Ask For Salary Increase....rejected...should I Leave?

I have been working in my company 2 years and 2 month, this month i finish my Certification Path for MCITP - Server Administrator, I talked with the people in charge of IT (No IT Director Right Now) and she told me that for my position i don't need that cert (I am working as System Administrator) that the company is in bad situation and so. I think that i going to find a new job in leave my company.

are you agree with me.

Thanks,

Pesinet

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Comments

Technowiz

If you can make more somewhere else, why wouldn't you? How long has it been since your last raise?

Sie

Technowiz wrote:

If you can make more somewhere else, why wouldn't you? How long has it been since your last raise?

If you enjoyed your job...
If you live closer to it...
If you didnt want to see the company have harder times still....

Im not saying dont leave but money isnt everything.
Think of the work and experience you get there and if you are earning more because of what your learning.
Think what benefits your getting (if any) and count these into the equation to.

Have a look at what you get now and have a look at whats out there and see what you think.

pesinet

I earn now 35K, and work as System Administrator

Sie

That does seem a tad low for the job, if you have gained good experience there than you could move on, but as I said depends what else this job holds for you?

Have you spoken with your manager and discussed possible future pay increases?

Have you had any pay increase since being there?

May be time to look around but remember its easier to find a job whilst you have one!

Technowiz

Sie,

Yes, you are right. I should have added the caveat "all other things equal" which of course they never are. Money isn't everything but it is a big thing. It is the single largest component of job satisfaction for most employees. Experience gained is important too but chances are good if he lands a similar job elsewhere for more money that it will have equal or greater learning opportunities. Salary and responsibility go hand in hand generally speaking.

brad-

To be in Miami, that's extremely low.

ajs1976

How much work experience do you have? How much education?

pesinet

I know is very low, but when i enter in the company 2 years ago i was just A+ and Network+. I start to study and pay myself for my certification (The company don't pay Certification) and now i hold difference qualification (Server Administrator) and i ask for a raise and they told me they don't. So that is the reason why i want to leave and get another job with more experience.

Sie

Sounds like you have made up your mind and I cant really blame you, just stick it out while you find something else, you may regret it if you dont.

Best of luck!

pesinet

Thanks

snadam

pesinet wrote:

I know is very low, but when i enter in the company 2 years ago i was just A+ and Network+. I start to study and pay myself for my certification (The company don't pay Certification) and now i hold difference qualification (Server Administrator) and i ask for a raise and they told me they don't. So that is the reason why i want to leave and get another job with more experience.

wow, that sucks. Its peculiar that they stated 'you don't need that cert for your job'. To me its just a cop out so they don't have to pay what you're worth. From what you've written, it sounds like its time to move on.

Technowiz

It will likely cost them significantly more to replace you. Sometimes management is short sighted that way.

Slowhand

Sounds like you're in a bad situation, all around. From what I see, I can give you this advice: Your pay is fairly low, that's one consideration. The fact that they don't want you to get a new cert is bad enough, unto itself, but the underlying issue there could be that they simply don't want to spend the money. Or, worse yet, they can't spend the money to get you trained and certified. With all those things stacked in one hand, you have to ask yourself if the positives (if any) about this job outweigh those issues. It's your decision to make, but I'd advise you to at least get your resume up to date and put it up on a couple of job-boards. Keep your eyes open, it couldn't hurt to see what's out there.

pesinet

I am looking right now but you know it take sometime, in the maentime i will try to keep my smile up.

Thanks.

itdaddy

pesinet

holy crap I make 35K and I dont have near that many certs! I hate that. Dude you have lots
of education. You deserve more..but like the guys here say there are many factors driving
the salary and 35K is crap! for sys admin (me too) I have a few certs but know a lot of things I can do on the fly! (experience) but that is why I am finishing my trump card(BS in computer science) that 4 year degree that tells the world I am genius pay me the big bucks !hahaha
ahahahahahh haha

Serious I am finsihing my BS and then hammer out CCNA and CCNP and I I am still kicking CCIE before 45 years old. I can do it! then 100k here i come! hehehehhe hehehe

yeah it does sucka nd in florida tooo? weird! but like i said there are many cheap B#%#%##%$# companies out there the management gets paid big bucks while the people who dothe work keeping systems going get paid crap! speaking for the unlucky ones. I know people who work at ISPs who get paid big bucks and believe it or not I know a lot and how to more than they do.]
in fact I had a meeting with this head engineer at ISP in our area. The head dude.
We were buying a VOIP system. So we were looking around. I ask Kevin the head guy. are you going to do some testing on our systems to see if we can handle more on our T1 lines adn backbone is sufficient etc...... he says nawww 2 to 1 compression should be fine! I almots puked right in front of him. I said you need to test our system before you start putting devices etc..on our network and get som metadata you know!? We hired a Team called Wis Wireless and they tested outr systems for 3 full days to get an idea of how our system behave. I said Amen to this compnay. Needless to say the ISP lost 189,000 dollar contract! I see it all the time people hired who dont know crap! you see I do have issues! haahaaha Right cablegod! haahhha

itdaddy

wow, that sucks. Its peculiar that they stated 'you don't need that cert for your job'. To me its just a cop out so they don't have to pay what you're worth. From what you've written, it sounds like its time to move on.

I agree 100% happens to me all the time!!!!!!!!!!!! my game is any more
have many certs quote low on the pay get in the door and show them what you got!!
and the nicely ask for more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HeroPsycho

Last year, my company asked me to get an MCSE specialization, so I got Messaging. They wanted me to get VCP so they could maintain their VMWare partner status. I got it. On my own, I got certified in ISA. Anything and everything they asked of me, I did.

My raise? Nada. Zilch. Nothing.

Sometimes it's not that you're doing a bad job. In my case, the economy is weakening.

What would concern me is not the lack of raise in your case. What concerns me is they do not want you to get certified. They discourage it. Also, if they can't afford to give you a raise because they're having bad times, what is the future for the company? On top of all that, they're underpaying you anyway.

Looks like it's time for you to move on if you can find something else. The reality is you've outgrown them. However, remember that it takes a job to get a job. Secure one first with a signed offer letter in writing before you jump ship!

pesinet

more disappoint to me is that i have been doing pretty good job in the last 2 year, i install a exchange server 2003 and keep up and running, WSUS, AD Policy, Veritas Backup Exec 12 for windows server and so, and now they don't appreciate that.

networker050184

I think it is definitley time to start looking to move on (and up). I would remain there while you look, because you never know how long it might take you to find another position.

itdaddy

My raise? Nada. Zilch. Nothing.

holy crap you know me i would be pissed man that is a lot of work to tell you get it(can cause bitterness)
and the nothing. dude one day for all your work; you will bet paid for what you have learned.
i just cant seeing it lasting long for you, man you have some certs and seem really good at what you do!

how i have been dealing with it. i just focus on my dreams and keep working hard and dreaming
i go to my happy spot in my mind during the day constantly think how i can make my home lab better and how i can learn more from my experiences at work. one day i feel it will pan out for me!!!!!!!!

arwes

pesinet wrote:

more disappoint to me is that i have been doing pretty good job in the last 2 year, i install a exchange server 2003 and keep up and running, WSUS, AD Policy, Veritas Backup Exec 12 for windows server and so, and now they don't appreciate that.

You did mention all this in your request for a salary increase, right? In my experience, management tends to forget what all their employees do for them. Unfortunately, you've got to remind them. At least that's the way it's been for me.

undomiel

Raises don't mean too much to me, I've never gotten a raise in my entire life. I was promised one at my current company but of course didn't get it. I don't hold that against them because they're hurting pretty bad, though it made me bitter for a few days. What I do hold against them though is that they didn't want me to get certified in anything. So I've been having to sneak behind their backs and get my Security+ and MCSA. I'm sure hoping the next company I'm at cares about training their staff. A company being anti-certification is a huge red flag to me. To me it reads as they don't want you to be certified because then you'll look more attractive to other employers.

malcybood

I commend your dedication in achieving your certification goals and not to put a downer on this but it looks to me like they were YOUR certification goals, not the company's.

I got to ask the following;

a) Do you run Windows server 2008 at the moment?
b) Is there a budget to migrate to server 2008?
c) Does the BUSINESS have desire to migrate to server 2008?

If the answer to all of the above is no then I got to agree with your manager that there is not a requirement for that cert in the business in the immediate future.

If they come to you and say "we want you to migrate the whole infrastructure to Server 2008 tomorrow" then it's a different kettle of fish.

From the info in the post, as far as I can see the scenario here is very little or no different than going to do your MCSE or MCITP when working in a company that runs a Novell infrastructure and asking your manager for a pay rise because you went out and got a certification.

Can you see this from the employer point of view?

Got to re-itterate the state of the global economy at the moment too, soaring house, gas and oil prices to mention a few things, many companies are feeling the pinch although some companies will no doubt use this as a cop out in paying for anything let alone pay rises!

I would advise you set training goals/objectives with your manager pertinent to your job role at your performance reviews/appraisal and upon completion you would be in a better position to ask for a raise having hit your targets.

Personally, I think that saying they don't appreciate your efforts is a bit strong, but if that is how you feel and you still feel aggrieved then there's an issue there and I'd look for another job with the requirement for MCITP certification if you can't sort it out with them.

Congrats once again on getting the certification and hope it works out for you.

Netstudent

it's time for you to move on. You are probably young and have your whole career to build. Don't hang around sitting on your hands. If you think you can do more then get out there and find more. You should be making more money in that area. Good luck.

blargoe

If you feel under appreciated and underpaid, then maybe it's time to look for something else. Like the other poster said, MCITP might not be a relevant cert for your current environment.

I haven't ever gotten a raise for obtaining a cert, but in the past it has at least been paid for and on occasion it has been a part of an overall list of goals that relates to an annual pay review/bonus calculation.

royal

Yep, looks like time to look for something else. Certs don't necessarily get you a raise. They help you obtain more information that is relevant to your job so you improve and validate the skills necessary to perform your job function better. This is what gets you the raise when your review comes up. Good luck with the decision you make and let us know the outcome.

HeroPsycho

itdaddy wrote:

holy crap you know me i would be pissed man that is a lot of work to tell you get it(can cause bitterness)
and the nothing. dude one day for all your work; you will bet paid for what you have learned.
i just cant seeing it lasting long for you, man you have some certs and seem really good at what you do!

how i have been dealing with it. i just focus on my dreams and keep working hard and dreaming
i go to my happy spot in my mind during the day constantly think how i can make my home lab better and how i can learn more from my experiences at work. one day i feel it will pan out for me!!!!!!!!

Dude, was I pissed at first? Yes.

But you can't take it personally. It usually isn't personal. The reality is they don't think I can find a better paying job given my skillset in my area, or even if I could, they're not willing to pay that much. They knew full well they pissed me off doing that. It's a calculated risk on their side.

And don't worry, I got no qualms paying them back by finding a better job. But the reality is the market sucks right now, so it's taking some time.

The important thing to remember is don't say or do anything stupid. It takes a job to get a job. Know when to push and where the line is. I pushed for a raise, and I didn't get it, so I backed down to avoid getting fired or reprimanded, and (after calming the heck down), I began looking for a better situation.

Back to the original poster. Dude, it's not personal. If it costs money to have someone with the skillset you have, they don't want it. Whether or not they admit it, they do not want someone who can actually do the job well. Think about it - did you know how to admin all this stuff before you got the job? Sounds like no. Why do you think they hired you in the first place instead of get a guy who already could? Simple: those guys wouldn't accept that low of a salary. So you got what you needed - a chance to learn and experience. They got what they needed - someone to keep that busted ship of an IT infrastructure afloat. They've ceased to provide you with what you need anymore, so it's time to move on. Don't worry about them; they'll find someone they think can keep the ship afloat, and if he or she can't, hey, they didn't pay for someone who actually knew what to do already, and they either knew that when they hired someone for that low of a salary, or they're too stupid to realize what they're doing. In either case, it doesn't matter to you once you move on up.

Daniel333

Ditch it! I made that much at Geek Squad.

The experience will do you well anyway.

pesinet

We are running Windows Server 2003, we have 15 Server, 7 running Terminal Services, the other are 2 DC, 1 Exchange Server, Backup Server, IIS, WSUS and so. But we plan to implement 2008 in Terminal Services. BTW i complete this path (Server 200

because is the new incoming Tech, i want to be up to date and learn because for me have no sence now to take for MCSA 2003 (No Offence), just i feel is right move to the new certification path. I don't ask i for a increase for my Cert but for the time i have been working here.

Thanks

Technowiz

I don't hold that against them because they're hurting pretty bad, though it made me bitter for a few days.

Got to re-itterate the state of the global economy at the moment too, soaring house, gas and oil prices to mention a few things, many companies are feeling the pinch although some companies will no doubt use this as a cop out in paying for anything let alone pay rises!

I have to take issue with statements like these. I understand the point trying to be made. But in the case of the individual employee, the state of the economy or the financial health of the employer has no bearing on what the employee should or should not expect to be paid. What I mean by this is that the original poster should expect and be seeking a competitive market wage for his work. He should no more accept a wage below his market value due to a company's poor finances than an employer should pay an employee a wage above their market value due to the employees financial hardships. While changes in the economy will affect what your market value might be, the relevant question to ask is not "how is the economy right now?" but "How does my wage compare with the market value of my work?". Because if the answer to that question is that it doesn't compare very well then you should realize you aren't making what you are worth no matter what the economy happens to be doing at that particular point in time. And again, just as companies in good times don't pay employees more than what they are worth you should not accept being paid less than what you are worth in bad times.