But of course I’ll never leaving you hanging…

@Savvy Scot – YES!!! Loving that international training you pulled for, way to go! That’s dope.
@Parvinder@Readtoawake – I agree – I feel like it’s getting more and more competitive out there, and you’ve gotta be stepping up your game if you want to keep advancing.
@Lance @ Money Life and More – Haha, for sure – It’s def. not for all fields :) But I’m sure you can still push the envelope in other ways with the more conservative companies.
@William @ Drop Dead Money – Oh yeah – if you can’t handle No’s then you need to start working on other aspects of your life first :) Most successful people fail more than they do succeed! At least at first.
@Budget & the Beach – Yeah, there are def. times when you have to suck it up and just stay with the status quo if your job and money is on the line/etc, but as long as you know it’s a phase and you won’t get stuck there forever, then I don’t see any problem with it :) When things pick up again then it’s time to start getting creative again and challenging the rules!
@LB @ Finanical Black Sheep – Haha… a semi-win! ;) That’s pretty cool you were able to stay for so long though and that YOU were the one who left! That takes courage in and of itself.
@Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager – None – they had to pause hiring before they got to that point.
@Christa – Yup! That’s all you can really do too… put it out there and see if the world accepts it :) And at least people know where he stands for the future too, which can also prove beneficial.
@Matt – Heck yeah! Agreed. Especially when all you’re incouraging them to do sometimes is DO THE WORK THEY’RE GETTING PAID TO DO anyways! Haha… If you can’t even do the minimum, why the heck do you think you deserve a raise? You probably shouldn’t even be WORKING here! Haha…
@Household Budget Geek – Wow – that’s pretty crazy though! You did all the work and killed it, and your friend reaped the rewards, haha… you’re good to him! :) But congrats on the new gig and all that hustling too! It’s the only way to move up in the world these days – ya gotta bring something better to the table than all the other jokers (and fortunately for us, there are a LOT of jokers out there, haha…). Keep rockin’. And thanks for reading my blog :)

I’m a big fan of your blog!

I once worked for a small software company who’s support team consisted of two people, myself and another guy who despite having been with the company for several years never received a raise (he wouldn’t dare ask).

The company didn’t review my salary as promised after my first year – citing poor economic conditions at the time. I spent the rest of the year working hard to make myself more valuable to the company by upgrading my skills and taking on more work and responsibilities.

After my second year I asked them for a raise but this time I presented them with a written offer of employment that I had received from another software company who was willing to pay me about 7K more per year than I was currently being paid for the same type of work.

I turned myself into an invaluable employee over the past year and had gone above and beyond for them. I was very confident they would match the other company’s offer but to my shock and horror they did NOT. I promptly accepted the other offer and gave them two weeks notice.

A few months later I spoke my former co-worker and found out he got a big fat raise shortly after I left the company (he didn’t even have to ask for it).

In the end, I got a raise not just for myself but one for my good friend as well, all because I wasn’t afraid to ask for what I want and by having a backup plan.

The only problem was I was given new projects every other day, because I guess my boss felt I needed more problems to solve. By then I had taken so much time away from college, I was at finals week without realizing it. I had so much work to catch up on at my job and school that I finally had to let the job go. By then my boss wouldn’t let me take time off for finals, even though the company still needed to save money by cutting hours. Not sure why he wouldn’t let me take time off, after I got my hours back. Either way, I think next time I will be more creative and find the company money, but shoot for more than just an hourly increase and basic benefits back. Oh well, you have to learn some time. I did get what I wanted; I just forgot about school in the process. :p