This magazine's salary survey once again threatens to undermine employee-management relationships everywhere, unless we look at it for what it is: a survey.
Where Do You Fit in Reality?
This magazine's salary survey once again threatens to undermine employee-management relationships everywhere, unless we look at it for what it is: a survey.
Hi, Im Em. How much money do you make? Really?
How long have you been in the business? Are you
ahem
certifiable? Why, yes, Ill have a glass
of zinfandel. Im a Pisces, if you know what I mean.
Wasnt that SMS exam a bear? Hey, I like that sweater;
it goes well with your steely blue eyes, if you know what
I mean.
My fantasies of meeting all you MCPs will probably remain
just that. Wouldnt it be nice, though, for all of
us to get together one day, perhaps in the Rose Bowl or
maybe Rhode Island? Time was when you didnt need
a state to hold us all, but not any more. Were not
up there with auto workers, attorneys, or designers of
leisurewear for livestock, but there are lots of us building
and fixing solutions, building and fixing code, screaming
at inanimate objects, and drinking far too much coffee.
And we all want to know how much each of us makes compared
to the next MCP. This inquisitiveness isnt completely
based on pure greed; more like, how can you know what
rate or salary to ask for if you dont know what
the market will bear? Employee or consultant, we need
to know the lay of the land. Its smart business.
Since that Rhode Island rendezvous aint gonna happen
without a side trip through Fantasy Island, keep the latest
salary survey handy, and study it closely. Did you know
that a nearsighted, left-handed SQL DBA in the Mountain
States makes $73,957? Or that experienced NT troubleshooters
are so hard to come by in New York City that subway advertisements
offer a $20,000 bounty for those brought in with a pulse
and proof of certification? Or that the residents of a
small island in Vancouver Bay worship a set of NT 4.0
study guides? Or that if you play the NTWS CD backwards,
you hear a strangely-accented voice droning, The
Justice Department is a tool of Satan?
I know word sometimes gets around when youre on
a job about how much this person or that one is billing,
or about how much the new admins getting per week.
And weve all met the flashers, the ones who make
a point of letting everyone know loudly and publicly that
theyre getting $175 an hour. Curiously enough, Ive
met some of those who seem to have always just finished
a job and appear to be continually moving to the next
one. Either their price is too high for the quality of
service they deliver, or their customers dont appreciate
their attitude. Could it be that they should practice
a little discretion?
If youre making your business decisions based on
what you hear around the virtual watercooler, youd
be just as well off flipping a coin or reading goat entrails.
The reality is that you have to know your niche in the
marketplace, and when you first meet the customer/employer,
position yourself so they believe that within that niche,
youre worth the money youre asking for. This
is calledooooh, bad word comingmarketing.
To effectivelyooooh, here it comes againmarket
yourself, you have to know your complete skill set and
what its worth. Unless you have a solid basis for
billing those huge figures other people say theyre
getting, youre the one whos living on Fantasy
Island.
Now, as a salesperson, lets just say, this MCP
couldnt even get Granny to buy two boxes of Thin
Mints when I was a Girl Scout. Ive won some customers
when my skills and my rate were the right mix for them,
and Ive lost customers because my skills were light
in some particular area, but Ive never lost an opportunity
because I came in with a rate that was out of line with
the marketplace. Like you, Auntie wants to buy a private
island and retire to a life of ease and indolence as soon
as possible, but Im not going to get there without
having a constant handle on my real-world worth. And unless
you are a lot luckier than I amneither are you.
About the Author
Em C. Pea, MCP, is a technology consultant, writer and now budding nanotechnologist who you can expect to turn up somewhere writing about technology once again.