Get Paid What You Are Worth

The other day I ran into someone who had been promoted in a job with a fairly large company. When I heard what she was making I about died. She was paid litterly double what the intern was making and yet she had the title Manager in her title. I won’t tell you what the rate was but is not livable in the DC area. I made me think back to some advice my good friend Jenni Bowman once gave.

“Ask for more money. Always. Unless you honestly feel excited about what they tell you they'll pay you. Make yourself a realistic budget and then do jobs that will pay you enough to live. If you do this you'll make more money faster.”

That was a quote she gave me to share with my Thespian Students at the MO State Thespian Conference. Jenni is so right. Make a reasonable budget for yourself and decide what you need to live. If you can’t make at least that much then you shouldn’t take the job unless you can find ways of other income while holding that job.

Ask if you are on the same playing field as people in other departments with the same type of job. That is a fair question and it is fair that you are within 2-5k of those people. We are work in theatre because we love it. But we already get paid below other industries so I encourage you to look hard at the salary and make sure you have enough to live.