[narrator]

Once you reach a certain salary as an engineer the only way to make more money is to go in as an owner either as an early hire in a startup or as a founder. You can also get stock options and wait for your company to get bought. Other than that it's pretty much all down hill.

[kfcm]

Or use the route I went: start your own consulting business.

[beat]

That's the route of a lot of good people. I know so many great consultants in their 40s-50s, with superb skills and rich backgrounds.