Pay Me In Work Experience, Please!

While I was working in one of my old jobs years ago, I remembered having a conversation with one of my coworkers. This was during the time at my old job when I was taking on more and more responsibilities at the company but not getting the financial compensation to match the increased responsibility (and this company was notorious for paying their employees as little as possible). I do not remember the specifics of the conversation, but I asked him why he does not try to earn more money working somewhere else, or fight for a raise in this company. He is a smart and hard worker, and certainly deserves the financial reward for his contributions. I distinctly remember his answer to this day.

He says that he is working here to gain experience, rather than to specifically make money.

What is working "for experience"? Are you trying to get your foot in the door in a specific field or company? Are you trying to gain knowledge in something that you can use later? I can think of two obvious examples where it is okay to work for experience. The first example is that you are a teenager or immigrant and need to get to get a job, because you must start somewhere. The other example is that you are a company or entrepreneur, and you want to attract a specific client with your services. You price your services to the client at a potential loss in the hopes that the client can recommend you to other potential clients.

My old coworker and myself already worked at this company for several years and already have a healthy amount of work experience at this job, and at previous jobs. At this point, gaining additional experience meant little, and for me, it was time to look after myself more in a financial sense. 

When I see someone and they mention that they are working specifically for the job experience, I see that as a green light for the companies they are working for to take advantage of them. Oh, you want to work for the job experience? Here are a bunch of additional responsibilities and you are not going to get additional compensation to match your workload. This can cause untold amounts of stress and can lead to workplace burnout. This is what happened to me in my old company, but I was able to eventually break the cycle, and now I am working somewhere where I receive more compensation and do not have to deal with the same stresses.

I am probably of a pessimistic mind about this, but I believe that most companies will do whatever it takes to exploit their workers by adding more and more responsibilities, while not financially compensating them appropriately. This is why I feel like the best way to advance your career is to spend 2-3 years at a company, and then find a higher-paying job elsewhere and repeat the process.

It is okay for you to be a mercenary and provide your skills and services to the highest bidder, because in this hyper-capitalist society, you cannot pay your bills with work experience.