Since the launch yesterday I have been busy sending messages to almost everyone I know asking them to check it out. Unlike my project partner, Amy, I haven’t invested in understanding how Social Media marketing works, not like an old boss I have I carefully kept a copy of every business card I’ve ever received to produce my own spam list. (From a GDPR perspective I assume giving someone a little card with your name and e-mail address on is an invitation to receive the occasional unsolicited update, but I digress).

I’ve been trying to engage in reasonably personal contact, this project has been a bit of fun and I’d like my friends and colleagues to tell me what they think. One of those interactions has really stood out to me and I wanted to write a short post about it.

My friend said, “I don’t understand why this is necessary, companies can’t take too many liberties, everyone ends up getting paid what they are worth in the end.” As I have been sending these messages I’ve been going through each and trying to make some sort of assessment to make my own “Guess” of their pay. For some it has been easier than for others, but there are so many variables to consider.

Many of my connections work in Software in the UK. Many as contractors, some as permanent staff and I’m surprised how hard it has been. I have known many of them for sometime, and know which are competent and which (in my opinion) are fools. Some are lazy and some are unbelievably industrious. Given the way that people are hired it’s hard, the stigma against being someone that constantly flits between roles having spent the last 24 hours thinking about nothing other than what people get paid I feel that my friend was completely wrong.

Unless you work in a direct sales role, with clear profit margins selling at fixed prices that carry no long term risk it is virtually impossible to work out “what your value” to a company is, and people are almost the very opposite of a commodity. We’ve even known this since Henry Ford popularised efficiency wages.

I don’t know GuessMyPay.com will help you to make better long term career decision, emulate the right people and be better able to quantify the costs and benefits of the tradeoffs you will be faced with. However, what I do know, is that no-one will ever be able to tell you what your worth. Probably, not even you know that.