I have found...
It matters not what anyone else is being paid.
Some really get hung up on this...
But it's a very simple concept which they don't teach in high school, nor during a Freshman's feeble pursuit of a Biology degree.
It truly matters not what anyone else is paid...
It only matters that YOU provide more value to the business than what YOU are being paid.
It's Economics 101, but many never get it!
If - you are providing more value to the business (meaning you're productivity is higher) than your cost, you'll always have a job, or at least be able to earn a paycheck.
If - you produce less business value than your cost...prepare to be made available to industry, you're corporate welfare - so expect to get fired!
It's an important lesson to learn early in life.
You have to generate value...the more, the better!
Generating value helps with the process of creating a desirable reputation and work ethic.
Finding how you can generate value helps with finding and establishing your own personal order in life.
And being someone who provides high value helps to smooth some of the speed bumps encountered on the adventure journey.
It also helps you to always have an income and often results in new, unsolicited job opportunities being offered.
Now, you'll encounter some who approach work with a mind set to not do anything more than they are paid to do...nor to ever try anything they've not been formally trained to do...which typically makes them great candidates for paying Union dues.
And just my personal view - I believe Unions are actually a detriment for the achiever.
Remember the point about it doesn't matter what someone else is paid?
Generally Unions enable the worst employees on the spectrum to receive the same pay as the best, which makes Unions enticing for some.
But...Unions often handicap the best and highest achieving workers with limited Union pay scales structured for the average and the worst performing members.
It's hard to excel in that type of situation, both financially and with taking on increased personal responsibility...since many are watchful for anyone attempting to do more.
They are the ones most concerned with what everyone else is doing, and how much everyone else is being paid!
Which takes us to the next point...
Step 2 for the successful is to constantly improve your personal skills and pursue taking on additional responsibility - not for the pay - but simply for the benefit of the experience...and to learn!
It's a more eloquent way of saying...if you do the work, the pay will follow.
As you expand your personal responsibility and improve your ability to provide increasing value over time...it auto-magically expands the roles and opportunities being offered to you, and generates need for the company to offer meaningful salary increases.
Companies never want to lose high value contributors.
And while seemingly contradictory to the above, from the employee's perspective, about the only way to exponentially increase your salary is to take a new position outside of your present company.
You are far more likely to measurably increase your income with a 15 or 20% salary jump as part of a job change to a new organization, than to expect your current company to offer continuous 5 to 10% annual merit increases while you remain in your current role.
But to be successful...
One must continually expand their personal skills and responsibilities, which eliminates the fears and mitigates the risks associated with a job change. And it prepares you to start quickly generating value in your new role at the new company.
At least that's how it has worked successfully for me over the last 50 years...
Yet, I'm not planning to work for someone else again. So these are just the musings of an old man. Terry-isms about the glory days...
But what really matters is that you save and invest that new found income. That's what supports the adventures which is a whole different discussion!
Let the adventure continue...
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