Am I getting paid enough?

I know Raven just posted something similiar to this, but I have a performance review coming up in June and wanted to know what you all think I should be paid. I work in Henderson, KY, but I am within driving distance of Owensboro, KY and Evansville, IN. I have a CNA for Novell 4.11, experience working with Novell 4.11/5.0, experience working with Windows 2K/NT/98/95. I am working on getting my CCNA and possibly a Microsoft cert. This summer I will be teaching a night class on basic networking (Network +). I've installed hard drives, sound cards, video cards, modems, monitors, RAM, and set up new computers. I have an Associate's Degree in Networking Technologies. This will be my 3rd year dealing with networks and computers. Currently I'm being paid around $18K/year (roughly $8.52/hour) before taxes. I graduated from college thinking that I would be able to get at least a $20K/year job minimum. I've been told that if I were able to get a job at the local community college that I would start at around $28K/year. I work at a national bank with four branches, about 68 computers, and 55 users. My boss and I are pretty much the only IT people the bank employs.

I'm went to school for accounting. Got my bachelor's degree, and went to work for a manufacturing company as an accountant. I had always messed with computers, and regret to this day that I didn't get a degree in computer science. Anyway, I installed a network there, and learned everything about networking on my own. I worked there for 3 years and decided I had outgrown that job. When I left I was making 33K per year. I started looking, and found a job making 45K per year, and I didn't have any certifications or formal training. The only drawback is I work 50 to 60 hours.

You have 3 years experience, you need to go find a higher paying job. Sometimes, experience counts just as much as certification. Good luck, and I hope you find something paying better.

Oh, don't work for banks, they suck. They expect the world out of you and don't want to pay you sh@t for it. The only people at banks that get paid well are Presidents and VP's.

I would have to say that no, you are not getting paid enough. Then again how is the economy where you live. I live in auburn ME but commute 35 miles and get paid 15 per hour (30k per year) working as a bench tech for Gateway. Around here thats pretty good pay.

I would say you are getting under paid, I am making over 55,000 a year. Granted I have graduated collage and I have been in the field for 3 years, but you have a couple of certs and you seem to know what you are talking about. 18K is a pitance for the work you are doing and you should be making at least 24

Not any where close to what you should be getting paid....I have been in the field a little over a year, am at 17+ per hour....and have not yet graduated and gotten my degree (6 more weeks on that one). GO FOR MORE....

P.S.-the other comment about working for banks....right ON!! I used to work for banks and you don't get paid $hit!!! Good luck!!

It sounds to me as if you are under paid, but you have to look at the cost of living. I am in San Francisco and the high school kid who works at the starbucks on the corner (and I mean every corner) is making 9.50 as their starting wage. I don't know about KY but I would think you should be making at least $15.00

John

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Originally posted by Elbatcho:
I would say you are getting under paid, I am making over 55,000 a year. Granted I have graduated collage and I have been in the field for 3 years, but you have a couple of certs and you seem to know what you are talking about. 18K is a pitance for the work you are doing and you should be making at least 24

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I would definitely agree with Elbatcho ( well all except the spelling of College...hehe...J/k)

;)

but he's right, your underpaid. and you should be making at LEAST 24K

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Originally posted by RIOT:
I know Raven just posted something similiar to this, but I have a performance review coming up in June and wanted to know what you all think I should be paid. I work in Henderson, KY, but I am within driving distance of Owensboro, KY and Evansville, IN. I have a CNA for Novell 4.11, experience working with Novell 4.11/5.0, experience working with Windows 2K/NT/98/95. I am working on getting my CCNA and possibly a Microsoft cert. This summer I will be teaching a night class on basic networking (Network +). I've installed hard drives, sound cards, video cards, modems, monitors, RAM, and set up new computers. I have an Associate's Degree in Networking Technologies. This will be my 3rd year dealing with networks and computers. Currently I'm being paid around $18K/year (roughly $8.52/hour) before taxes. I graduated from college thinking that I would be able to get at least a $20K/year job minimum. I've been told that if I were able to get a job at the local community college that I would start at around $28K/year. I work at a national bank with four branches, about 68 computers, and 55 users. My boss and I are pretty much the only IT people the bank employs.

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I have just my A+, 12 yrs experiance, and some management exp. I make $13 an hour, and I feel I should make more.

You should be making $30k a year with the CNA and exp alone, much less an A+ or any other certs you may have.

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Originally posted by RIOT:
I have a CNA for Novell 4.11, experience working with Novell 4.11/5.0

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IMHO, this experience and cert alone should get you some big bucks. Anybody can say they know Windows, but very few can say they have any experience with, or much less have even heard of Novell Netware. Go for your CNE (Certified Netware Engineer) and you could even go into business for yourself (although that might be a bit overzealous)

You are crazy working for anything less than $10/h. You should be getting at least $12

You aren't getting paid enough, if you were up here you would be offered at least 23 if not 24 to start.

Somebody's gettin' a bargain and it ain't you!

You're gettin' something else without ever being kissed!

I'd ask the boss for double or triple salary or get out of their. Move a little bit away if you have to, but you need to earn more for what you do.

In high school I took a job as a Web Master for $8/hour. Once a guy who was making 30/hour stopped by and I started showing him how to do 'Good design Techniques' and 'Dynamic HTML'. This guy didn't know crap. Point is. Get outa their. :)

If you wanna get paid, you should come to NY. People are recruited right out of college for development and IT and they make 55-60k starting, plus some companies offer signing bonuses. I have head-hunters calling me offering six figures + signing and year-end bonus. So definitely leave your job, move to the tri-state area and get what you deserve.

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Originally posted by Kymera:
If you wanna get paid, you should come to NY. So definitely leave your job, move to the tri-state area and get what you deserve.

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It's funny that you said tri-state area because where I'm from is also known as a tri-state area (Kentucky, Indiana, and Illionis). I'm not too sure I'd like to move that far away; I definately know that my wife wouldn't go for that. Especially if she gets a teaching position here. I'll probably try to stay around this area for at least a year, then I might move to Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, etc. It all depends on if I'm still at the bank or if I find another job elsewhere. One reason that the bank isn't paying me as much is because I started as a teller and got promoted to the Network Assistant when the new teller computers needed to be installed and configured. Another reason is that the bank doens't use Novell at all; they have an AS/400, a Windows NT server, and a Windows 2000 server. So my CNA isn't worth anything to them in their eyes. When I get my CCNA, they probably won't be thinking that will be useful to them either. Hopefully by next year I'll have another job around here because I've basically decided that this job is just for the experience.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Come the end of June I'll give an update.

McDonald's pays same just for flippin' burgers. Get out of there.

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Originally posted by RIOT:
It's funny that you said tri-state area because where I'm from is also known as a tri-state area (Kentucky, Indiana, and Illionis). I'm not too sure I'd like to move that far away; I definately know that my wife wouldn't go for that. Especially if she gets a teaching position here. I'll probably try to stay around this area for at least a year, then I might move to Indianapolis, Louisville, Lexington, etc. It all depends on if I'm still at the bank or if I find another job elsewhere. One reason that the bank isn't paying me as much is because I started as a teller and got promoted to the Network Assistant when the new teller computers needed to be installed and configured. Another reason is that the bank doens't use Novell at all; they have an AS/400, a Windows NT server, and a Windows 2000 server. So my CNA isn't worth anything to them in their eyes. When I get my CCNA, they probably won't be thinking that will be useful to them either. Hopefully by next year I'll have another job around here because I've basically decided that this job is just for the experience.

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Are you kidding she could get a teaching position in NY in a hot minute. Qualified Teachers are very rare here, plus teachers also get hazard pay (don't quote me though). Tri-State around here means NY, NJ and CT. Though the NY portion really means Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs, who cares about the rest. Anyway, good luck with your new career.

As a general rule of thumb, when unskilled labor is making the same amount as you, I think it's time to change jobs! You're definately underpaid, and if you've been there a while now, you're probably not even learning enough to make the excuse that its a 'stepping stone'. I'd check out the recruiting sites and see what other people in the region are getting, and then show those numbers to the boss. If you've been there a while and you're pretty good, it's worth their while to pay you what you're worth (and not have to train a new guy!) Good luck!

I think you should start looking also, BUT make a good assessment of your skills, and be aware of what a good hiring manager is looking for. The most important skills will be your non-technical ones.

INTEGRITY: I cannot stress this enough. Have 500 examples of your integrity. I would NEVER trust my company's data to someone that I could not trust.

Communication Skills: In order to succeed in todays IT world you must be able to communicate with both management and users.

Reliability: If you are working for a bank, you probably already come to work on time every day, but that is an important quality.

Traditionally banks tend to abuse the IT department, and underpay them. If you get your MCSE and have the skills/experience to back it up, you shouldn't be working for less than $25 an hour.

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Originally posted by RIOT:
I work in Henderson, KY, but I am within driving distance of Owensboro, KY and Evansville, IN. Currently I'm being paid around $18K/year (roughly $8.52/hour) before taxes.

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I lived in Southern Indiana for a long time and never made over $10/hr. Indianapolis is a much bigger market, and I make $15/hr cash in the shop and charge $60 onsite (business only.) Part of the increase was getting my A+, I-Net+, and Network+, but some of it was just going to bigger market, where I get a job offer about twice a week from stockbrokers, real estate companies, etc.

I start all of my bench techs at $11 - $12 an hour. I also start my Tech Support crew at the same rate. This is for entry level poeple though. If you have the experience, I suggest moving near a larger city.

Here in the UK I don't think salaries match yours across the water. Most people I know started on around $15000 which doesn't go far in places like London. Top jobs pay loadsamoney obviously but PC Support techs on-site can expect from around $18000. Field engineers earn more.

I agree you should explore your options. I am working on my Associate's Degree and also a student worker in their IS. Currently i am gettin $10 per hour and that's good for just working part-time and going to school. Also i am gettin my experience..so that's a plus. Hearin from past students, the average salary they are gettin are from high 30's to mid 40's.

Dude, Find a new job, if you worked for the company I work for you would be at least, AT LEAST $45000/yr, if not more. Just start looking. The cost of living my be different down by you, so the sallary may differ, but come on, there bending you over and not even giving you a kiss when they're done. Look around or ask for a raise. Good luck!

they're right. you are getting the old shaftola. I started tech scool for technical support, applied for a entry level helpdesk job and got it. I slowed down and eventually quit school. they started me at $9.50/hr, but i got a raise to $11 after 3 months. I got of the heldesk and started doing desktop support and now(3years later) I am making over $42k. You deserve more.

My little brother gets paid that much. He works at Subway Sandwiches. Your getting jipped man I have no certs or degrees, only personel experience building computers granted that I know alot more than the average joe just finishing their A+. I've taken the MCSE classes but not the tests and I went from taping drywall into computers cause it was lots funner. Started out at $9.00 and a year later I'm at 30,000 a year. :)

Definitely move on. I'm on my third year and am now just making 40k a year and I know I can get more than that I'm just using this job to pay for a little bit more training maybe a year or so more than it is time to move on.

****UPDATE****

I just had my review. My boss said that he would start paying me $24K/year for my next raise. Hourly, that's about $11.54. I told him that I was hoping for at least $12/hour and that figures to $24,960. I knew the bank wouldn't give me any more than that in one pay increase. He's going to talk with his superiors to try to get $12/hour, but if they won't pay that, he said that he would get at least $24,000. This is a lot better, but I know that I could get more somewhere else. I'll be content with this for the time being, until my next review or job offer. Thanks to everyone for your opinions.

Bum deal.

This is not a place where you will want to stay. You have already accumulated enough experience to look elsewhere for much higher compensation.

Try one of the headhunting websites and compare what your experience should be getting you.

Catbert offers a similar evaluation, but I don't find him trustworthy. <IMG SRC="smilies/wink.gif" border="0">

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Originally posted by Ad3pT:
<STRONG>This is not a place where you will want to stay. You have already accumulated enough experience to look elsewhere for much higher compensation.</STRONG>

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I wouldn't mind switching jobs, but most places aren't hiring around here... This is fine for now. Next week, it probably won't be enough. LOL

I live in Lafayette, IN (45 min from Indy) and I make a little better than 60K as a tech. (I do a little of everything, but basically, I maintain about 250 pc's. We have a seperate network administrator - he makes about 60 as well. Screw those losers, man! Your Novell experience IS worth something - it demonstrates you trainability and dedication. Any company who says otherwise is ripping you off. You should not work for less than 30k period!