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>I unfortunately did not have any idea what I was "worth" at
Lesson 1:
Get this idea out of your head that because you have some education and a
middle class "career" you have some abstract moral entitlement to be paid a
certain amount. You are not "worth" anything other than what someone is
prepared to pay you.
>so I took what I could get.
What do you think anybody else does in any other job?
>Not only am I underpaid in relation to
>others in the area with the same experience and job duties,
>but there is a serious parity problem within the company.
I have a great deal more experience than you and have never had any job
(writing or otherwise) where this was not true. It's called the world of
work.
>How might I handle the issue of the person with a Masters who is only
asking $31,000?
There is no issue. He got what he could get and so did you.
From the figures you quote, I can only conclude that US writers live in one
of the biggest clover fields known to man. Even allowing for exchange rates
etc, you have very little to complain about in this area. If you think you
have then the answer is exactly the same as for any "professional" who is
dissatisfied with a job - you leave and get another one.
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John -dot- Sheridan-Smith -at- BMWFIN -dot- COM
John Sheridan Smith
