u/reruns_skein

Okay, I've been working at a fairly large retail company for about five years now. This job was my first real step into the world of corporate finance, starting in the Accounts Payable department as an 'entry-level finance assistant'. I understood that the initial salary was low (around $17 an hour) because I was new and just wanted to get my foot in the door. I've consistently put in effort and always received the highest ratings in my annual reviews, yet, when I finally got promoted to a senior team member position (not a manager yet, mind you), my raise was barely a 2 dollar and half. On top of that, our standard annual raise was only 4%. This barely covers inflation, and when a colleague brought this up with our manager, she simply dismissed his concerns, stating they were striving for fairness.

My company offers tuition reimbursement, and I'm committed to them for another 11 months before I finish my bachelor's degree, so leaving now isn't an option. I had an associate's degree when I started, and I figured it made sense to continue my education when they offered to cover the costs. The company culture is very good, and I'm happy with the people I work with, but the salaries are a real weakness. I know I've been too lenient. Currently, I'm making about $22 an hour after more than five years here, despite handling all incoming shipment forecasts for the entire company, detailed reporting, budget preparation, and many other complex analytical tasks.

I have a meeting with my team lead today. How can I politely yet firmly explain that my salary needs to reflect my true performance and the value I add? I have less than a year left to get my bachelor's degree, and fortunately, there's no commitment requiring me to stay with them afterward. My hope was to at least earn a salary somewhat closer to my true worth, even during this final period. So, I think I'll continue to advocate for myself now.

Also, if anyone has any advice on securing a job in data insights or business intelligence, I'd be very grateful to hear if I might find better opportunities there. I'm completely open to learning SQL, and frankly, finance isn't my life's passion. However, I genuinely enjoy researching and delving into large datasets. A role in marketing has always been a quiet thought in the back of my mind, especially since my bachelor's will be an accounting degree with a marketing concentration.