Some jobs simply don’t pay enough. In fact, we probably all feel we could do with a little bit more compensation from our roles. The Harvard Business Review tells the truth though – we actually have no fair idea of how much our work is worth and how much we should be paid! Have a look at this:
‘People are often wrong about how much they’re paid compared to the going market rate. Perceptions about pay don’t always reflect reality, even if employers are paying the same — or more — than similar companies. In fact, a whopping two-thirds of people who are being paid the market rate believe they’re actually underpaid, representing a huge discrepancy. This leads to our second finding: perceptions about pay play a significant role in an employee’s desire to leave your company. This may sound obvious, but our survey showed that “intent to leave” decreased in relation to how favorable an employee felt about their pay. For example, 60% of employees who perceived they were underpaid said they intended to leave, compared to only 39% of those who perceived they were overpaid. The bottom line is this: if you don’t communicate to your employees that they are being paid fairly compared to their talent market, they may leave.’
So not only are we wrong about how much we are earning, we could be considering leaving a company despite being paid our worth. That offers a completely useless stalemate though – you want to be paid more!
Thankfully, modern life and the technology it has brought can afford us many opportunities on the side. We can use our skills with tech and media to open new horizons for us. For example, if you’re a dab hand with a camera – you might consider a new career operating a camera! If you edit in your spare time, maybe you should be working alongside a director? Frankly, if you’re into video at all – you should get a video editing software suite right now and start boosting your skills for a great side venture (and here’s a camtasia discount coupon to get you started).
What about if you have a lot of knowledge to share? Screen recording apps can record your activities and render itself as a video to be uploaded. Tutorials are a great basis for a YouTube channel, a business and a website. Teach people your methods and you could pick up some decent cash on the side.
This goes for everything, video was just used as an example, but if you’re interested in writing, audio and photography – those skills can do the same for you. Sites like Upwork list quick freelance jobs for skilled workers so you can earn some decent money on the weekends when you are away from your full-time role.
There are always ways to earn money and if you are happy with your job, you don’t even have to leave it or ask for more cash to boost your pay packet. Look within and access your tech skills to earn more!
