Tl;dr I saw a job posting by my company for my position but the salary range is 15-35k/year more than what I'm currently making.
My colleagues and I have been feeling overworked for months. Small company and there have been some pregnancies over the last year so my workload has been fluctuating while covering for my colleagues who are out. My boss finally put an ad out and started interviewing people. I, being a curious cat and avid follower of this sub, knew I had to look up that job posting and I'm glad I did.
When I applied for my job in 2021, the post had a salary range of $50-60k for someone with 3+ years of experience in the field. They offered me the job at 45k because I technically had with 0 experience in their niche field, but three years of experience in a similar field. I was up for a raise this year and they bumped my pay by $10k (to $55k). I asked for more, but I was satisfied with the amount (at least it covers inflation).
Now, 2 months post-raise I see an almost identical job posting to the one I applied for, but the salary range is $70-90k for someone with 3+ years experience preferred. AA degree required. Now I know I have a little over 1 year of experience in this particular field, but I have almost a decade of relevant work experience. The three years of experience in a similar field and then teaching and research experience for 6 years prior to that. I have a BA and other credentials.
I honestly don't know what to do or how to navigate this. My friend says I should get a career coach but I don't think I can afford one. I really don't want a new job as I like my colleagues and truly enjoy what I do (when I'm not overworked). Any advice?
p.s. thanks for letting me vent 🙂
Edit* p.p.s. I'm a younger millennial and I work with people who are primarily gen x. They view salary discussions as taboo. My boss was surprised when I asked for a $15k increase. But I came ready with numbers and that impressed her so she agreed to the $10k increase (from 45k to 55k). She made it seem like that was the absolute best she could do. That's why seeing this job posting was so jarring to me.