Show me the money!

Soon after I started my second job as an IT consultant in the booming late 90s, I was making 36K. Pretty decent for a single 25-year-old in the Midwest. When I joined a fast-growing consulting company, I was still in the low double-digits of the company income roster even though I was a “hot” programmer – at least, I thought I was! Partying was the favorite pastime after work, and jobs were so plentiful you could put your resume out in the morning and have a new job by the afternoon. There was only one problem: I was on a work visa and could not switch employment easily.

One day someone told me that if I got certified I would earn double. “Hmm … double, you say? Well, why not!” I decided to pass the four grueling tests to get certified. It was not easy but I got it done. The next day during my lunch break I asked a friend of mine to accompany me to the company HQ to return some software CDs to the company library. And gee, I thought, while I am there I might as well ask for that raise! I figured I’d go in, drop off the CDs, ask HR for a raise, and be back to the client site in less than an hour.

After I returned the CDs, I said, “Look, Mr. HR Manager, people with this certification are making 60K plus. So how about it?” He took a long pause, sat back in his chair, and proceeded to make a phone call. I thought, “Man! this couldn’t be easier!” When he hung up about two minutes later he said, “Well, we thought it over, and we have to let you go. You are over-qualified for this position. We don’t want to hold you back now that you have this certification. Good luck and good bye!”

Hmmm. Not what I was expecting! After a few minutes and a pale face later, I proceeded to beg for my job back. Three hours after that, I was told I could keep my job at my then-present salary.

I left after a few weeks, after I found a new job and filed my work visa with the new employer. I guess the person who told me about my new market value forgot to mention the experience part!