I don’t want to settle

There haven’t been any good jobs advertised in the last 2 days. It’s kind of depressing. But I’m keeping a positive approach to this whole situation. I just started seriously looking for work a few weeks ago, after all.

I told BF that I don’t want to settle for a job that doesn’t pay me the salary that I want. I think he thinks I’m being silly when I told him the salary range I’m looking for. I don’t think I’m entitled to a certain salary, but I do think that if I’m patient, I’ll get what I’m looking for. And it’s not like I haven’t gotten jobs in that salary range – I’ve gotten 3 jobs in that salary range before – one I got fired from for being a piss poor writer (even though writing wasn’t even in the job description!) and not fitting in, one was a 1-year contract, and the other I turned down. So it can happen. I just need to wait.

And no, it’s not always about the money … it’s about the experience that the company will give me – and it’s about being happy at my job. But with the goals that I’ve set for myself over the next few years, no matter how fulfilling my job is, I don’t think I would be happy if I wasn’t getting adequately compensated. Does that make me an awful person?

I feel like so many times, people sell themselves short. They settle for the low paying job because that’s all they think they’re worth – or they don’t ask for the raise because they’re too scared. I might be shy and timid in some aspects of my life, but in the work place, I ask for what I want. Maybe that might be considered conceited or greedy or righteous, or me being a bitch … and you might be right. But if you don’t ask for what you want, you won’t get it, right?

The bottom line, drop-dead salary I would consider would be $42k – what I’m making right now. The job market is flush with employers desperate to hire competent, skilled employees, and I’m fairly confident that if I keep searching, I’ll find a position that pays me what I’m ideally looking for (around $48-50k). And I don’t think that’s unreasonable either.