AUGIWorld Magazine - January/February 2008 - (Page 4) The CAD Manager I Quit! Are You Underpaid? Some of you may want to say “I Quit!” when you get this issue of AUGIWorld magazine. By now you may have read the 2007 CAD Salary Survey. AUGIWorld conducts the survey annually and the results are always eagerly awaited by our readers. If you have not read it yet, do so now. In fact, read it before you read this article. The reason I say that is because your perspective on this article will depend on how you stacked up in the survey. If you came out ahead of the pack, you feel good. If you fell behind, then you may feel a little depressed about where you are in your career advancement. Have you read the salary survey yet? Good. How did you do? If you are now thinking about changing jobs, then you may want to read this through. If you are not thinking of looking for opportunities elsewhere, then read on anyway. You never know when you may need this information. When you are in the market for a change, you should thoughtfully consider your options. Take stock of where you are, where you may want to go, and how you might get there. When you are thinking about making a transition, be sure and think long and hard. When you ask what makes people happy at their jobs you may not get the exact same answer, but there are some key areas that drive job satisfaction. Before making a change, consider developing a list of areas that impact your enjoyment and satisfaction in your work environment. We will be discussing these areas over the next few issues of the magazine starting with the one that is placed at the forefront by this issue. The importance of salary Looking for a change I list salary first, but it is not the most important. I list it first because that is probably at the front of your mind since you just read the salary survey. We all know that money is not the only thing that makes us satisfied at work, but it does go a long way. There are many things that go farther than just your paycheck, but we all know that when we feel underpaid it grinds on our dedication and willingness to go the extra mile. No one complains when they are overpaid, but let's get it in our minds that we are not paid what we are worth and soon some start cutting their efforts back to match their perceived (or real) unjust wages. Your salary situation in is a reflection of several things. It could be a reflection on you. Are you willing to be in a job that pays less than the going rate for someone at your level of experience and education? Then that says something about you. Your salary level must not be so bad that you are willing to make a change. And if you have been underpaid for some time, then the firm knows that you will put up with it. Some people stay in a position, knowing that they are underpaid, but also knowing that they are with a desirable firm. They are willing to bide their time until they prove to the firm that they are worth more. If it takes too long and there are no increases in your wages, then maybe your firm isn’t as desirable as you first thought. So your level of salary says something about you. Does it say something good? It could be a reflection on your company. Some firms just do not pay as much as others. They run lean and mean and squeeze every last dime out of every area to stay profitable. This could be because the firm has not run as efficiently as it can. This could be because the overall level of employee effectiveness is not high, which could be caused by lower wages not attracting the best talent. It is a vicious circle—one causes the other. As I mentioned before, if the firm’s overall salary and compensation outlay is low, then don’t expect something great from them. It could be a reflection on your industry or the economy. If your industry is experiencing a temporary downturn in production and employment levels, then there may be a limitation on the availability of higher wages. Slowdowns in the number of contracts that are out on the street means that your firm may have to be cautious about spending. If that is what is happening in your industry, making a change may be difficult. So just how much weight should be given to salary? It should be high on the list, but never at the top. If all you are looking for is more money, then you can stop readw w w. A U G I . c o m 4 http://www.AUGI.com
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