Oftentimes, the promise of a promotion is dangled in front of you like a carrot, promising future reward in return for more unpaid effort in the immediate short term. It’s important to remember that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” and, in this case, money in your pocket is worth more than the promise of more in the future. Of course, there are times in your career when this promise will actually pay off, but unfortunately, less often than you might think.
In this graphic designer’s case, that promise never even came; the most she got were acknowledgements that she was “valuable” and encouragement to keep up her efforts, but she was stonewalled every time she asked for more compensation in return for her value. Basically, hoping that she’d be too committed or trapped in the role and keep producing at a high level without them having to shell out more.
After pouring years of her finest work, time, and effort into the business, she began to realize that the business really didn’t care about her at all and only cared about how good of a deal they were getting. So, she quit and made sure to take all her extra work with her.
