<prompt> Human: Im a Mechanical Engineer working for a small company. I started out working in our shop as a Machinist and after 2 years was offered an internship in the office as an Engineer while going to school and obtaining an Associates degree. The starting pay once I finished school was ok, but I expected to get raises pretty quickly starting at the bottom. I have now been here for 7 years and Ive only received 1 raise. That was 3 years ago. I put my education and experience into a couple of those what youre salary should be calculators. All of them came up to about the same amount, 15,000-20,000 more than what Im making. Within the last year the company has lost 4 employees in the office 2 of them being Mechanical Engineers. I have been expected to take on more responsibility. With this responsibility I was told that I would be receiving a raise. This was 5 months ago.I havent received a raise yet. I have asked multiple times if the raise is still coming. The answer is always, yes and soon. Every time I talk to my boss I make it clear that I have taken on more responsibility and my work load has also increased. This seems to do nothing. I have applied for other jobs and even received a couple of interviews. I havent been offered a new position though and Im beginning to become frustrated and worried that Im stuck here. I am actively looking to move on, but until that point I feel like Im being ripped off and I deserve the pay for the work that Ive been doing. My production has definitely gone down because I have almost no motivation to get any work done. Why should I? Theyre getting a hell of a deal by underpaying me. Is there anything else I can do that I havent already done? Ive asked multiple times and given my reasons why I deserve a raise. I have also applied for other jobs no offers yet.TL;DRBoss promised me a raise 5 months ago. Still havent received one after taking on more work.  <response>: I expected to get raises pretty quickly starting at the bottomThis is a common but flawed assumption with engineering graduates. If you accept a salary you should expect to live off that salary. Expecting a raise isnt sound logic.I put my education and experience into a couple of those what youre salary should be calculators.These calculators are bunk. They will try to fit you on a curve based on incomplete data. The calculator doesnt know the context behind your compensation or specific company. It also doesnt have a full data set of industry pay scales. It most likely just lumped you in with other Mechanical Engineers. Thats not how pay scales work.I havent received a raise yet. I have asked multiple times if the raise is still coming. The answer is always, yes and soon. Its likely your boss hands are tied on the raise. How large is your company.I am actively looking to move on, but until that point I feel like Im being ripped off and I deserve the pay for the work that Ive been doing.Theres a difference between thinking you deserve a certain pay and actually deserving a certain level of pay. Perhaps you and your boss arent on the same page on how you are performing.My production has definitely gone down because I have almost no motivation to get any work doneThat is a terrible path forward. You may be frustrated about your pay, but giving your boss a reason to fire you is not going to fix that issue.underpaying meAgain, perception matters here. You may only think youre getting underpaid. A lot of people think theyre underpaid. All that matters is what you can prove when it comes to fair market rate.Is there anything else I can do that I havent already done?As I see it, you have 2 options:1. Change your perception of how you are valued and get back to work. 2. Find another opportunity outside of that company that compensates you more along the lines of your expectations.There really is no option 3. You cannot force anyone to give you more money. If you feel you cant get paid fairly, then its time to move on. 