Q. Where did you get the salary figures for news reporters in Wheeling, W.Va.? When I worked at a nearby television station, a starting reporter could expect to make much less than the Salary Wizard says. Even our senior people don't make as much as you say a reporter would make. And our competitors in a nearby town didn't pay as well as we did. I'd love to know who your sources were.A. It is quite possible that the data in the Salary Wizard does not reflect your experience in Wheeling, W. Va. However, the Salary Wizard is based on published private and public survey data from a wide range of ... view article details

The Career Coward's Guide to Career AdvancementHello and welcome to Salary Talk, the official podcast of Salary.com.We'll be bringing you interviews with renowned authors on all things related to salary, job hunting, career coaching, negotiations, resumes and more. The podcasts---which will run between 15-25 minutes in length---are available free of charge. You can listen to them while on the site or download the interviews to your mobile device and listen later.Our inaugural interview is with Katy Piotrowski, M.Ed., author of the Career Coward's book series.She has been a career counselor in ... view article details

Any way you measure it, a college degree is the best investment of your life. In today's dollars, a bachelor's degree is worth more than $2.1 million over 40 years. 'Having that post-secondary diploma can make such a difference in lifetime earnings,' said Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation President Ed Potter.During a recession, obtaining a college degree becomes even more crucial. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, all seven of the job categories that are predicted to grow faster than average during the next decade require a college diploma. These careers, which inclu... view article details

Job descriptionComputer Programmers are responsible for creating code that essentially tells a computer how to operate. They write, test, and maintain these coded instructions, also referred to as programs. The work of programmers has been expanded in today's world, due to the innovative and advanced technologies that now exist. Programmers are now heavily involved in all aspects of technical problem solving for companies. Common computer languages that programmers use include COBOL, C++, BASIC, Java, and HTML. Most programmers know several computer languages because they tend to be similar, m... view article details

Q. I am a software consultant at a relatively small firm (under 50 employees). Recently, the company entered into contracts with several clients overseas and international travel will be required for me for three weeks each month. Management has made it clear that salary, rather than extra time off or other benefits, will be the main incentive for work abroad. What should I expect in a salary increase?A. If the company were relocating you outside the United States, you could expect it to provide you with additional incentives, such as a housing allowance, a travel allowance, hazard pay (if you... view article details

A List of the Most Lucrative Professions of the Year Which Jobs Pay the Most? The good news is these jobs pay a whole lot of money. Unfortunately, you have to spend a lot of money on schooling and specialized education to nab one of those huge paychecks. Careercast is back with its annual list of highest paying jobs. Healthcare occupations rule the day for the most part, taking a whopping seven spots on the list. But even the ones that aren’t in the medical industry require many years of higher education and years of training. Which often means there is substantial debt that goes along with... view article details

Why an Employee's Salary May Be Higher Than Reported by Our Compensation Reports You're an employer who has market-priced your open positions and employees. Perhaps you used our Salary Wizard Professional tool (SWP) to do so and found that you have an overpaid employee on your hands. Before you take any drastic action, there are a few important things to remember when it comes to employee compensation. There are a number of reasons why an employee's current compensation may be higher than the market data in the Salary Wizard. Please remember that being higher than the market numbers shown does... view article details

Q:  I am working on my associate degree with a double major in purchasing/business management. I have been a co-op student with the same company in the procurement department for a year and a half, and have just finished my co-op requirement. I really enjoy working in this field. I have a background in accounts payable, personnel, and office administration.The company doesn't have a position available for another buyer, only the co-op position. I keep hoping they will create one just for me, but that is unlikely. My purchasing manager is allowing me to stay as long as he is allowed to keep me.... view article details

If you had a dollar for every time you’ve heard or read that human beings spend too much time on social media, you might be able to afford back row tickets to Hamilton or even a fluffy pony. You know the routine: a jolt of self-esteem from folks you haven’t spoken to since high school because they liked your beach picture, an argument with total strangers in the comments of some politically-charged meme, or a laughing emoji for grumpy old man Wonkers who said something snarky about all those damn millennials. Put aside the tropes and consider this alarming data: teenagers spend an average of s... view article details

The Aged Must Adapt You're over 50. You're entitled to feel that you've proven yourself by now, and your current employer seems to agree. But you see the cubicles filling up with 20- and 30-somethings, and you wonder: what do they bring to the workplace that I don't? How does my manager compare the two of us? Face it: sometimes they are the managers!How can you make sure everyone concerned -- you, your younger co-workers, and your employer -- benefits from the situation in which you find yourself? Fortunately, some of those managers are happy to talk about their older workers, and the... view article details