Ask HN: Are there any advantages to being underpaid? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Are there any advantages to being underpaid?

3 pointsyowmamasita10 comments

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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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.

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.

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?

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!"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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