When I worked at my previous company, I remember being very happy with my compensation when I first started working, even though I was only making $17 an hour. I went from being a welder at another job to a welding inspector with this company. From there, I got several other certifications because I was told I would earn more money. I was now certified to be a masonry inspector, material tester, and lastly, a reinforced concrete inspector. My company was right, I was earning more money than I ever had, but that was because I was working 50-60 hours a week, not because I was earning more per hour. I remember walking into my manager’s office two years after I started, and requesting a raise. At the time, I was making $19 an hr, and my manager told me I would not be getting a raise.
As a Special Inspector (this was my formal title), we are the eyes and ears or the boots on the ground for the Engineer of Record (EOR) who designed the building. Whether it was schools, hospitals, or office buildings, we were letting the EOR know that these specialty items were being built to code and the contract drawings. This came with a lot of responsibility, and I realized quickly that earning $19 an hour was not enough. I was not motivated enough to take on that type of responsibility.
I was working a lot, sacrificing a lot of time and effort for the company. I felt overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. I started looking around for other opportunities and learned that if I got more certifications, I could go to work elsewhere. I studied a lot, took the exams, and got the certifications that I wanted. This made me look appealing to potential employers and landed me a job with my current company. My current hourly rate is triple what I started out at with the previous company, and needless to say, I am much happier now.
As a Special Inspector (this was my formal title), we are the eyes and ears or the boots on the ground for the Engineer of Record (EOR) who designed the building. Whether it was schools, hospitals, or office buildings, we were letting the EOR know that these specialty items were being built to code and the contract drawings. This came with a lot of responsibility, and I realized quickly that earning $19 an hour was not enough. I was not motivated enough to take on that type of responsibility.
I was working a lot, sacrificing a lot of time and effort for the company. I felt overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. I started looking around for other opportunities and learned that if I got more certifications, I could go to work elsewhere. I studied a lot, took the exams, and got the certifications that I wanted. This made me look appealing to potential employers and landed me a job with my current company. My current hourly rate is triple what I started out at with the previous company, and needless to say, I am much happier now.