<prompt> Human: I work in the office of a school district while going to school to earn my degree. Ive made it very clear that I want to be a teacher in the future and have a working relationship with one of the schools Principals. x200B;While Im in the office, Ive been working with a couple of different departments as needed and have been praised for bringing unparalleled efficiency and innovation in any role Ive stepped into. Ive had 3 performance reviews, and each have been more stellar than the last so Ive asked for salary raises. x200B;I first got a 7 raise. The second time I got a stellar review, I asked for another raise and handed in a paper report of the amount of money Ive saved the company, a monthly recap of all the new responsibilities Ive taken on each month, and a comparison of how much others within our network and outside our network make compare to what Im receiving. I received a, Were thoroughly impressed! and a 1.5 raise.x200B;I am currently the least paid employee within the 2 departments Im working for and Ive made it very clear that Im aware of it and would like to be compensated more. We just hired a new person at a wage 14 higher than mine for a position I was holding over the summer. Talking about the new hire with my previous supervisor who hired her said, Shes okay. Shes not you youre impossible to replace, but shell probably work I guess, which definitely sounds less than enthusiastic. Put in a less professional sense, theyre knowingly paying someone else more to do a crumbier job than me.x200B;After talking with the CEO about a raise, he said, There is only so much we can do on your current wage given your education level especially given we are an educational organization and your experience with us. My direct supervisor said, We want to be able to give you more raises once youre a teacher, knowing that teachers in the schools only make 13-40 more than I do currently. They dont want to pay me more now than they would a 1st year teacher, because then theyd have to pay me more than other 1st year teachers and my wages would be elevated from everyone elses with similar experience.x200B;I dont want to quit because I am making quite good money considering the position, my age, and my experience, but at the same time I feel frustrated because the company Im working for knows I cant get a higher wage anywhere else without a degree and is holding that to their advantage. I also dont want to burn any bridges because I absolutely love the school Ive built a connection with and would like to maintain that connection so that I could someday be in an administrative role with them. Me quitting would be very unlikely, and they know that, but at the same time, I would really like to be compensated fairly.x200B;How can I try to bring these issues up and negotiate a fairer wage? Alternatively, should I just wait until I get my degree and then ask for a huge raise?  <response>: Im paraphrasing an episode of House, but wages have nothing to do with fairness. Its about leverage. My advice is to finish your degree, then get a competing offer on the table. If they match, then great. Otherwise leave. My biggest payraises have been when I changed employers. 