My manager said salary discussions were against company policy. I had them anyway

Turned out I was the lowest paid engineer on the team.

I'm 14 months into my first job out of college. Frontend engineer, decent company, thought I was doing fine.

Last month I asked my manager about a raise. He went into this whole thing about budget cycles and said I should "focus on proving myself first." Then at the end he mentioned that discussing compensation with teammates was "discouraged and against our culture."

That last part made me suspicious.

I brought it up casually with a coworker I trusted. She hesitated, then told me. She was making $18k more than me. Same title, same level, six months less experience. She had asked for it upfront and they just gave it to her.

Nobody told me to negotiate. I didn't know you could push back on an offer as a new grad. I just accepted what they gave me.

I have an offer now for $22k more at another company. Put in my notice last week. My manager asked what it would take to keep me.

The number he offered was still less than what my coworker makes.

They'll negotiate when you're leaving. They won't negotiate when you're staying.