Found out I’m being paid significantly less than the new grad hires.

In general, with rare exception, the only way to get a large raise is to jump jobs. Most companies budget very little for raises, but do budget at market for new hires. It’s moronic but that’s the way it is.

With one exception which I negotiated hard for (and they realized they’d’ve had to hire 3-4 people to replace me), the only time I’ve gotten really large raise is going to work somewhere else. By going elsewhere every 3-4 years, I’ve often gotten 30%-80% raises. If I’d stayed, I would’ve gotten 3%-5% raises. Loyalty is worth absolutely fucking nothing.

I like where I work now, but if I were to leave I could easily make 20%-40% more. Yes, even in this relatively bad market. That’s because I have an unusual combination of skills, certs, and I interview extremely well. Also, I don’t actually need to work. I keep that all in my back pocket at all times if I need it. If I get too frustrated, I go. You’re lucky to have me, not the other way around.

If that sounds arrogant…well, that’s why I get paid big $$ and others tend not to (even in my same field). But you have to be able to walk the walk. And I don’t just walk — I strut.