Let Me Tell You How Much I Earn

If you are graduating college, or in the market for a new job, you are likely consumed with thoughts and questions about salary and compensation. The Internet, while immensely helpful in all other walks of life, is silent and inadequate when it comes to researching what you can expect to earn. Websites like glassdoor.com and salary.com offer scraps of questionable information, but ultimately leave you feeling unsatisfied and, still, uninformed. We hold our earnings close to the vest; a pride-filled generational practice handed down since the first early hunters and gatherers were promoted to tribe leaders.

Last month I had lunch with a friend who said, in the course of relevant conversation, “Let me tell you what I earn”. And he did. And it was refreshing. Partly because it was important to the conversation and allowed us to finish what we had begun, but partly because people just don’t do that. I have discussed life, love, loss and more with my closest friends, but I have never honestly imparted to them what I earn in a year. Though merely a curiosity amongst friends, earnings and the lack of consistency and transparency associated with it, can be frustrating when planning for the future.

One of the most common questions I’m asked when speaking as a representative of my baseball team, is “what do you think of the exorbitant salaries in Major League Baseball?” My answer is this: Baseball players are paid accordingly with the level of revenue their contribution generates, not relative to their physical, mental or emotional contribution to the game. They play baseball. For 4 hours each day. And not every day. But they contribute to a greater sum of parts that generates more than 8 billion dollars annually. The case you make for the salary you want or need should be directly relative to your contribution. And it’s your job, when interviewing for a job, to promote that correlation.

Here’s the thing: The job you are seeking is likely going to offer less than you are hoping. And as a job-seeker, you likely need the job more than the job needs you. Exceptions? Yes. Many? No. While industries vary wildly, and earnings potential fluctuates, you are almost always likely to be underwhelmed.

There is good news, though: You are in charge of your own destiny. If you have the opportunity to interview for a job, you have the opportunity to advocate for your needs, and to put yourself in a position to get what you want. While information on salary and pay scale may fall short, you can gain a strong understanding of the position for which you’re applying, and how your skill set will allow you to excel in that position. And help you make more money for said company. And for yourself.

Control that which you can control.

Mike Abramson is the General Manager for the Hartford Yard Goats Minor League Baseball team, Double-A Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. You can follow him on Twitter at @YardGoatsGM.