Dear Evil HR Lady,
Is it worth putting in extra time at the job for a small raise, or should I put the time into my side hustles to make more money?
A little background on myself. I’m a mid-twenties ( supervisor) working in a Fortune 500 company. I’m slated to take my boss’s job when his boss retires in two years.
It seems like these big companies just give everyone a 2 percent raise, but even if I got 5 percent it wouldn’t be a big difference compared to the money I can make putting it a little more time on my blog.
To read the answer, click here: Should I buck for a raise or do outside work?
Use your “free” time to pursue education relevant to your job. An MBA can be useful, but not always. Selected courses about satisfying customers, sales, and managerial accounting can provide valuable knowledge. Short courses covering supervisory skills, managerial skills, and leadership are often useful. Well recognized certifications can also be a big help. Sometimes there are relevant licenses one can earn. Doing these things shows your managers that you are exceptionally interested in improving yourself, gives you a bigger toolkit of techniques to use every day in your work, gives you a more advanced mindset about how to do your job, and will very likely improve the results you deliver to your employer. Bosses notice these things. Promotions and out of cycle salary increase can follow.
What are your long term goals? Right now it appears you are looking at them from a pure monetary standpoint but what do you want in the future and which path will best get you there, is a valid question to ask yourself.