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On Software Development and Support Engineer Pay Rate
How can a Software Development and Support Engineer attain and maintain a high pay rate? I see this is as a great challenge; a high rate of pay is something:
-not easy to want,
-not easy to define,
-not easy to talk about (taboo),
-not easy to understand how to get,
-not easy to get or to maintain.
– Wanted
First, I have to get past the first step. A Software Development and Support Engineer has to want it. Drop it like it’s hot. Do it. Want it because attaining a high pay rate will make a Software Development and Support Engineer’s career and life better, and the act of attaining a high pay rate, in and of itself, won’t adversely affect those others around the Software Development and Support Engineer.
Even though none of these things are easy, a high pay rate needs to be:
-wanted
-defined,
-talked about,
-understood-how-to-get,
-gotten and maintained.
– Defined
In this context, pay isn’t a one-way transaction. It’s not just given by the employer. It’s also not just taken by the employee. It rather is offered and accepted. It’s a relationship, for example in the way that a friendship is a friendship. Pay is somewhat out of one’s control and depends on the actions of others. High pay rate involves offering by the employer(s) and acceptance by the employee(s), as part of an ongoing relationship. However it can also be defined in concrete, essential terms as a quantifiable dollar amount being passed from the employer to the employee.
If as a Software Development and Support Engineer, getting a high pay rate is somewhat out of my control, then how to proceed? How to gain understanding of how to get it?
– Talked about
I posit the next step is to talk about it with others. Same as with anything; if one doesn’t understand how to do something, one should talk with others to figure out how to do it. Talk with others to understand how to get a high rate of pay. Why is this hard though? Because “people are funny about money”. There exists an American cultural taboo about talking openly with others about pay rate, salary and money, that is still at large today.
All the same, the next step is to talk about it.
I’m gonna be discreet in starting conversations. I’m not going to further bother those who indicate they aren’t open to talking about it. At the same time, I’m going to be discreet about my personal finances too (It’s not necessary to share personal financial figures and details– if the conversation gets uncomfortable for me then I’m going to calmly and politely stop the conversation at that point.) Some professionals will be open to talking about pay rates with a Software Development and Support Engineer. I can talk with them about it.
– Understood-how-to-get
In short, my way will be to regularly talk with colleagues (with other professional people) about what’s a professional pay rate, and about how to get a professional pay rate.
The purpose of this talking will be to continually learn and understand what is a professional high pay rate is, and to continually learn and understand how to get such a pay rate.
By iterating this type of conversation with professionals ongoing, what I’ll be doing is starting to define the quantifiable dollar amount of my desired pay rate. By continuing such conversations with colleagues, I’ll be continuing to define the quantifiable dollar amount of my desired pay rate.
What’s next? Getting and maintaining a high rate of pay. I’ll say it straight out– I haven’t yet figured out how to do this.
– Gotten and maintained.
I think attaining it will involve me to regularly and periodically asking for the pay rate. Asking for it from a person who has the power to give it to me, that is. I think maintaining it will involve maintaining a high degree of professionalism and acting like an entrepreneur. But I’m still figuring this part out.
Summary
To summarize, as a Software Development and Support Engineer, I need to want a high rate of pay, realize it’s a relationship with a dollar amount attached to it, discreetly & regularly talk about it with others, and ask for it. I posit these actions and habits are what a Software Development and Support Engineer should do to try to attain a high rate of pay, and thus are what I should do to get a high rate of pay.
Going forward, I’ll need to remember that even with any actions and habits, a high salary is somewhat out of my control, therefore I’ll still need to be persistent, be patient, and iterate.
As a Software Development and Support Engineer, I don’t know how to attain and maintain a high pay rate. Although I don’t know how to do so, and although I will not be able to do it alone, I can want it, define it, talk about it, think about how to get it, try to get it, and (, if gotten,) try to maintain it!
Edit: This post was previously published at: w̶i̶e̶l̶d̶l̶i̶n̶u̶x̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2016-07-01-career-remix-performance-salary.php
[2019 edit: Moved to: https://i̶n̶v̶e̶s̶t̶o̶r̶w̶o̶r̶k̶e̶r̶.̶c̶o̶m̶/2016/... .html.]