art on one dollar bills
A good jump to 2012 was getting my BIG FAT MOFO raise. It was no easy task and even though I deserved it, it was LOOOOOOOOOOONG overdue, this was something I had to step up to ask for if I wanted it.
I had literally spent months researching online best and professional ways of how one should ask for a raise. There’s a lot of good info out there, I will say, but this is how I ended up asking for a raise.
I had spent all of 2011 being loyal and falling for who is perhaps the most selfish man (really child in man’s body) in Chicago. Right before the holidays, I was hurt, sad, depressed, it was my favorite time of year and I was absolutely NOT feeling it. I woke up one morning in a bad mood as usual, on top of being sad, I was now mad, not just over the coward shithead I was involved with, but because of work too. It was bad enough to get out of bed every morning feeling depressed, but it made it worse to have to go into a job that I absolutely bust my ass for and hadn’t received a pay increase in 3 years not to mention my pay grade was well below the average of my profession. Pretty much I was feeling fed-up with shit.
Everyone says, “It’s hard times right now, a lot of companies aren’t giving annual pay increases at the moment, be grateful to have a job… blah, blah and blah.” I am eternally grateful for having a job, especially one as a graphic designer. I know there are lot of people who studied graphic design and do not have a job in their field, so yes, I do understand how hard it is out there. However, I am no fool, greed is what runs this world, it’s not like back in the old times where companies did truly value their employees and higher ups had no problem distributing the wealth to the very employees that contributed to the success of the company. It’s not like that anymore, there are way too many companies these days that will get away for as long as they can with giving no pay increases and will milk the “state of the economy” excuse for as much as it’s worth.
Well, one morning before the Christmas holidays, I had a meeting with my manager to review project lists, which of course I dragged my feet to because frankly I just wasn’t in the mood to socialize with anyone, even if it was about work. As the meeting was about to end and seriously with NO thought to it, the words “I need a raise…” just came flowing out. I walked in that meeting not at all prepared or even planning to ask for a raise, but I remember thinking to myself, “F*ck this, I’m tired of this sh*t!” and so I asked for a raise. The conversation lasted about 20 minutes, my manager is a great person, a woman I enjoy working for and was in full support, but of course, as Corporate America works, it’s always the people who sit in a big fancy office all day, who don’t know one employee from the next to decide who’s deserving of the company wealth.
My request was in talks for 2 months and a few days, mainly because of the amount I asked for. Never mind that the due diligence proved how underpaid I was, that didn’t matter, my request wasn’t a simple yes.
Finally, my answer came through and I was given my pay increase with a condition, but a good condition. I do feel accomplished, more so because I know what my manager had to do and go through to get this request fulfilled for me, and that’s more of an honor to me than any amount of money. When a superior goes to bat for you and hits hard, you know it’s because they see your work as irreplaceable, too valuable to lose and that tells me I’m doing something extremely right. It gives me a boost of confidence in my work. As a Graphic Designer, that’s a great thing.
YAY ME! :-)
