Anyone ever had their mind blown by a salary offer? (in a bad way)

Thacker

This is going to be a real "first world" problems thread, but let me explain.

I've been in IT on and off for the last 9 years or so. Over that time I've continually advanced my certifications and skill set, whether I was working in a formal position or not. Over that time, most of my experience has been working for MSP's and I am very familiar with their business model, and the typical profit a MSP can achieve.

With that said, I've been wanting to progress towards software development and as a result I've decided to pursue the software degree from WGU. I made another thread on Wednesday in regards to a company refusing me an interview for that, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyways, on to this topic. I've never felt correctly compensated for any of the positions I've held, based on the job I end up doing. I will accept a MSP position with "X" requirements, but then I get into the job and it's always been "X + X + X" with some extra "X" added on the weekend and oh, you're on call constantly. As a result, I am extremely hesitant to take another MSP position, but I was contacted by a company I had sent in my resume to and was invited for an interview.

I will copy and paste some of the highlights of the job posting below:

"The minimum level of experience for this position is 5+ years of Systems Administration and Networking support"
"Your server knowledge will need to be from 2003 to 2012. Desktop support from XP to Windows 8"
"Proven experience in virtualization technologies such as HyperV and ESXI 5+. High availability virtualization experience in clustered environments a plus"

Additional skillets no required but considered a bonus:
"Linux / OSX experience"
"iSCSI SAN networking"
"Site to site VPN and router configuration for small / medium businesses with Cisco / Watchguard / Brocade technologies"

Great I thought, this position HAS to pay more than what I've taken before. On top of that their offices were located in one of the most expensive areas of town.

I get to the interview and it goes great. I am told a few times throughout the interview that he considers my skill set perfect for the position. At the end I am asked what kind of salary I am looking to get, and I defer the question back to him in regards to a range of what they are looking to pay.

I am told 50k... with the ability to make up to 60k with "bonus". I couldn't help but be taken back, and I think I sat there with my mouth open for a second before saying I felt that was a little bit too far from what I'd be willing to accept.

I've been in talks with recruiters lately of positions paying 75-90k for my skill set, yet nothing has really developed. I look at salaries on reddit and other sites for college grads and those in software development and they are all in the 60k+ range for someone just starting, let alone with 8 years experience in IT. This was the primary reason to motivate me towards doing development, but I figured I would still be able to earn a decent income in administration and engineering until I had the skill set to develop.

Is this really what support IT has become? Systems administration and engineering has devalued so much that a company could realistically expect someone to accept a 5+ year professional level position for 50k in one of the most populated, busy areas of the city? I apologize if I am coming off angry or bitter, I am not.. I am just sorely disappointed in what this reveals. It tells me that somewhere along the line, people in this field are accepting less... and less.... for doing more and more. I am hoping this lowball was just a fluke and some of the interviews I have next week will lead to better offers... but in the end I can't help but wonder.

Thoughts?

BlackBeret

Well here's the way I look at it. You know what you're worth and what you want out of a position, so always ask for it, and then some. On the other hand, the people that do the hiring and paying know what they want to pay a person for the job and generally have an idea of what they can pay for the position. In the end, this is part of the job game. I used to ask for a range for jobs, but found that positions are often willing to pay a lot more than they want to pay for the right person. Now I make the first request in a salary negotiation and end up getting the pay I want, or not taking the job.