PHP/MySQL Developer pay raise or new job?

Question

Ok, so I have been doing web development since 16 and am currently 20. I've been working the past year at this firm. It's a pretty small company.

I started out as an intern and am still an intern after a year. I worked full time in the summers and during breaks (still in college) and part time while in school.

My problem is that I feel I don't get paid enough. There are other interns here that get paid the same amount I do (15$/Hr) for doing word processing and submitting forms. I've put up with it for the past year but it's starting to get on my nerves.

I've developed over three fully functional websites for them, one being a fully PHP/MySQL site with users, three huge databases and the bells and whistles.

Past like month the pay has been bothering me as I feel I have proven myself so I've been coming in slightly late because I'm just not motivated enough, my bosses just brought that issue up to me about my current lateness (15 minutes). Should I find a new job or ask for a rais

Answer 1

I don't know what you get paid, so it's difficult for me to comment on this objectively.

Do you have any formal training or certification? It's not necessary, but it helps when negotiating a salary.

If you've had LESS than a FULL YEAR of experience, it would be tacky for you to ask for a raise. But if you've had a full year or more on the job...

If you feel strongly about the issue, bring it up with your employer. Discuss the fact that you think you have a higher skill set than the other interns. Ask them how valuable the applications you wrote are to the company.

When trying to get a raise, it's important to stress the VALUE that YOU bring to the company. You're selling yourself as a product. Make yourself as valuable as you can. Make your bosses see that they really couldn't get along without you. And be a team player. As a developer, I always believed that my mission was to enable everyone else to be able to do their job as easily as possible.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Tardiness does not help your case. Employers, even of interns, want to see maturity and quality work before granting any kind of raise. If your employer is already approaching you about attendance, you are likely already in trouble and will not get the compensation you feel you deserve (and by all indications you likely do deserve).

It is likely that you need to document your experience in a different manner and start fresh with a new employer and not as an intern. Interns in many cases are treated like indentured servants. At least you got paid - a couple of young ladies I know received only a tiny stipend for their internship at an architectural firm.

Rewrite your resume and take examples of your work if possible. Find your best reference which may be a client for whom you did the website. Do NOT quit...but start looking discreetly.

Answer 3

I'm an Oracle DBA and UNIX / LINUX administrator . I've been doing this for about 12 years now and it's been my experience that companies don't ever fork out more "cake" unless you force them...that is, find another job paying more and see if they will match or beat it. And if you think about it, why should they? If they have you doing the job for your current pay...where is their incentive to increase your salary? Look at it this way, if you get another job offer and they pony up and pay you more, it means they appreciate you and the job you do. If they let you take off for greener pastures then you didn't have anything anyway. Also too, some of your problem is your age....companies always assume they can get younger guys for less money. They just don't look at young guys the same as older folk. But I always "test the waters" periodically just to keep my job hunting skills up and who knows, it might really pay off.