Why jobs aren’t paying enough : personal experience

You’re working hard. You’re doing everything you were told to do. You show up on time, you hit your deadlines, you’re a good team member. And at the end of the month, you look at your bank account after paying for groceries, gas, and rent, and you just feel… tired.

You feel like you’re running a race, but someone keeps moving the finish line.

I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart: It is not your fault.

You’re not “bad with money.” You’re not “lazy.” You’re not “missing” some secret. You are a person trying to play a game where the rules have been quietly changed.

I want to share my experience, because I’ve felt that same, quiet frustration. And I want to talk to you about what I’ve learned.

My “Loyalty” Wake-Up Call

I had a job I was good at. I worked for the same company for almost four years. I genuinely liked my team, and I believed in the work we were doing.

Every year, I’d go into my annual review. “You’re a rock star.” “We couldn’t do this without you.” “You’ve exceeded all expectations.”

And then the “raise” would come: 2%. Maybe 3%, if it was a “good” year.

I would say “thank you” and go back to my desk, feeling a strange mix of pride and… something else. A hollow feeling.

I was getting “raises,” but the cost of my rent went up 10% in one year. The price of my car insurance, my groceries, my electric bill… all of it was going up faster than my “raise.”

I was getting paid more, but I was getting poorer.

The breaking point for me was a simple conversation. A new person was hired for my exact same role. We became work friends. And one day, the topic of salaries came up.

He was making 20% more than I was.

He wasn’t better at the job. He wasn’t more experienced. He was just new.

I felt sick. I felt betrayed. But most of all, I felt stupid. I had been loyal. I had kept my head down and worked hard, believing it would be rewarded. And it wasn’t.

The company wasn’t “evil.” They were just playing by the new rules. The new rule is: The lowest-cost employee is the one who is already there.

That day, I realized why jobs aren’t paying enough. It’s not just about inflation. It’s about a fundamental break in the “contract” we all thought we had with our employers.

Why You’re Feeling This (And Why It’s Not in Your Head)

I started digging, and it all started to make a sickening kind of sense. The problem is bigger than just one company.

1. The “Loyalty Tax” is Real The old idea was that a loyal employee was an asset to be rewarded. The new, unspoken rule is that a loyal employee is a cost to be managed.

Companies have budgets for “new hires” that are completely separate from their budgets for “annual raises.” They are willing to pay a high, competitive market rate to get someone in the door. But they are only budgeting a tiny slice to keep the people they already have.

The hard truth I learned is that, in today’s market, the single fastest way to get a big raise is to change jobs. They are taxing you for your loyalty.

2. We’re More Productive, But the Paycheck Doesn’t Show It You’ve probably heard this, but let it really sink in. For decades, worker productivity (how much “stuff” we create per hour) and worker pay went up together, side-by-side.

Then, starting a few decades ago, those two lines split. Productivity has continued to skyrocket. We are faster, more efficient, and creating more value than ever. But our pay has flatlined.

That extra value you’re creating… it’s just not going into your paycheck. It’s going to profits, to shareholders, to executive pay. So, you feel like you’re working harder for less, because you are.

3. “Cost of Living” Is Not a “Raise” This was my big “a-ha” moment. That 3% “raise” I got? It wasn’t a raise. It was a “cost-of-living adjustment.” And in a year where inflation is 5% or 8%, a 3% “raise” is actually a pay cut.

Your company is telling you, “You are 2% less valuable to us this year than you were last year.”

That’s why you feel like you’re falling behind. That’s why jobs aren’t paying enough.

What I’m Doing About It (And What I Hope You’ll Think About)

I don’t tell you this to make you feel hopeless. I’m telling you this because I care about you, and I want you to see the game you’re in. You can’t win a game if you don’t know the rules.

So, here are the new rules I live by. This is what I’m doing to take my power back.

1. I Stopped Thinking Like an “Employee” This was the most important change. I am not “part of the family.” I am a “business of one.”

My employer is my client. My primary client, yes, but still a client. I provide a high-value service (my skills) in exchange for an agreed-upon price (my salary). This isn’t cold or cynical; it’s professional. It protects my heart, and it protects my finances.

2. I Always Know My “Market Rate” I am always looking. I don’t mean I’m always applying, but I’m always watching. I look at job postings for my role every single month. I see what companies are paying. I even take an interview once or twice a year, just to see what I’m worth.

This isn’t about “leaving.” It’s about knowing. Knowledge is your power. The next time you ask for a raise, you’re not “asking.” You’re “informing” them of the current market rate for your services.

3. I Am Building My Own Thing This is the big one. I will never again let 100% of my security rest in one person’s hands.

I started building my own “value stack.” My job pays the bills, but I use my nights and weekends (not all of them, I’m not a robot!) to build my own assets. I’m learning new skills. I’m doing a little freelance work. I’m building a “faceless” YouTube channel (like we talked about).

This is my “escape hatch.” It’s my security. It’s the knowledge that if my “client” (my employer) stops paying me what I’m worth, I’m not trapped.

A Final Thought, From Me to You

I just want to say this one more time. You are not crazy. You are not failing.

You are a good person in a broken system. The anger and frustration you feel are justified. But don’t let it just sit there and eat you alive.

Let it be the fuel you use to change the game.

You are valuable. Your skills are valuable. And you deserve to be paid what you are worth. Please, start seeing yourself as the “business of one” that you are, and go get it.