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A mentor in Denver told me to never take a promotion without a raise, and I think that's bad advice.

He said it over coffee after a project meeting, insisting it devalues your work. But I took a lead role without extra pay for six months, and it directly led to a 20% salary bump later. Has anyone else moved up first and gotten paid later?
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3 Comments
jamie_price
Wait you did that for SIX MONTHS? That's a crazy long time to work a harder job for free. Glad it worked out but man, that's a huge risk. Most places would just keep piling work on you without ever paying up. Your mentor's advice sounds way safer for most people.
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paul_stone29
Right? Six months without pay is wild. Glad it worked out for them but that's a huge gamble.
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milesrobinson
Man, six months is practically a full season of a TV show that got cancelled. @jamie_price is right that most places would just keep piling work on you for free, but honestly I think the real gamble is trusting any company to actually come through later. I've seen too many places promise "exposure" or "future pay" that never materializes. Six months without a single check sounds like a way to build resentment, not a career. Good for them that it paid off, but I wouldn't recommend anyone try that unless they've got a trust fund or something. That's just unpaid overtime with extra steps.
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