If there?s a will, there?s a way. And I?ve never met an able-bodied, reasonably smart teenager who couldn?t work his or her way through any college of choice if the will was really there. Moreover, who might get more out of the college experience ? the one who goes to school (and parties?) on mom and dad?s dime, or the one who has to work his/her butt off to get through?

I need to sell myself to employers, but you went on so long about this amount for this many hours and this amount for this, I couldn't help but think you were also talking about contracting as an idea as well. There is a lot of it out there.

I took this job without putting much thought into it for two reasons:
1. I could get good solid experience with a variety of platforms.
2. It was System administration and not Help Desk.

I feel like I was lied to and taken advantage of because I had a solid education with many high reccomendations from internships and consultants that I had worked with. I was told I would be the System Administrator which involoved maintaining the Windows servers and desktops. Now I do security, UNIX, Linux, maintain Oracle and mySQL, manage Web page, provide business decisions as far as vendor selection, service providers, wirte policies, created Disaster Recovery plan, and I am sure there is more. I provided pay scales for different jobs in my area and a list of duties. I asked for opinions on if 60K was what I should make. 60K was under minimum for IT Management and above System Administration. I just wanted opinions on if that sounded about right.

Somehow everyone decided I needed a good talking to and have since preceeded to post things that either have nothing to do with the question, say they can't tell since they don't have information I provided after the first person asked, told me I expect too much out of life, want to do too much for my family, should make my kids life as hard as mine was when I have the ability to make it better, sell my house and cars and cram my family into a smaller house and walk 40 miles to work, and lots of other crap.

As for the thing about my wife spending the money, that was a JOKE. I have managed to save money over the years even when I worked for myself. As I stated in my first post, I am almost out of savings. I took a pay cut going into this industry. Not my fault, got hurt, couldn't do old job, had to find other work. This job should pay more, not less, than I was making.

I qualified for some grants and some loans. The amount loaned was based on a presumption my parents would kick in a certain percent. Instead of thousands of dollars they gave me hundreds. But I didn't begrudge them at all. Instead, I worked hard during my summers and I worked part time through the year and I made it through. Yes my diet was always great and yes I didn't spend a lot on beer and pizza.

I will provide some money for my kids, but I can't pay the full ride. They know that even though they are many years from college.

I don't think it is realistic to think every generation will have "substantially" more than the previous one. And I don't measure myself solely on my income. I'd rather have people judge me on what kind of kids I and my wife have raised.

My wife could have worked when my kids were toddlers, and we could have had a nicer house as a result. We chose to have her take care of our kids. We don't judge people who make the other choice.

I will make sure my kids have a good chance at a good life. I improved my life from that of my parents by working hard and I learned and grew because of it. I would hope that if what they want is to have something like my life, they earn it, if they want something more, they earn it.

I read an interesting book about big business and families. Very few kids inherit the family business and have as much success as their entrepreneurial parents. Many of them screw it up and lose everything. There is a lesson there somewhere.

James

Lets weigh this up, you have:
1) Two houses.?
2) Two cars
3) A good job
4) Food on the table.
And you are saying you want more?.
I will say this to you, you are lucky.
Out in the real world you be lucky to earn 10k let alone 40k+ 4%.
Be thankful for what you have done to achieve where you are today instead of complaining.

You might want to look at some of the state schools as well. It depends on what he wants to major in, but schools like UC Davis and UC Berkeley are pretty reasonable (for in state).

I should also plug my alma mater, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. If he wants to be a geologist, computer scientist, or EE, that's the place to go. It's inexpensive and the curriculum keeps pace with the "name brand" schools.

Just to let you know, I pwninated a dude from Columbia that was some super excellent happy fun grad student. So, name doesn't always mean a good education.

A) What is the median salary
B) What is the average salary
C) What is the median housing cost
D) What is the average housing cost
E) What is the cost of utilities
F) What is the cost of fuel
G) What is the average household food cost
H) What is the median household food cost

So on and so forth.

I have read the entire thread as it currently stands- 30 something posts.

What I am hearing...

I think that you are frustrated because you chose this line of work after doing something more lucrative for the lion's share of your career. It happens sometimes.

I will say that I did not appreciate the "oh poor me" tone in your statement that you had been injured on the job, thus leading you to this career decision. Guess what? You aren't alone. I have a good friend that darned near lost a hand in his well paying job. Re-training isn't much of a possibility for him because of this disABILITY. He forges on regardless and doesn't have pity parties. I personally had to battle cancer, a declining job market, and identity theft in the same week. Guess what? Sometimes life sucks.

Should you be paid more for what you do? Very different question and will beg different answers. I get the sense that you are in a very unique position with the company that currently employs you. You are given responsibility beyond what a 3 year grad (with an AS!!!) would normally be given. You are obviously a trusted member of an (albeit) small team.

Why not stay in place for another couple of years and recognise that you will need to deal with the hand you have. Gain knowledge and experience. Then check out what else is available?

With managerial level experience, you will show up candidates that have more length of experience. You will be able to seek higher level roles that ARE more lucrative.

Why not consider that you have a unique opportunity and seek to make the most of it?

I can't knock all name brand schools....It REALLY depends on the major and if your kid wants to go to a certain grad school (or grad school at all).

Notre Dame sounds pretty cool, esp if he gets into CS and wants to get into distributed computing (they have some bitchen research happening)

if you like stress then fair enough..however, does not mean you are being challenged.
stress is being micromanaged, having a boss that knows nothing about IT, having unrealistic deadlines, working all hours to get your work done, etc etc and it eventually does you in. My last job i was medication for high blood pressure off and on for 2 years..wierd thing, a month after i left it, they took me off the pills and I've not had a problem since.
Yes kids are stressful, and so are wives..god knows i pity my husband cause i'm a right b1tch somedays..but thats different stress than work stress..at the end of the day you can relax with your family and watch tv, play a game or have a nice meal..
at the end of a day at a stressful job all yer good for is going home and wanting to zone out which in turn adds more stress to your family life..

[i]I choose to give every opportunity to my kids[/i]

Exactly. That's your choice, not someone else's obligation. And it doesn't change your options: Live with what you have, ask for more, or go somewhere else.

I am very passionate about my family. I know how much I can work and how much stress I can take. I have been dealing with that for a long time. Just because I just got out of school, doesn't mean I am not experienced in workplace stress and managing family and work. I am 30 and have been working for 12 years with a family.

You did give me some information I didn't think to ask for though. Is it common in this industry to do more work than originally outlined in a job and not get paid for it? You do a lot of different things, as fo I in my job. Did you know that going into your job, and if so, do you feel that you are being paid enough for doing the work?

Would you be disappointed in your job if you found out that someone in another company was doing the same job or less, in the same area, same title, same size company, but was making 30K more?

Larger corporations like mine like to have job descriptions for every job, so that they can catagorize a job. Wee evn have questionaires that explore things like decision making responsibilities, levels of supervision, budget reposibilities, technical skillsets etc.

But every job I've ever done in IT in the last 22 years has included things that were not in the job description. If you do them, and you do them well, and they become a permanent part of the job, they are fuel for you asking for more money or a promotion.

At my current job, after a reorganization I am in a new group and my responsibilities greatly increased. A year after that, I got a promotion. I didn't have to ask for it, or even hint at it.

You may have been doing three years of part time IT work, but you have been a full time employee for a year. Thats not a lot of time. You can't expect to be paid what someone with 3 or more years of experience in the same role is paid.

I'm not suggesting that your pay is or is not fair, you have to do your homework on that, by check the ads and salary sites.

But I would suggest that there is a "relationship" between employee and employer, and this one is broken. You said in another post you felt they lied to you. I would suggest its easier to find another employer than to "repair" this relationship.

I know I've been there.

And yes, I have taken a job for less money that I was currently making at one point in the past. I did it to get my foot in the door at a large corporation, where I could learn alot more than working with the small mom and pop businesses I was consulting with. And in the end it paid off, financially and otherwise, but it took years to climb the ladder.

I really think you should just focus on the job hunt. You have had a good position in other ways, you have learned alot of different technologies and had lots of responsibilities that improve your employability. Just look forward, not behind.

James

Lemme start here...at TR it's all about tough love. We're here to help you, but you gotta want to be helped. You've been pretty defensive and most of the replies have been the voice of experience (we've all been there).

"I am very passionate about my family. I know how much I can work and how much stress I can take. I have been dealing with that for a long time. Just because I just got out of school, doesn't mean I am not experienced in workplace stress and managing family and work. I am 30 and have been working for 12 years with a family."

So is Joe Smith. Jobs don't care about this.

"You did give me some information I didn't think to ask for though. Is it common in this industry to do more work than originally outlined in a job and not get paid for it?"

You never served in the military did you? By the needs of the government comes up a lot...in the private sector it's by the needs of the company...so yes, you typically get a lot more on your plate than your original job description.

Typically your job description is a short list of duties. You'll gain more as your bosses find out about your strengths and weaknesses.

"You do a lot of different things, as fo I in my job. Did you know that going into your job, and if so, do you feel that you are being paid enough for doing the work?"

Money is only part of a job. By being so focused on money, you're losing the big picture.

"Would you be disappointed in your job if you found out that someone in another company was doing the same job or less, in the same area, same title, same size company, but was making 30K more?"

No. The intangibles might not be worth 30k. Does their boss suck? Do they work 24/7? Are they on call 24/7? Will they go to jail if they are audited and something comes up missing?

Don't gauge YOU off others, gauge you off you.

that was the first straight answer I have received. Maybe they will give me a raise for taking on the added responsibility after a while, but how long should I wait.

And I have been doing IT for 3 years full time, not part time.

We have been telling you. You don't seem to want to hear it.

It is more than common practise to have extra duties piled on to your job, thats been life at every job I've worked at for 22 years. If you do them well, you earn promotion. If you do them well for a couple of years and master them, and don't get promoted or get decent raises, leave.

When you signed on, you were given a job offer and you accepted - its a contract. If they add to the scope of the contract, you can ask for more money. Have you done that?

What steps have you taken?

Have you done what I and others have suggested and looked at other similar jobs just to see what their salaries are? Have you tried talking to a recruiter?

You have been given lots of advice by people who have been in this business a long time. Listen to it.

James

You just aren't listening to it. You are are going against everyone, who has been in the exact same position, and act like you are 100% unique and that poor you needs more.

We've told you what you need to do, but you keep saying we don't know what we are talking about....

So, don't take our advice, make the same mistakes we made and then, in a few years, post here again and tell us that we didn't give you good advice.

*edit for spelling

Tony,

I know it is my responsibility to provide for my family and not someone elses. I never said it was. It is also nobodies business but my own. But it is their responsibility to provide compensation for the work I provide. You apparently have not paid attention and should just not post.

James,

I think it was Shellbot that said she was going to pay 10K a year to her kids college. I think that is a great idea and I will be discussing that with my wife as a possible solutions. I plan on my children getting jobs when they can and working through high school and college. I do not plan on spoiling them. I had nothing, they deserve something, but they need to work for it. That has been my plan all along, but I have got to figure out the best way of doing it. I will not leave it entirely up to my children to pay their own way 100% though. I feel like I should provide assistance while still maintaing a work ethic for them.

And as for Post 29 earlier, I have done all of those things as stated in posts all over this thread. How long should I wait on them before renegotiating. I feel like I should let them have the chance to realize I am doing work that they stated I would not be doing. I don't want to approach them too soon and not without a job to compare with though.

Reading through this post and the various rants I think there are some things we know.

You make 40k
You do more than you signed on for
Estimate for job duties is around 65k
you work for a small family owned company
You are working on certifications

You are the only one here that can say if you are underpaid, from the things you have said, it sounds like you think you are.

So now you have three choices.
1) get a new gig
2) Ask for more money
3) maintain status quo.

My advice is chase option 1. Don't bother waiting for certs, jobs that you may get now won't be there when you finish your certs and there is no harm in looking. this will either prove your belief that you are worth more than you are getting now or disprove it.

I don't think option 2 is very viable. A 15k bump would be a very hard swallow for most companies let a lone a small family owned one. And then how long will it be before you see another dime. If you get the bump today, now way you get 4% next raise period.

Option 3 doesn't advance anything, and you can do that while chasing option 1.

Make sure to go in with all your ducks in a row and make sure you've got the research to back you up.

Go in with hard data from reputable sources (DoL is a good place to start) and tell what it means.

people who talk down to me because they think they know what is best for my personal life, those who insist upon telling me that my family will suffer (that is my decision and not the question I asked), those who refuse to discuss the actual topic, those who make one post criticizing me and don't read the response, those who just don't read in general and assume (there is a lot of that on posts all over the place), And those who act like I do not understand working and family (then when I point out reasons that I do understand and examples of my experiences, they question why I am talking about my personal life).

In the cases where I have attitude, I have a right to do so since it is usually after repeated attempts to get someone to either talk about the topic or stay out of it. Generally when you have to repeat the same thing over and over again, you get annoyed. Some people on here are like talking t my kids. I have accepted the advice of many people here when it was on topic and hope that I have shown that I did not mean any disrespect, but wanted to talk about a certain topic to those who actually gave advice that pertained to the subject.

Really only you, James, and Shellbot have given advice that had something to do with the subject and I thanked you for it and tried to explain my frustration with previous posts. I can't do anymore than that.

It isn't attitude, it is being frustrated that nobody would talk about the topic at first. If you were to post that the sky was blue and everyone wanted to respond that grass is green, that would bother you too I am sure.

I have a degree in Network Administration including Cisco, Microsoft, Novell, and A+ courses. My GPA is similar to yours, inducted into Phi Theta Kappa blah blah blah.

I would LOVE to have your position considering so far all I have been able to get is a part time position in a Sheriffs Office taking care of all the laptops, desktops, printers, server admin. Yea I feel I should have a better job or at least better pay but you know what, nothing beats experience. What I have learned and will learn in my current position will translate to a better job eventually. Yes the degree looks nice on the wall but what employers want is experience, proven real world experience. The canned labs in college very rarely have anything unusual to have to figure out unlike real world issues.

The money your making is right in line for your experience if not even a bit on the high side, the fact that you have 2 mortgages, 2 car payments, 3 kids and a wife have absolutely no bearing on what your worth to an employer. I wont even get into a rant as to why you have 2 car payments AND 2 house payments, thats for a different thread.

I got an offer for 60K. They said even though I only have a few years experience, the experience i have is better than some who have been in the field for 10 years. Thanks to all the different experience I was getting at my job with different platforms and systems, I got a better paying job. I let my company counter, offered me 50K plus mileage for driving so far and continued 4% raise every year. I took their offer because I know the company and the job. Getting into the game so late, I need to stay somewhere instead of jumping from job to job.

On top of that, both my cars are now paid off, as well as my second mortgage so it feels like an even bigger raise.