Career Help and Advice

It's a crap shoot. As a regular employee, my loyalty has sometimes been valued and other times not. In most places I've found most employees to be very replaceable in the eyes of management. It has been one of my standards that it's just a bad idea to work anywhere where empty promises seem common. You spent years being underpaid teaching and supporting a slacker who they over paid. It's clear they're ability to determine the value of an employee is seriously flawed.

I've worked places where I had to hound management and HR for a salary review. There are places who will try to change your mind with an offer once you give notice. IMHO, they're the worst. They've just demonstrated that they can pay you but only with a gun to the head. The question then remains, if you agree to stay and they give you enough of a raise to meet the offer you've got, will they start looking to replace you to save money?

It's not worth jumping to the first opportunity to get out but it's time to look around. It's not fair to anyone for you to be under paid. You'll end up retiring to a cheap apartment in a bad neighborhood and when you do, your company will get the shock of a lifetime when they have to pay double to replace you.

Better you get paid now and better they learn sooner rather than later. You may want to consider being a consultant as I have.

I'm around often if you want to talk.