[preordained]

Yah, I'm just gonna go to my boss and say "more monies plz" or I'm going to go scour the market and try to trade up. I suppose if I just look at the number and ignore everything else the latter might be doable...but I do want a personal fit and some kind of stability. I suppose if I'm willing to pack my bags and start over every year or so I can keep this going and mitigate the effect of working places I hate for the sake of a big number.

Oh yah, and I have no high profile github stuff, nor am I a whiteboard wizard. I guess I should just "git gud" though, which I'm sure is a negligible stress investment with a guaranteed pay off?

/s Truly, I'm not allergic to the subject, but the cavalier attitude kills me sometimes. So much "What's the problem, peasants?"

[EADGBE]

FWIW, you don't need to be nearly as "gud" as you think you do; when you're a hot commodity in a market like we have for what we do. Though I commend your desire to stay somewhere stable.

Eventually, you get to a point where you're comfortable, and $10k begins to equate to more time off, less after-hours calls, etc. (and be worth more)