conversation: User (snubenhymer): "I work as a consultant in the tech industry and have been at my job for exactly a year.  When entering this position I admit I had foolishly accepted a salary lower than I knew I was entitled to, being told that I would grow and earn more.  FYI I have both a bachelor's and master's degree in relevant fields of this position.\n\nYesterday my HR rep sends me my raise letter, but had forgot to unsplit the PDF which contained everyone's raise letter.  I find out that not only am I still vastly underpaid (by at least 15k according to market value), that coworkers in the same position as I am who were hired months after me and still know less are making over 20k more than what I am.\n\nThe only thing I can think of as a reason would be their age + their previous job's salaries.  I'm 28 years old and my coworkers are both over 35.  But neither of them have Master's nor do they have as much experience or knowledge at my company than I do.  \n\nHow would you handle this situation?  I am planning on speaking with the COO of the company to request a reevaluation, but I'm not expecting that he would do the right thing.\n\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nEdit: ~~I am under no circumstances planning to base my request for a salary review on the salaries of my colleagues. It's unfortunate that I saw their salaries to begin with but I know it's not a justification to be paid more than ever.~~  I'm speaking of a salary increase based on my own qualifications as well as my knowledge and production I've already proven I have. I want at least market value due to being a more experienced employee in my role than the people they know are paying more than I am.  \n**Okay, so I've been reading hundreds of comments saying it would be a mistake to not include this knowledge in my negotiation to management.  If it's truly the best course of action in terms of leverage, I'll consider at least adding it to my list of reasons why I should be paid more, but without making it the main reason.  Thank you for that piece of advice.**\n\nEdit:  I have 7 years in professional IT experience prior to this job.  I am not entry level. I'm just young.  Also I'm not using my Master's as the sole basis for higher pay.  I'm using it as additional evidence of my overall worth to my company and any other.\n\nEdit:  Thank you everyone for your input.  The majority piece of advice here is to look for another job with a higher salary and either take it if it's better or use it as leverage for higher pay at my current job.  The resume is going out and I'll be seeing what else I can get as well as be a better salary negotiator the next time around.\n\n\n**UPDATE**\nHey people.  Just wanted to say that I had applied for another job and just received an offer!  The offer is exactly the salary I was requesting at my current job (+15k) plus several more other incentives including mentorship and a better medical plan.  Thank you to those who emphasized not to reveal my current salary.  They gave a little push back when I told them I didn't want to submit that information, but they were alright with it in the end.  Again, thank you everyone who gave their input.  Bottom Line:  **KNOW YOUR WORTH AND DON'T SETTLE FOR LESS**"
  Self: "You aren't entitled to the same pay as everyone else so long as the reason you're paid differently isn't because you're a member of a protected class. You accepted a position at a lower pay rate than you should have. That's on you.\n\nIf I were you, I wouldn't request a raise because everyone else makes more. If you're going to request a raise, do so based on merit - so don't go in and ask for an absurd raise just to "match" everyone else; rather, tell them why you deserve a reasonable raise and work over time to get your salary where you want it to be. "
  PM_YOUR_BOOBS_PLS_ (PM_YOUR_BOOBS_PLS_): "Well, "age" is a protected class.  It's usually meant to mean elderly, but if it works in one direction, it works in the other direction, too."
  Self: "Nothing here suggests that OP is being discriminated against because of his age. Just because he's younger than everyone else doesn't mean that he's being discriminated for that reason - more likely, per the original post, they have more experience than he does and make more money for that reason. They also probably didn't accept such a low starting salary. "
  mike_hawks (mike_hawks): "Also I find that sometimes people overvalue certifications or degrees.  In my field, experience would trump masters degrees by a long shot."
  sirin3 (sirin3): "But OP said he has more experience, too"
  ChillyCheese (ChillyCheese): "His punctuation implied they don't have as much experience *at the current company*. Given their age, and that they don't have Master's degrees, it's entirely possible they have ~10 years experience in the field, which is generally worth more than ~2 years experience and a Master's. I think OP is overlooking that, and his pay is probably fairly in-line for years of experience."
  