I lead and manage a financial/tech team in a critical, well-established company.
I haven't had a pay raise in 2 years and still work hourly.
It wasn't always like this, the last several years have really, really escalated the global undercurrent of hate towards employees. I feel like every single meeting in not just this company but many others (I have eyes in other places) always report "exceeding financial projections" while at the same time scaling back benefits, hiring and wages. Many other companies I've watched get digested by private equity after faking their own value, so it's basically every business-owner's goal right now to get bought out for millions and leave the employees stranded.
For that matter, I have years of experience in this industry as well as experience managing, using the tools and software, and doing somewhat specialized analysis work, and it still took almost two years unemployed after my last position got gutted just to land this job and it took twisting the arms of contacts and acquaintances.
During those two years I exhausted every avenue and encountered more scams and ghost-jobs than I can count.
Lemmy, I know you really don't want to hear this, but if you're not actively making contacts, playing the game and being social, your chances of getting a job that doesn't involve a you wearing an apron and name-tag and cutting you off at 39 hours a week is fucking abysmal. You have to exercise muscles you didn't know you had if you want to land a stable job even adjacent to your actual qualifications.
Degrees, certifications, etc. are still important, but it's bare-minimum, hiring managers broadly are looking for people with enough experience (or can fake having experience) that they don't need as much training and people who are social and friendly enough that they feel "at ease" bringing new people in, because so many of them have been directed to keep costs as low as possible. So much of this shit is vibes-based right now.
