What you should be getting paid depends on several different criteria. First and foremost is your experience. Every year you are in a career, the more money should be coming your way. However, for those in a career change, this may not always work out in your favour. Education, certification and training are also just as important, especially when going through a career transition.

Another incredibly important aspect to salary and benefits is location. There are certain cities and neighbourhoods are simply paid higher than others for the same work. This is because housing and general living expenses may be higher. For example, New York, the District of Columbia and some areas of California tend to pay better than Kansas, Texas and Kentucky companies.

Your employer and type of contract will also make all the difference. Smaller companies may not include benefits but will pay a little more. Contractual careers usually will not include benefits either but will pay by the assignment instead. Larger companies will usually include a benefit package as well as several other features (lunch money, personal leave, commuting time, fuel card) that may even out the lower wage.

Other things that need to be factored in include your typical work week. Are you working 40 hours or are you constantly putting in overtime? Do you get paid vacations? These things will also contribute to your salary package.

Finally, your salary may include special bonuses, tips and commissions that make it even harder to determine the exact salary expectancy. At the end of the day, every single company is different and thus it can be next to impossible to compare yourself to others in the same working field. However, there are ways to get a better indication, especially when looking into a career change.

There are three ways to determine what you should be getting paid. First of all, check the internet. There are certain Salary Checkers and Pay Calculators that specialise in determining your pay grade based on the different criteria. You plug in the information and a number is sent to you via email.  Another good resource is the Bureau of Labor Statistics which looks at the recent salary trends in all occupations and what to expect in the future. However, keep in mind that the more education and experience, the higher salary you will expect. The BLS looks at wages in regards to areas and industries so you can get a better idea of what to expect.

Another great place to look is in the local newspaper. Check for careers related to your field of choice. Although many companies will not offer the position in the paper, they will include a website or online job application and description that usually does.

Finally, ask. If you are really interested in knowing what to expect with salary and benefits, then you need to ask others in the same industry. Although this can be a touchy subject, this is one of the best ways to find out for sure.