The 5-Year Compensation Curve

Most working professionals leave money on the table by staying too long at any single job. Here's a framework to plan a 2× income trajectory over five years.

The math

A 3% annual raise compounds to ~16% over five years. A single well-timed switch can deliver 15–25% in one move. Two strategic switches plus internal promotions can comfortably double your starting comp.

Run the numbers with our Promotion Raise Calculator.