In my experience, being the work horse doesn’t really help too much in review time unless you work purely for numbers in like, manufacturing so you can say I put together 20 products and everyone else only did 5. Going into a review and just saying you work harder than anyone will also hurt you since you don’t look like a team player. Some companies are small enough to look at what you bring to the table and your skill set but most are not. You may be able to move up based on your involvement with the company and past experience. In a lot of fields tho, the big pay comes from project management levels which require a 4 year degree at the very least. If you are happy with your current company, look at the management staff and see what they bring to the table and try to follow their path.
This is true in the IT field from my experience since you are usually pooled with general “techs” or “engineers” so the only way of actually going up in pay is moving companies. Very few companies have levels and senior level engineer pay structure paid out and can evaluate a persons true talent instead of how long they have been there.
my department at the company i work for does not seem to be structured in a way that you guys are describing…even the guy that is incharge only has a 2year degree…but hes been there like 40 years…the people that produce drawings are also those that design the systems…except i do the drawings for half of them(because they do not know the new bim software we use, they only know autocad), and i help the other that does his own drawings. i dont tell them that i do more, they know i do. im also to the point where i am doing my own designing and projects on my own. so as i previously stated, i am only continuing on for a pay increase as i see that in other departments at work, but now you guys have me wondering why im even bothering as i dont have intentions of going to another company. although the other departments are structured into seperate designers and drafters…but they also have alot more people in those departments…i do notice though that seems to be less efficient then how my department is set up.
If you are a CAD lackey and arguing over a $1-$2 a hour increase then a degree won’t help you.
If you want to grow into a career, you will need a degree or be over looked by management. The old days, there is a lot of people who have been at companies for years and moved up. The new work force is shifting and people are actually looking for teachable people with motivation to move up. No more is the guy who has been there 30 years the only candidate for a higher position when there is someone on the table with less work experience and college educated.
That changes everything. Remember, the guys that have been around for 30 years make so much money because they have 30 years of shitty raises under their belts.
Degrees are not everything if you prove of value and your value can be tied to monetary gain for your employer. But, you will still be stuck in the land of 2-5% raises for the rest of your career.
What I’m saying is GET YOUR DEGREE AND THEN GET ANOTHER. BSC’s M.S. I.T. is cake and only 12 courses or so.
Maybe you could use some of those courses as electives?
You may love your company, and if you are doing work that is above your pay grade, point it out often and tactfully.
If you have enough high level support, HR can be circumvented. Even in big companies. But, you have to be far and above the
best choice and it would actually cost more money to use someone more “qualified”
I already have a career…I am a designer, not a drafter. I have a CADD degree, the same as every other person in my department(plumbing and fire protection). Therefore, I am doing drawings, but I am also laying out the systems, sizing them, selecting equipment, writing specifications, etc. I am continueing on for a BS in mech engineering simply for more money, but my job description would not change. My department does not have seperate engineers and drafters. we are all designers. The guy that is in charge is a designer as well, but thats because hes been around the longest. I am not questioning a 1-2 dollar increase over a degree, thats the typical raise we see every year. What Im questioning is would I see the 10 dollar an hour difference that the 4 year would make, which you guys have said would not happen…
edit…drvnkd, at work the people in charge have questioned why i would even bother with a masters as i had said i was planning to get that as well…apparently there is no benefit of having that degree at my company?
Ok just checking we weren’t arguing over a few dollars an hour based on the general info in your posts. You need to look at your career path. If you are happy doing the basic work and stay with that company, then maybe a degree isn’t needed. If you want to better yourself, evaluate other options and move around companies to take on a project manager role and direct people doing what you are doing, then it is probably needed. Don’t let other people asking you why you need one set you back. There is two paths you can take so its up to you what you are happier doing.
im not saying ill never leave where i work, i just dont want to. the perks of 4weeks pto plus holidays is pretty nice. especially when that will increase to more pto in a few years…lol.
i think im worrying about this too much. im going out to the garage to do some welding. thanks for the input.
I would get the degree as backup in the rare case that you get caught up in layoffs or you become unhappy and want to look elsewhere. Don’t count on you’re company, count on yourself.
So long as you pursue your degree, there will be more than a few instances where it should help the general understanding of why things are done the way they are.
No company is going to give you a $10/hr raise unless there is a substantial CHANGE in responsibilities well above the current job description.
If shit hits the fan, it’s going to take M.S. degrees to get “low wage” design jobs anyway… so get going.
I dislike designing plumbing systems and sizing valves. I think I need to make friends with some designers
