

Ask HN: Are there any advantages to being underpaid? - yowmamasita

As a web developer I always wanted to quit my job because most web developers I know (in my area) got twice my salary. But I think that it is just wrong, I've only been here as the sole technical guy (sysad,webdev,tech support) for 2 months, so I feel that I am not giving the job enough chance. What does HN think?
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staunch
Forces you to keep your cost of living down. The trick is that when you get a
job that pays well to not let it increase your cost of living.

You could be compensated in other ways besides money. Maybe you get
significant flexibility/freedom in the way you work or some other kind of
perquisite.

Generally though it's not wise to allow yourself to be underpaid. It will
grate on you now or later.

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devs1010
If you're in a larger organization where others are paid more than you in your
company, you can kind of look at it as a way to get them to expect less of
you, such as give you less stressful tasks, etc... I know this isn't good
long-term, as you obviously want to advance your career, but for example, if
you were still finishing up classes or something part-time, it may be
beneficial to have less stressful tasks so you have more time to focus on
schoolwork, etc...

If the entire company underpays everyone then I don't think there is any
upside.

If you're compensated at what they feel is "too high" a rate, or just too high
for them (where other companies might be fine with it), it can be stressful
since they think they are paying too much and it could even lead to them
eyeing you for a lay-off, I suppose, to cut costs, so I guess in twisted way
being underpaid can give some job security.

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facorreia
I don't quite understand. You "always" wanted to quit your job, but you're in
it for only 2 months?

And what moved you to accept half the pay of the average web dev in the first
place?

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AznHisoka
Less pressure. Whenever you feel guilty for leaving early, or slacking off,
you can always justify yourself by saying "Ah well, I get underpaid anyway!"

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TWSS
I was paid less than someone doing the same job at the same company as I was
many years ago. When there were layoffs, one of the reasons they kept me
instead of him was that I was cheaper.

I understand you're the sole tech guy at your company, but the same dynamic
may apply.

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polyfractal
When you do get a bigger salary, it's pretty awesome. When I switched fields
(biology -> software engineering), I basically doubled my salary.

Since I'm used to living on half, the rest of that money basically goes
straight to my IRA/investment account, with a little skimmed off for a new
monitor or whatever.

Living like you make 30k (even if you don't) has some great benefits.

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SageRaven
I spent 5 years grossing $20k/yr or less (often much less), working from home,
part-time, on small-potatoes remote sysadmin 1099 jobs. Then, last spring, I
got a full-time "real" job as a senior-level admin/engineer in the retail/PoS
managed services space. It paid $80k/yr.

While the tech-level work was really cool, I _hated_ the job. I put in a year
of service, then gave my notice, with no prospects lined up (taking a month
off to decompress).

Sometimes money isn't everything. I hope to pick up where I left off, working
part-time for small-ish companies remotely from home, offering nearly 20 years
of unix admin experience at an affordable 1099 rate because my financial
commitments are _very_ low and I tend to enjoy life more when I'm bringing in
less.

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gyardley
I think you're getting screwed, and I'd be actively looking.

If you're working on your own projects, though, the threshold where you can
say 'to hell with it, I'm off to work on my own stuff full-time' is pretty
low. That's your silver lining, I suppose, although it only applies if you're
planning to strike out on your own.

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Mz
The only advantage I can think of is that it should make it easier to walk
away when you decide that some other opportunity is beckoning.

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yashchandra
You won't feel bad if you decide to quit. You are not in a comfort zone in
terms of money which will make you think before spending and probably become a
better manager of finances. You might be motivated to keep your skills up to
date in case u have to find a new job.

