not making enough and i feel behind career-wise

[jobaba]

Originally Posted by elysium78

I'm 35 years old and have always lived in Boston. I currently make 51k. Not too long ago I had a job where i was making 42k and I managed. Reading other people's salaries I'm wondering if I'm just settling for less than I'm worth at this point. I work at a higher ed/non profit company and I'm in a customer support type role. I have a masters degree. I guess I went into the wrong field? I'd like to make more but once you accept a salary unless you get a big promotion within the company it's tough to get much more than a 5% raise. I once worked at a company for 6 years where i felt i put in a strong effort in trying to get ahead, trying to get promotions, but it didnt happen easily and then I got laid off. I went back to a customer support role because I feel like that's what I'm good at. I dont know where else i can go from here and I guess it's scary. I'm like ok am i going to have a salary in the 50k range for the rest of my life?? I went back and got a masters thinking it would help me...really hasn't.

I like my job, but i feel like i'm making less than i should be. It's discouraging, but getting a job these days seems so difficult. Interviewing is exhausting. I guess I'm just venting. It's just irritating seeing 22 year olds fresh out of college complaining about a salary of 55k. They dont know how lucky they are!

Just reading your details, I do think you are slightly underpaid, but I don't know all of the specifics. You also have to remember, we're still in a recession.

Almost everyone thinks they are underpaid. Here's the real way to find out if you are underpaid. If you have around 10 years of experience, go to Glassdoor and look up your job title. You should be making the median of what your job title is. If you make a little more or less, you're right there. If you make a lot more, you're lucky or have specialized training or elite degrees. If you make a lot less, might be time for a job change.

Let's say you're an accountant. And you are whining because JoeBlow99 from CD forums says he makes 99K a year but feels underpaid and underappreciated. What? You make 45K and have a Masters in Accountancy and 10 years of experience too! Well, the truth is, you are getting paid market rate and are right there...

Accountant Salary | Glassdoor

As far as your degree, it indicates you are slightly underpaid. You are right, they don't pay you for degrees, but people with certain degrees are likely to fall into certain roles.

Master of Arts (MA), Communication Degree Salary, Average Salaries | PayScale

I'll give you 10 years of working experience, which means you may primed for a jump in the next several years. But the more accurate figure to me is the Glassdoor, especially with your degree, because people with a MA Communications go into so many different fields.

[houstan-dan]

So how many jobs have you applied to in the last 5 years?

Wanna to find out if youre underpaid? Go apply for 50 jobs and see what offers, if any, you get..

My last boss typically makes 1000/1200 day for his day rate when people ask what he is looking for salary wise.

A LOT of people tell him "no way." You know what he tells me? "I dont care if I place myself out of 99% of jobs, I only need that 1%"

He typically stays very busy.

Personally, I'm one of those 25 year olds that irritates you. Ill make around 140k this year and made 110k last year.

I had been doing contract work the last year and a half and just got a full time salary job that is very very good.

My last project I knew I was getting laid off about 2 weeks prioe. I had about 90% free time at work to apply for jobs. I bet I applied for 40-50 jobs. I was currently making what came out to be about $66/hr.

I got EASILY a dozen offers for around $30/hr. I knew there were better jobs out there so I held out. 4 days before I was getting laid off I found my current job. They were desparate. We worked everything out and I got laid off on Friday and started the new job that Monday. Since starting this new job I have got two other offers that were very good from when I was previously applying.

Lesson learned is you will never know until you try. And try HARD. If you aren't willing to leave Boston that makes it wayyyy harder. I'm willing to live in different cities while I keep moving up and gaining experience.

What you also have to realize is taking a new job is risky and stressful. What if it doesnt work? You're not a good fit? You hate it? Could be a ton of things.

You miss 100% of the chances you don't take.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

[ryhoyarbie]

If you feel like you're getting underpaid, read this:

I graduated college in 2005 with a bachelors in history. I have learned to accept the degree is useless. In the 8 years since I've graduated, I have never had a job that required a bachelors degree and have yet to make 30,000 dollars. My highest wage has been 14 dollars an hour.

Currently I have a teacher aide position that pays 13,000 dollars a year. I just accepted a part time retail job for 8.25 an hour. If worked both jobs for a year and worked about 60 hours a week, I'd make about 20,000 a year before taxes.

I've applied to jobs that require bachelors degrees and call the places up for a follow up to see what I have to do next to secure an interview, but I still can't catch a break.

[Quitters_Win]

I graduated a few years ago myself and have never touched 20,000 a year a =(.

Hopefully, I'll catch a lucky break.

[ryhoyarbie]

I'll even add some food for thought.

I got informed of a teaching position in one of the elementary schools at the school district I work for. I knew the principal, emailed her back on Tuesday, and had an inteview with her, the assistant principal, and a title 1 teacher a few days ago (Thursday). The interview went well (went 40 minutes), and I thanked them for the interview. I got a call yesterday morning from the principal saying she was going to hire me for the year for a 6th grade teaching position I inteviewed for. Great news. She said she would have to call up personnel to get the paper work worked out.

I get a call about 30 minutes later from someone in personnel. She asked me about student teaching. I said I student taught four years ago but was not recommended by the teacher I was assigned to (long story there with a lot of ?'s to it). But I said the alternative certification program I was in did say I could secure a job and teach for a year and see what happens. That would be the only way I could secure a job at this point. I already passed my content test and the ppr exam four years ago, so I've met the highly qualified status of Texas. I also told the woman from personnel that since then, I've been substitute teaching to gain more experience and also worked as a teacher aide in another elementary school in the same district to gain even more experience. The woman from personnel said she was going to make a call at the alternative educational program I was in to get some more info.

30 minutes later I get a call from the principal informing me the woman from personnel told the principal not to hire me because I did not pass my student teaching despite trying to gain more experience.

I wrote an email yesterday afternon to the principal who was going to hire me and thanked her for the opportunity for the interivew and putting faith in me and told her good luck for this upcoming school year.

So I guess I'm not good enough to be a teacher in the SAME school district I went to as a kid, but it's okay for me to be a teacher aide and make 13,000 a year.

It would be better for the lady in personnel to just flat out say to me "we don't want you to be an aide here either, so pack up your stuff and leave".

So, things could be worse. You could be in my position, a 31 year old living with his parents still and trying to find something better.