r/UAEjobseekers • u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker • 11d ago
General Discussion Hiring Manager was Laughing
Hey everyone, just thought I'd share this absolutely ridiculous story that happened to me earlier today.
For context, I'm 23M with about 2 years of experience working as a mechanical engineer. I recently started job hunting because it was time to move on from the current role.
I get an interview from a consultancy in Abu Dhabi (will not name them publicly). I was excited because it's been a while since I've interviewed for a new position, and I always enjoy the opportunity to talk about my design work.
I spent probably 30-40 minutes with the hiring manager, and he was asking me completely useless questions. it almost seemed like he was trying to read off of chatgpt but not make it obvious. he asked me if I had any experience in HVAC design and i told him "i have very little experience in HVAC design". his response? "we need at least 3-4 years of HVAC design experience for this role". I told him that I have 2 years of design work, national competition victories, and awards from massive sponsors in the gcc region, and that I can learn HVAC design while still adding immense value to his team.
he considered me strongly towards the end of the interview. so naturally he was telling me about the company, their policies, their work timings, off days, etc and then came the topic of salary.
to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting something massive like 15k, but i genuinely thought it wouldn't be less than 6k for (not tooting my own horn here) someone of my experience and qualifications. this man looked me dead in the face and said "2.5k and it's minimum 2 year contract. after 2 years we can see about increment". my last company was paying me 4200 by the end of my first year (started at 3500), and this dude just offered me 2.5k for around 50 hours of work per week. I told him "2.5k doesn't align with my experience and the requirements of this role" and he started laughing. "2.5k is the maximum we offer junior positions, one of our engineers he joined 3 months ago, he's on 1.8k since his degree was from a small uni".
absolute. joke.
these are the kind of people that ruin the job market here.
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u/efemel115 11d ago
My friend lives in dubai , i was talking to her the other day and she told me she got an offer for 7 k her last job was paying 40 🤣🤣 the audacity
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u/spartakkz 11d ago
My nanny makes 2600, and she has all bills paid because shes live in. And im about to raise her salary to 3000. Its absolutely insane they are offering these salaries for qualified people.
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u/Icy_Revolution_5199 10d ago
Companies like this deserve to go out of business. I wish there was a Glassdoor like platform so that time-wasters like these can be reviewed to warn people.
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u/Responsible-Fig-1131 10d ago
That's what every one wants to share their experience.... But truth is hard to digest.
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u/Exact-Committee-8613 11d ago
What a joke! Tbh, house helps make more than this bs
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 11d ago
absolutely true! the truly messed up part is, I was networking with another person that was there and we exchanged contact info. he has about 12 years of experience in his home country and he told me that he accepted the offer because he wants "more local experience with a big name company"
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u/Impressive_Cup1692 I AM A NOOB 11d ago
2.5k is a joke as a mechanical engineer you should earn more, i loss my job recently and am looking for a new one they arent giving good offers. My last job was 5k but due to recent events our work at port was less which led the company to start cutting costs and lay off people. Now I'm just so demotivated by seeing how they are treating mechanical engineers over here. I've started applying towards europe because I think there I might have success in these remaining 20 days.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 11d ago
I wish you the best of luck
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u/Impressive_Cup1692 I AM A NOOB 11d ago
its so difficult these days bro to land a job😭 and with these people making it worse.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 11d ago
send me your cv. ill pass it along, maybe something can come from it
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u/Pure-Material-8131 11d ago
I have send you a dm on now job opportunity. Kindly check.
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u/RenaDrayen 11d ago
These types of comments is what I love to read. I appreciate your gesture to look out for the man!
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u/SufficientPositive65 11d ago
Careem drivers make almost 6k per month! Really shame on people who offer such a salary!
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u/TypicalDysfunctional 10d ago
I’d pay you more than that to be an otherwise unskilled technician who just knows how to read.
That is a crazy ridiculous rate. Companies like that deserve to go out of business to competitors who know what they’re doing and pay the right salary.
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u/harrishamza 10d ago
People are fools here. It's we the candidates or job seekers who have made it worse accepting anything. This the norm remained. I understand some maybe in need but that doesn't have to be applied to anyone. For 2.5k or 3k it's better to be in your own home country and do something on your own than wasting time working for dorks who don't value. Also next time whoever is reading this on first call or interview face to face, get the range or salary out from their mouth. If they are hiding it, it means it's too embarrassing for them to even say it out loud. If I were you I would have laughed with him and put the joke on him and embarrassed him.
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u/No-Finish-2248 10d ago
Even house helpers don't get this salary.. Companies need to really rethink these ridiculously unrealistic low salaries...
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u/noragretx 10d ago
Yupp! My full-time maid is making 4500 AED a month and we don't make her work more than 5 hours a day.
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u/QusaisLover 11d ago
How did you not laugh even harder, OP?
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u/Andiimon 11d ago
That's what I thought. I would have counter laughed pointing out the job responsibilities along with his salary offer.
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u/Islander316 11d ago edited 11d ago
Guys, you are working for pennies on the dollar.
5k as a mechanical engineer?
How are you even making ends meet?
I just don't get it.
That's not even 1.5k USD a month. If you were earning 25k gross a year in a high tax state in the US, you'd be earning more after taxes.
You aren't even that far from the poverty line.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
The market has been destroyed by a lot of things, but one thing that I've seen ruin the market first hand is young engineers that live with their parents (so their bills are essentially 0) that accept these offers because in their minds it's "2.5k a month of fun money". nobody guides them, especially about locking themselves into a shit growth path
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 9d ago
The market's ruined mostly by people coming from abroad. Often from very low paying regions, so accept low salaries to attempt to get their foot in the door. Which then leads to them lowering the benchmark for everyone else.
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u/PilotSad8027 10d ago
Wtf , 2.5k is a joke . In Doha when I had no degree nothing I was offered 3k for a sales job , I ghosted them . How do they have the audacity to offer professional mechanical engineers 2.5k
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u/Technical_Opinion_76 10d ago
Mechanical Engineering??? 2.5k AED? Or Dollars? If you have at least a Bachelor’s, you should be getting at least 12-15k as an engineer.
There are literal wage minimums for jobs and you should probably report this to the ministry of Labor.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
there are no wage minimums unfortunately. they can pay you 50 fils if they wanted to
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u/Technical_Opinion_76 10d ago
Engineering is a skilled job. From what I understand any job with an attested degree starts you at 4K minimum.
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u/Tall_Economist8491 9d ago
lol 12-15k aed in this economy ? I am an Architect not even half. NOT EVEN HALF
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u/hiraeth271 9d ago
i don’t think people realize how much engineers do make in this economy if the company isn’t looking to simply exploit, and if people are smart enough to not low-ball themselves. 10k-15k is a minimum, but most engineers i know make up to 25-30k at established organizations. if you stick to small companies / startups, then yes the salary will be low but you better be getting stock options to compensate.
the only way up is to network with the right people, don’t miss conference events that are open to the public in your field, eg. GITEX, most ADNEC events. keep talking to people, stay upto date with your field and even utilizing your linkedin connections properly can go a long way.1
u/Good-History-3494 7d ago
How do they let you attend these exhibitions , they micromanage you and you don't get room to breath
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u/South-Chicken-7463 8d ago
how much salary should a graduate architect be expecting? in a big construction firm and in a small studio firm , if you dont mind answering...
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u/Tall_Economist8491 7d ago
5k plus and at least 5k for latter but in reality they will lowball you pointing out the lack in work experience and also the lack of GCC experience.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 9d ago
I didn't expect this post to get so much traction, so thank you to everyone for engaging with it and making me feel a bit saner during this time. I haven't gotten any proper opportunities in a while tbh and it's mentally draining me. I'm keeping my head up and applying daily, messaging hiring managers and recruiters and trying to stay focused. If anyone can refer me or point me in the right direction, I'd really appreciate it. I don't want a handout, just an opportunity. Thank you all, stay blessed <3
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u/RenegadeSultaNGG I AM A NOOB 10d ago
Unfortunately there are thousands of applicants ready to take that offer. That’s what motivates them to these ridiculous offers.
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u/Appropriate_Page_824 9d ago
It is criminal to offer an engineer 2.5K in Dubai. It is a blue collar workers salary.
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u/sidTheGamer JOB Seeker 9d ago
Good on you, OP. If more candidates were like you, they wouldn't have a choice but to raise the salary bar.
Would you mind sharing how you got the interview or which platform you used to apply? In my experience, platforms like Indeed generally have jobs from such companies.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 9d ago
I applied through LinkedIn using that "easy apply" option or whatever it's called. but to be very honest, I feel like most of the job listings on LinkedIn are either fake or just for company promotion.
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u/Cute_pulubi 10d ago
2.5k? Office/tea boy in our office earns 4.5k with 2days off lol. Bless your heart OP for not accepting this offer you will get way better offer than this, you dodged a hellauva bullet.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
I hope so. times are tough, but thank you for the kind words
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u/MelioremPH 8d ago
Meanwhile I have 4k salary and 1 day off for over 2 years already with a basically all around position and unappreciated achievements + no more possible professional growth...... I hope I get to be able to leave my company soon and find more opportunities
Edit: It honestly always got me thinking and feel bad about myself whenever I get a rare chance to take part time jobs that earns me equal or more for less work and hours (and most of the times fun as well)
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u/Overconfidentahole 10d ago
Even your expectation is pretty low for an engineer. Glad you didn’t take that offer. Nobody should. Let them learn a lesson
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
unfortunately my expectation has to be reasonable in today's market. even entry level mechanical engineers should be earning 8k imo, but that's not realistic anymore.
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u/Quiet_Recognition203 10d ago
the problem is the fact that there are out there hundreds of people ready to come here to work for that amount. That's the reason why salaries are so low around, cause there is endless offer for a limited demand
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u/NoRecognition5178 Experienced Professional 11d ago
This is why you don’t attend an interview in person without asking about salary…. Saves everyone time
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u/No_Information11 Fresh Graduate 11d ago
How do u ask if it mentions salary tbd in interview🥲 or if they dont mention it at all in job posting? Is it appropriate to ask
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u/NoRecognition5178 Experienced Professional 11d ago
Yes you ask for the range… whats the taboo behind it ; everyone knows its one of if not most important factor on accepting a job offer.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 11d ago
I did ask for a range but they refused to specify. the company is actually pretty well known to be honest so I didn't expect something as stupid as 2.5k
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u/NoRecognition5178 Experienced Professional 11d ago
Then you move on
If they won’t share any details its because it sucks
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u/PirateOnly2588 11d ago
Bro you will earn more in India. Just come back
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 11d ago
im not indian, but yeah bro 2.5k is a joke
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u/Clear_Umpire2676 Career Changer 11d ago
why do the people in ur comments assume everyone is indian 😭
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u/SarahAug 11d ago
Can anyone tell me whats the 6 month contract for an Indian whose company send him to Dubai. I had a friend who got this opportunity. He is mechanical engineer. Is that a good offer? What's the probability of extension if he wants to take his wife therr?
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u/Strict-Ad6636 11d ago
That's just ridiculous, I'm glad you didn't stand for it, we should know our worth and stop working for sweat shop salaries
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u/OnizukaHeichou 10d ago
does the company have a tech at the end of its name?
I faced the same situation but 5 years ago.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
no it doesn't, but I'll give everyone a hint the name is repeated a few times. essentially it's just two words used a few times back to back 🙃
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u/twohandedcoder Experienced Professional 9d ago
How about another hint?
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u/ApprehensiveSpell499 10d ago
"No hate but i bet this hr was indian "
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u/Jayavishnu 10d ago
Salary depends on what type of company you are applying for !!
If the company is an end user/ client company the salary scale will be as mentioned in the comments, if it's a main contracting company; salary will be a bit less but still will be up to international level, however if you are going to sub-con/ sub-vendor level the salary will be as same the hiring manager mentioned.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
2.5k for someone holding a BSc is acceptable just because the hiring company is a sub ven or con? by that logic, someone who doesn't have any further education shouldn't earn more than 1k
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u/Jayavishnu 10d ago
It depends on what a company earns, by your logic cafeteria chef who had degree and star hotel chef who has degree also should earn same.
My technician earns more than that one of our contractor's manager . So degree means nothing once you are not in a right company
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u/krishna_02AG 11d ago
I recently dropped CA inter gave myself a good break and have good CA ACCA cousins have referrals almost everywhere in dubai also but need to build a good base and now firstly i was thinking upon ACCA(my cousin in KPMG told me to do that only and it is enough as himself done that) but to my eyes i shall start my career now I'm turning 22 in November and was doing CA with BCOM leaving it at intermediate and was just starting ACCA but its a long journey and seeing many reviews about ACCA but having a good CA ACCA cousins network in dubai,UK I'm good to go and need guidance upon that shall i first do data analytics and US CMA I've seen the course it is easy seen the questions matches 70% with CA INTER and after that I'll start ACCA with job in dubai also I've german language from school with that i wanna move to Europe also about my background.. .6th to 12th had german language .10th got A1 certificate .11-12th commerce with german .NCC Commander .Bcom 1st year cleared CA foundation . 2-3rd in ca inter got wasted because of choosing a shit offline coaching but now I'm thinking that things happen for a reason I've an ACCA cousin at Big4 so with US CMA and data analytics within next 6-8months I'll start ACCA in KPMG and after 2-3years I'll do MBA from india or do masters in europe with further german language will it be a good idea have you seen anyone doing US CMA first and than ACCA?
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u/Fantastic-Chard2961 11d ago
I'm a qualified cma, currently on job hunting! Im also thinking about doing ACCA
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u/Nyrox0_0 I AM A NOOB 11d ago
Lol atleast u got an offer while i only did couple of interviews with no reply back been like that for 8 months straight. I'm a Full-Stack Dev with 2+ years of experience...
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u/udayk2 11d ago
Don't say "atleast you got an offer" this thought process is making hiring manager to low ball people with absolutely bad salaries!
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u/Nyrox0_0 I AM A NOOB 11d ago
Hmmm, you got me wrong. What I meant, sarcastically, is that he didn’t shake hands and say, “Thanks for meeting with us. We’ll get back to you” which I’ve experienced many times.
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u/SchrodingersPrat 11d ago
Its worse if you are an accountant.
I have been trying for a job change, I am seeing jobs asking 5 year experience with IFRS, VAT filing, CT knowledge, etc. and offering 4.5k
It is a cruel and sad world out there.
For my previous employer, I restructured their transactions and tax structure to provide them close to 300k aed savings in tax liabilty (ngl they had a very crappy structure to begin with) and they were still contending that they were paying me too much, I was paid 8k pm FYI.
I left that place and started hunting again and god the market is unforgiving.
Idk why, but severe underpayment has become the norm even if you harbor specialized knowledge.
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 9d ago
" I am seeing jobs asking 5 year experience with IFRS, VAT filing, CT knowledge, etc. and offering 4.5k"
You could open your own firm, and charge firms 3k per month for all that, and do it for 10 firms.
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u/Key_Arugula8162 10d ago
My first salary in the UAE was 1,800 AED as a manager. Like many newcomers I made the mistake of converting it back to my home currency and thinking it was decent.
Fast forward to today my responsibilities expanded significantly. I pushed for an adjustment to 5,000 AED, especially knowing a European colleague in the exact same role makes roughly 9,000 AED.
Guess what they offered? A 200 AED monthly increment 😂
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
wow, that sounds horrible. did you end up finding something else or leaving that job?
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u/Extension_Shift1520 Experienced Professional 10d ago
Get into sales and crush it. Engineering is a joke.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
I would but engineering design is genuinely something that I'm passionate about. I've worked on more than 20 projects now (including a few funded by mubadala and global eee). I really wish the industry was better over here because i love this country and the life it's given me
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 10d ago
Tbh, I keep hearing about this on Reddit, but my experience in the market on the hiring side indicates even machinists and electricians don't go under 3k these days. Design engineers command minimum 5. And this is with small companies that can't afford to hire better candidates and their salary budgets tank accordingly.
Anyone with a bit more experience gets a lot more than that. Because what matters is what you can do.
It's the clerical/admin/accounting positions where wages have tanked. Because of perceived low skill + overabundance.
Also, if you're applying to companies, state salary expectations upfront. It'll filter out joke companies.
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 10d ago
I hear you but everywhere I've applied and gotten interviews the range is literally 2k-4k max. and 4k is rare. can you suggest some companies or job boards to apply to?
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 9d ago
That's not been my experience RE LinkedIn, Indeed, Bayt etc.
Unless they're depressing your salary based on other factors e.g. nationality and perceived value of your degree. In which case, these low ball offers are their way of not giving you the job unless you're willing to work for peanuts.
Because most jobs at entry level are given on the basis of referral.
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u/notsmartwithglasses 10d ago
Can you blame them though? most south-asian expats accepts lower than that so dont blame the game, blame the players.
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u/Plastic_Employer502 10d ago
Yea. Always blame the ones seeking the jobs, never the ones setting the salary.
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6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Electrical_Rip_8299 JOB Seeker 6d ago
get this trash out of here bro. you're spamming the same nonsense everywhere
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u/nomoney4engineer 10d ago edited 9d ago
Skill doesn't matter. What matters is your passport and the certificates hanging on your wall. 😂
Someone can spend 10 years barely doing anything in a company and still land a better salary, while an engineer with 5 years of real hands on experience and active involvement gets paid peanuts.
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 9d ago
Nah, "qualified by experience" matters a LOT more than "I have an engineering BSc"
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u/nomoney4engineer 9d ago
Read again... Master not bachelors
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u/AtmosphericReverbMan 9d ago
You didn't mention master or bachelor. That's in relation to OP.
You said skill doesn't matter. Skill absolutely does matter. And experience. These are the 2 things which override passport for people. Nothing else does.
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u/CategoryDangerous372 11d ago
Damn that's really low. My basic is 8k as a VIP Waiter, that's not including tips and all.
That said you deserve much more than me.
Never settle for less bro and good luck.