4 ms·

The problem is finding another job that pays as well - I'm low on the totem pole but earn 4x the average salary for my expertise.

by xfitm3 7y ago

scarface74 7y ago
What I’m about to say is meant to be positive not negative. Theoretically, what you get paid is based on what it would take to find someone with your expertise and the additional value you bring to the company based on the relationships you built (it’s a lot easier to get something done when you have the relationships) and based on your knowledge about the business. If they are willing to pay you 4x the average salary, they must respect your expertise enough to listen to you. I can’t help but think you are either underestimating the influence you actually have in your company, your market value or both. If the company you are working for doesn’t value your opinion or insights, why would they be paying you 4x your market average?
- xfitm3 7y ago
  > If the company you are working for doesn’t value your opinion or insights, why would they be paying you 4x your market average? I should clarify. My salary is not unique. Everyone who is lucky enough to work there is well paid – unrelated to the stock market. It is privately owned. I have been there for almost a decade and I have some big successes under my belt, but not enough to justify a similar salary at other companies.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Again, this is meant to be a positive. It’s almost impossible for me to believe that you have been at a company for ten years, have established a reputation, have big successes and you are seen as just “a cog”. I still think you are underestimating yourself and how much the company values you - especially a private company. Any company that is willing to pay far above market rates must value their employees, if not, they would have made cost cutting moves a long time ago. Also, just out of curiosity, what skillset do you think you’re lacking after 10 years?
    - xfitm3 7y ago
      Just a discussion - nothing is being taken personally. I'm manic. I can't produce reliably, and that means I can't present reliably. As I observe the industry grow I find communication is more and more the center of the job. Tech skills are table stakes. I need to prepare for big meetings days in advance with opportunity cost, etc.
      - scarface74 7y ago
        Hopefully someone else will chime in with better suggestions, but I do understand. By nature, I have almost no emotional intelligence and it held me back for the first 10 years of my career and so stayed at one company for almost a decade when I left after year 9, I was only making $7K more than year 2. But I wasn’t comfortable leaving because my skillset had atrophied and I knew my interpersonal skills sucked and I would probably be fired from anywhere else. Over the next ten years and five jobs, I had to be very introspective and think about how I could do things differently. It took about seven years for me to get caught up with where I should be. While I have learned how to build relationships and navigate through corporate America, I found at my last job where I was the dev lead, that I still sucked at communicating with non technical and differently technical (IT infrastructure) people and wasn’t great with management. My only suggestion is reading the “48 Laws of Power” and ignore one or two of the less than ethical “laws” and listen to the Manager Tools/Career Tools podcast. They have podcasts that date back to 2005. The easiest way to navigate it is to download the Manager Tools app and go to the “Hall of Fame” section and then go to “Communication”. There are podcasts about “Prewiring a meeting”, the levers of power, and dealing with different personality types (DISC).

The problem is finding another job that pays as well - I'm low on the totem pole but earn 4x the average salary for my expertise.

by xfitm3 7y ago

The problem is finding another job that pays as well - I'm low on the totem pole but earn 4x the average salary for my expertise.

scarface74 7y ago

What I’m about to say is meant to be positive not negative. Theoretically, what you get paid is based on what it would take to find someone with your expertise and the additional value you bring to the company based on the relationships you built (it’s a lot easier to get something done when you have the relationships) and based on your knowledge about the business. If they are willing to pay you 4x the average salary, they must respect your expertise enough to listen to you. I can’t help but think you are either underestimating the influence you actually have in your company, your market value or both. If the company you are working for doesn’t value your opinion or insights, why would they be paying you 4x your market average?

xfitm3 7y ago
> If the company you are working for doesn’t value your opinion or insights, why would they be paying you 4x your market average? I should clarify. My salary is not unique. Everyone who is lucky enough to work there is well paid – unrelated to the stock market. It is privately owned. I have been there for almost a decade and I have some big successes under my belt, but not enough to justify a similar salary at other companies.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Again, this is meant to be a positive. It’s almost impossible for me to believe that you have been at a company for ten years, have established a reputation, have big successes and you are seen as just “a cog”. I still think you are underestimating yourself and how much the company values you - especially a private company. Any company that is willing to pay far above market rates must value their employees, if not, they would have made cost cutting moves a long time ago. Also, just out of curiosity, what skillset do you think you’re lacking after 10 years?
  - xfitm3 7y ago
    Just a discussion - nothing is being taken personally. I'm manic. I can't produce reliably, and that means I can't present reliably. As I observe the industry grow I find communication is more and more the center of the job. Tech skills are table stakes. I need to prepare for big meetings days in advance with opportunity cost, etc.
    - scarface74 7y ago
      Hopefully someone else will chime in with better suggestions, but I do understand. By nature, I have almost no emotional intelligence and it held me back for the first 10 years of my career and so stayed at one company for almost a decade when I left after year 9, I was only making $7K more than year 2. But I wasn’t comfortable leaving because my skillset had atrophied and I knew my interpersonal skills sucked and I would probably be fired from anywhere else. Over the next ten years and five jobs, I had to be very introspective and think about how I could do things differently. It took about seven years for me to get caught up with where I should be. While I have learned how to build relationships and navigate through corporate America, I found at my last job where I was the dev lead, that I still sucked at communicating with non technical and differently technical (IT infrastructure) people and wasn’t great with management. My only suggestion is reading the “48 Laws of Power” and ignore one or two of the less than ethical “laws” and listen to the Manager Tools/Career Tools podcast. They have podcasts that date back to 2005. The easiest way to navigate it is to download the Manager Tools app and go to the “Hall of Fame” section and then go to “Communication”. There are podcasts about “Prewiring a meeting”, the levers of power, and dealing with different personality types (DISC).