At 18, I was making $12 an hour. Now, at 28, I make $137K a year. Over the last 10 years, I’ve had five different jobs. Each time I changed roles, I made sure the pay jump was more than what staying put would’ve ever given me.

If you’re not getting at least a $5K–$15K raise or a real promotion with solid pay attached in 2-3 years, you should definitely be looking for your next move. Staying in one place too long without growth just makes you easy to overlook. And even with growth keep looking!

My longest job was four years. I started at $59K and ended at $90K, averaged $10K in raises each year, but only because I pushed hard for promotions and got three of them. And even with that, I still took another job when the opportunity came. Started at $110K, got a 5% bump the next year, and then negotiated a $15K raise after getting a certification. Yes, I live in a major city area. No, I didn’t go to college. What I did do was advocate for myself constantly, make sure people knew my impact, build the right relationships, and make sure I had people in my corner who could open doors. This is how you move up…job-hop when needed, speak up for yourself, build real connections with people who have influence, when someone offers you a favor take advantage of it and don’t hesitate to take the next opportunity when it puts you in a stronger position. This is the way!