Real answer: I have one of those jobs. I have no immutable advice, everyone’s mileage will vary, but some pointers:
After you get proficient at a skill, use it to job hop every few years. Job hopping is a great way to leap up the wage ladder.
Never seek out or accept an in-office position unless it’s your first job or two.
Avoid the FAANG / MAG7 type companies because they will chew you up and burn you out.
Never seek out or accept a management role of any sort. The pay to work bump is terrible and going back down looks awful on a resume.
Interact with coworkers and be nice, don’t actually be a ghost. Nobody wants to get rid of the friendly, engaged person.
I went to a “big name” uni. My major has nothing to do with my field of work today, but I cannot discount the fact that this single line on my resume could have opened some doors. However I have a feeling that nobody ever verifies my degree with my alma mater.
Fellow here, I wanted to +1 job hopping. I went from $75k in 2020 to $200k in 2026 doing this. If I stayed at a company I’d need 2 promotions and with COLA 3% adjustment I’d still be short of my current wage by quite a bit. Loyalty pays with underpaying, but gives you a sense of job security.
Having multiple offers creates a bid war, much like the COVID house prices that’s how you can inflate your salary. Also, salary > RSU + bonus + salary
Edit: and so it’s clear - my improvement is an outlier, usually it’s 20-30% when you job hop, I just ended up picking up a very niche role no one does and jumped to that payband
Yep, plan on changing jobs every two and a half to three and a half years.
Be willing to lie on your resume to improve your chances of getting the specific job you’re applying for, but only lie enough that you could watch a YouTube video and fill in the gap between the absolute truth and the expectation.
Don’t say that you understand Azure if you’ve never used a Windows computer before, but if you have run a home lab with proxmox, and they’re looking for a VMware administrator, you’re probably okay.
it helps a lot to understand the org and the internal politics. (this is simpler as it sounds. just be generally nice to people and try to understand what they want, and what their actual position in the org are. Then think about what your actual position in the org is, and where it could be. Most importantly ask yourself: What does my boss’s boss think what value I produce for him?)
Job hopping is the best way to get better money and job title. It’s worth staying for a few years ever once in a while if you prefer the stability over the income bump. I am in my stable phase while my children are young before jumping again. I am thinking maybe 5 years or so. Unless the great job comes
Not true, no one member of a hierarchy need be a moron for the structure itself to generate inefficiencies. I also tend to be over-critical of my own output, when I measure it objectively against coworkers it’s often higher even if it doesn’t feel that way. Awful puritan-style work ethic. Not to toot my own horn but, my boss and their boss did make a safe choice.
Real answer: I have one of those jobs. I have no immutable advice, everyone’s mileage will vary, but some pointers:
Fellow here, I wanted to +1 job hopping. I went from $75k in 2020 to $200k in 2026 doing this. If I stayed at a company I’d need 2 promotions and with COLA 3% adjustment I’d still be short of my current wage by quite a bit. Loyalty pays with underpaying, but gives you a sense of job security.
Having multiple offers creates a bid war, much like the COVID house prices that’s how you can inflate your salary. Also, salary > RSU + bonus + salary
Edit: and so it’s clear - my improvement is an outlier, usually it’s 20-30% when you job hop, I just ended up picking up a very niche role no one does and jumped to that payband
Yep, plan on changing jobs every two and a half to three and a half years.
Be willing to lie on your resume to improve your chances of getting the specific job you’re applying for, but only lie enough that you could watch a YouTube video and fill in the gap between the absolute truth and the expectation.
Don’t say that you understand Azure if you’ve never used a Windows computer before, but if you have run a home lab with proxmox, and they’re looking for a VMware administrator, you’re probably okay.
can confirm, and would like to add:
Job hopping is the best way to get better money and job title. It’s worth staying for a few years ever once in a while if you prefer the stability over the income bump. I am in my stable phase while my children are young before jumping again. I am thinking maybe 5 years or so. Unless the great job comes
It should also be noted this guy’s boss or boss’s boss is a moron. It’s a requirement of such a position existing
Not true, no one member of a hierarchy need be a moron for the structure itself to generate inefficiencies. I also tend to be over-critical of my own output, when I measure it objectively against coworkers it’s often higher even if it doesn’t feel that way. Awful puritan-style work ethic. Not to toot my own horn but, my boss and their boss did make a safe choice.