Is it wise to ask for a raise after one year working at the company? I really like my job and I don't want to seem ungrateful but in general I feel like my hourly wage sucks. It took six years to get my university degree (in law) and my wage is only marginally better than what it was when I worked a part-time job (teaching ESL) at undergraduate level. It's not exactly that my company pays low wages, it's just that lawyers who have less than ten years of experience are heavily overworked, underpaid and taken advantage of where I'm from.