I was hired as consultant (level I) five years ago by a senior manager who was, shortly thereafter, fired for procurement improprieties. I managed to network my way into billable work for three more years without any management support structure. My timesheet was approved by a different person nearly ever week in that interval. My performance assessments were conducted by people who had never met me. Without an advocate, I was passed over for promotion despite "exceeding expectations" accross the board for four years.
In 2008, I finally connected with a business unit appropriate to my skillset (energy). With an entry level title, I led $500k worth of projects, hired and supervised interns, and won hundreds of thousands of dollars of work for the firm by leveraging my network and expertise. I was rewarded with my first substantive raise: from $50k to 60k. Thanks you guys! However, this is still commensurate with neither my education level (MS), experience (6 years in consulting), nor the salaries of my peers. I'm presently interviewing for positions at rival firms for nearly double my salary. Meanwhile, my business unit is filling up with erstwhile Lehman Brothers executives who dilute the quality of the work products we generate because they don't understand this marketplace, yet they make six figures.
Many of my colleagues have had similar experiences of being sent out to sea on an iceberg, later coming ashore and fighting tooth and nail with the natives over scant scraps of billable work.
