Salary: Competitive

JimBlizz

I started Web Development with no experience and a degree. Starting salary for me was around 15k.

I am now earning near the top of your scale but that is after 5 years.

Jim

Googlewhacker

Hammyman wrote: »

If you'd come to work for me I'd be paying you at the bottom end because you're pretty much worthless to me other than not having to teach the basics as a lot of my IT work isn't stuff taught in University. You would require hand-holding for the first 12 months or so because you have no experience so do not have the ability to look at a set of problems and instantly know what is wrong.

For example, I had a customer yesterday drop off a laptop which kept freezing. I asked her how long she had owned it and she said 18 months. I replied it'd be ready in 30 minutes. How did I know it'd be done so quick with just that one question and without even turning on the machine? Because its in home use and in 99% of cases, once they get past 12 months the gap between the cooling fan and heatsink gets clogged up and is usually solid by 18 months. I whipped the bottom off the laptop and removed the pretty much expected rectangular block of solid fluff and dust, gave it a blow out, put it back together and ran stresstest on it.

You? Well your first point of call would have been to turn the computer on and see why Windows was crashing. You'd then fanny around in Windows for an hour or so trying to find a fault that didn't exist and then fanny around investigating hardware. In the meantime, I'd have been paying you for that first wasted hour and I've not only lost the wages for that hour but the profit for the job you'd been given plus the next one you could have fixed as well.

Many smaller businesses like mine can't afford to train people. We can do it if they're for free (intern) or on govt funded scheme and TBH, there are enough unemployed people with experience that we don't need to.

I understand your point but I feel that you may not be looking at students in the right light. Yes they should be bottom of the payscale but they are not worthless.

Also if you are paying them 18k compared to 28k means that if you get 64% of the work from them they are £ for £ as much value as your 28k guy, also long term they can be loyal and obviously the quicker they get the more value you get out of them.

I understand that this may not be possible if you are a small business but maybe something to consider if you increase in size

I have not just finished university either so am not biased on this view in that regard but I agree that as a post graduate the OP should really be looking to the bottom of the payscale for realism....especially in the current climate.

ALIBOBSY

The trouble with new starters who just have a degree is alot of the type of knowledge they need is simply not what they will learn on a degree, my Dad was an electrical engineer and he said the same thing about engineering degrees, both he and OH reckon you learn more in 6 months on the job than 3 (or4) years at uni.

Job after job in IT asks for experience, there are so many with degrees and other qualifications now as it was seen to be the "in thing" a couple of years ago leading to high numbers of applicants for jobs, so now the wages are being pushed down. I would say someone young and straight out of uni with no industry experience would be lucky to get 18k, certainly outside the south.

The op just needs to concentrate of getting a job first, treat each interview as an opportunity to improve your interviewing skills.

ali x

altin_2

Thanks for your points guys.

Will have to keep an open mind.

Premier_2

altin wrote: »

As I'm looking for a IT job, a few job-offers have the salary as competitive. ...

Something to consider.

When was the last time you ever saw a job advertisement that advertised the salary as uncompetitive ? :cool:

leahciM

TBH, I can sort of see what the OP is saying - at least part of the point.

I work on the creative end of media and many, many, many jobs are listed as "competitive," with very similar job descriptions.

The problem with this is, is that I don't want to go through the rigours of applying for a job that would mean a pay cut (which I wouldn't take) just because employers don't want to divulge their salary offer, and the wage differences can be HUGE - think some places offering the job role @20k and others offering the same job role @45k.

This isn't just with entry level positions either, I'm sharply headed towards mid-management (though it makes me sick to think of it like that, being an arty type )

bristol_pilot

There is nothing to stop you ringing up and asking for a 'salary indicator' - they probably won't download their salary policy but they may say something like '£XXk, top end'. I have done this a number of times and it has saved me the bother of applying for roles paying less than my current salary.

bristol_pilot

Entry-level for a grad with no experience is £25k-£28k in my Company btw. It's just that a lot of grads are applying for non-grad jobs at the mo.

axomoxia

I believe that "Competative" is usually shorthand for "As little as we can get away with". Personally I'd wait until they get to the offer stage before worrying about the salary - if they aren't offering enough, its still good for the ego to be wanted

Material_Girl_2

Why don't you speak to you career advisor at your uni and get some ideas what a competitive salary for a newly graduated IT Professional is? The most important thing is for now to get as much expierience as you can so long tem you'll be able to demand a much higher salary.