Key Takeaways
- Some people think if they learn something new, that it equals a pay raise at their job, but it really depends upon the relevance of that skill to that person’s workplace.
- If you learn a new skill that has nothing to do with your job, like getting a new degree that isn’t required for your job, then you shouldn’t expect a pay increase.
- If you are looking for a pay increase, ask your employer what skills they value, and what their customers and clients value, so you can focus on learning those skills.
The other day, I did the dishes without being asked and I thought I should get something for that because hey, I wasn’t asked to do them! Of course, my spouse’s response was, “That’s part of your job, you don’t get anything for that!”
I bring this story up because a lot of times, as an employer, I’ll have employees that get new skills and they immediately assume they are going to get a pay increase because of it. However, many times, it’s not a skill we are paying for. It might be more of a long-term skill that benefits the individual employee, but not necessarily the company.
There’s been a few surveys out there that cover this upskilling question, and the younger respondents say, “Hey, if I get a new skill, I should be paid more,” while the older respondents are saying, “If I get a new skill, it’s just to make sure I can stay in the workplace.” I think a lot of this comes with age. Younger people think, “Hey, I’m spending a lot of time learning something new, so I should get paid for it.”
The point is relevance to the job, and there’s short-term and long-term. If you go out and get educated for a goal beyond where you are currently working because you want to move in to a different job, that’s not going to get you a pay increase in your current job. However, if what you get educated in is relevant to your current job, your employer could possibly give you a pay raise for that.
Quite frankly, there’s a minimum level of continual upskilling that is required in the workplace, because everything is constantly changing, so you have to learn new technology just to stay abreast of things, not for additional pay increases. The pay increase comes when you gain pointed skills that help you create more value. This is really about driving more value, typically to customers or clients. So if you create more value for your company, then you can ask for that pay raise. Getting an MBA, or getting another degree or skill that has nothing to do with your current job isn’t going to get you that.
It’s really important to be clear about what it is you are going to upskill, based on your goals. Ask your employer what they value and what will bring value to the company and focus on getting skills relative to that. Then you can be sure to get the pay increase you are looking for.
Until next time, enjoy!