Posting with a throw away account to maintain anonymous.
So as the title suggests, I question if I am making the money I should be for my skillset, age, and experience. I figure you guys might provide some insite.
I've worked for this current company almost 5 years. Overall im happy there and would like to stay put. I find my work rewarding, and have mutually earned respect with most of management.
I'm a young millenial with an associates degree in mechanical engineering, and I have 8 years of experience as a machinist running manual and CNC machine tools.
At my current job I am a manual machinist / fabricator. I am very good at what I do and as a result down stream manufacturing is easier, production is faster, and scrap is lower. I've trained multiple people in different roles and I'm actively training under our toolmaker with the expectation to fill his role when he retires.
Management over the last 4.5 years has directly acknowledged my value both verbally and with salary increases, but with the cost of rent, gas, and utilities im just barely getting by.
So the question is, should I be asking for a higher salary, or is it time to get a second job?
I should also mention the company is kind enough to cover my health Insurance premium, so I don't have anything deducted from my check.
Started at $29k a year, i'm now at $46k as of 6 months ago.
Thoughts?