In 2020, I separated from the military and began a job at a state university for $31.71 per hour. My boss has been fighting for a pay raise for both me and himself, and the university is trying their best not to pay us more. He pleaded with his boss, who said basically the only way to pay me more is to promote me to a higher pay scale, which would top out at $37.00 per hour. $31.71 in 2020 would be $37.10 today. That's the top end, the most I will ever make at this job. I will never earn more money relative to when I started working here. I have no future here.