Country: Canada

I am not really sure how to negotiate a higher rate of pay, hence the reason I stumbled upon this site.

I can talk the talk but have a hard time walking the walk to my superior. I have printed the reports off the website. Although I may not bring them to the negotiating table I will use the figures as a way to discuss the average scale, and how I feel I am above average. So start by asking your superior, "Do you see me as above average" and explain why you are! Then use the numbers to back it up and say "If I am above average than I deserve above average salary?" We all know in retail your not going to make millions! Its about passion and drive that makes what we do worth it! If you are that ABOVE AVERAGE manager then you should be recognized for it!

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Even if you have worked for the company for many years be wary of managements willingness to throw you aside. Eliminating long term employees keeps managers in business as they don't have to give raises or benefits. In a ski town or similar area this is particularly bad, new crop of people come in every year, your services are not appreciated.

I have been interviewing for other admin jobs and feel I am not getting them due to my age. I see younger people advancing much faster and am afraid to ask for a return of cut pay because I would like to keep my job. It is a hard knock life!!!

I didn't get where I am today just by doing what I'm supposed to or expected to do. I go beyond that. I worked hard and long to get where I am today. I always made myself the corner stone or pillar of the team. Continually striving to improve and continually learning. My team sees me as an invaluable member. I am often consulted for many things in pharmacy. I do my best and set high standards for myself beyond what is normally expected of me. I strive to be more involved in the pharmacy and other areas within the store. I also train upcoming pharmacists and technicians. There's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it. If you know you are capable of expanding your knowledge and role, then do it. Don't wait for someone to come along and hand it to you. Take control of situations you can handle and don't let it slide. Be on top of it. Maintain a level head and calm atmosphere. You'll be amazed at how much that can help others in your team.

This is what I can tell from reading most of your "advice":

- Not very many of you have been taught grammar as children. If you cannot write a simple sentence properly, don't expect to get the best pay.

- Don't get your nursing diploma or become a practical nurse. GO for the gold standard and actually get your nursing degree. You will be worth the knowledge that you bring to the health care team.

- Nursing in the USA really sounds like it sucks. Your health benefits are atrocious and your pay is terrible. Nobody on this site seems to like how they're treated. Try working in Canada; leave your whining at the border.

One out of every 100 ideas will strike a chord with management, and possibly the market. Always look for new ideas, recognizing that it is a difficult and often unrewarding effort. All you need is for one of the 100 to hit, and this can change your life forever. I am proof of this. After the first idea is somewhat successful, later ideas seem to come easier and the probability for success improves at least marginally. Fame and fortune are truly fickle, and favor only those who are willing to risk and put their shoulder into the effort, sometimes for a very long time. Overnight successes are exceedingly rare, and are almost always the culmination of decades of effort (which is often not obvious on the surface.) Anyway, this is my advice and it is extremely difficult to take what I just said and make something from it. but there it is.

To improve in yourself and get success you should update yourself with managment certification.

I have been an RVT for 7 years- this is not a job that you can make a living at. I do love my career- it is very interesting and I'm constantly learning new things and can play with animals on a daily basis. However, love does not pay the bills! For the amount of work us techs do- we are never adequately paid for it! I take x-rays, get blood, run blood and fecals and urine, I talk to clients, I lift dogs over 100 lbs, make sure the clinic is adequately stocked, intubate, trouble shoot with the EKG machine, monitor GAs, perform dental prophies, client education, etc. etc! The amount of money a tech will make is only good as a second income. You cannot live on what a tech makes unless you are married or living with someone who makes more. Just because you love your job- you should not live in poverty! As long as there is no law stating that a vet hospital must hire an RVT- we will not be paid adequately! While a vet can hire someone off the street- who has only just finished high school- show them how to look through a microscope and turn on an x-ray machine and call themselves a "vet tech"- An RVT will not be adequately paid and the average life span of an RVT will continue to be 5 years until they move onto something else (ie. sales). I myself am going back to school as I would like to one day move out of my parent's basement.

This is an extremely competitive industry. It's definitely an employer's market. There actually is a lot of work in this field but there are a LOT of people who have these skills. Expect a lot of contract work.