Let’s start with a confession. I’ve been guilty of this one since the beginning of my career. When I first graduated from college, I was appalled to be offered a starting salary of $22K as an entry-level PR account coordinator. I was an A student at Northwestern, and “I deserved better.” A few years down the line, I had proven myself at a Fortune 500 software firm and had been promoted into middle management. But I was frustrated because I was often given assignments that no one else wanted. “I deserved better.” This past winter, when it came time to sell a new book, I flat out refused several offers that I perceived as too low. I felt like I had already paid my dues writing books for nothing. “I deserved better.”
Here’s the thing. We don’t deserve anything. Working hard means that sometimes we get the results we want, and sometimes we don’t. That’s just life. You may think that you deserve a higher salary, a heftier price for your product, or a more substantial fee for your service, but the market pays what it pays, and it’s usually nothing personal. In a capitalist society, people aren’t entitled to success and the compensation we receive isn’t always based on parity.
As I’ve told myself repeatedly, beware of irrational expectations. There’s no use complaining about the way things should be and railing against God, the establishment, or your nasty boss. You (and me) will be a lot happier accepting the reality and figuring out a way to move on from there.
"In a capitalist society, people aren’t entitled to success and the compensation we receive isn’t always based on parity."
Great point. To many graduates these days expect to get paid a huge salary without having really proven themselves. On the flip side they have been told since they were kids they were special and deserved what they expect. Just a tough situation all around, but you are right, in a capitalist society, there is no entitlement and the more it is merit, achievement, and hard-work based, the better. Thanks for the post!
Marcos
http://www.marcossalazar.com
Posted by: Marcos Salazar | September 26, 2008 at 09:41 PM
Marcos, great to see you again, and thanks for your comment. I agree that the deserving-ness is more prevalent among the younger generation because of the way they were raised.
Posted by: Alexandra Levit | September 29, 2008 at 02:26 PM
Wow, this is a spectacular post! I agree, your work/house/product is only worth what someone will pay for it. Part of knowing what you're worth is knowing what the market value of your skills is. If the job market is tough, sometimes it's better to just be thankful for your bird in hand!
Posted by: Erika with Qvisory | September 29, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Hi Erika, I think "a bird in the hand" is something people tend to have trouble with, along with "the grass is always greener." I guess they are cliches for a reason. :)
Posted by: Alexandra Levit | October 02, 2008 at 09:03 PM
Alex, Alex, Alex. You're obviously wrong. Gen Y doesn't have to pay dues. And it must be true. I read it on their blogs.
Posted by: Recruiting Animal | October 08, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Well, Animal, I keep fighting the good fight...
Posted by: Alexandra Levit | October 15, 2008 at 02:17 AM