u/AffectionateLaw3573

The situation is pretty much as the title says. My team recently talked about salaries and money. No one stated their exact salary directly, but a colleague mentioned his tax bracket and a few other details, which made it clear that he earns at least 18% more than I do.

I was part of his interview process and the hiring decision, and I also trained him on our internal tools and on many parts of his day-to-day work. Now we do the same role, on the same team, with the same responsibilities.

I have an upcoming salary review with one of the directors, and I'm trying to decide whether bringing up that my colleague is paid more than me will help my case or just make the conversation awkward. Should I mention it directly, or should I focus only on my work and value?

I'm in the final months of my university journey, and it really hurts that I genuinely don't know what's next. I'm about to finish a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences. The subject matter is interesting, but I'm not sure if I truly love it or not.

Honestly, I thought I'd eventually pursue postgraduate studies, and that would sort everything out. Maybe I'd become a lawyer or an academic. The truth is, I probably won't find a job as a high school teacher. I even thought about using my degree for a postgraduate program, but I doubt I'll find a place.

I feel like I've thrown my college years away. I didn't do any significant internships or participate in any research projects. My grades were just okay, not amazing, and I wasn't close to professors, so I don't have any connections or recommendations. The best thing I did was participate in a few student activities and helped a needy family with their social support over the past few months. If I asked for a recommendation for a Master's now, I'd feel like I'm wasting time, because I honestly don't think I've done anything worthwhile.

Despite all this, I genuinely worked hard to be active in these groups and maintain my grades, all while dealing with financial problems and personal psychological difficulties. I'm completely lost about my life's direction. My strongest motivation has always been helping people, and the frustrating thing is that this often doesn't feel like a reliable career path on its own.

My parents have high hopes for me, as I'm the first in the family to attend university, but now I might find myself working in a restaurant or going back to study at an institute, even with my degree, just to find any stable job. On top of all this, I currently have about $35,000 in student loans. I feel like education used to promote the idea that a degree from a respectable university in a nice field would solve all of life's problems. Instead of solving anything, it left me with empty arrogance, massive debt, and a deteriorating mental state.