For years, the fastest way to lift your pay seemed simple: switch jobs and collect a BIG bump. That playbook is far less reliable today.

This still floors me. If you’ve ever hired (or been hired), you’ve seen it: 5+ years required. 10+ years preferred. It’s written like a proxy for certainty - like time served automatically equals capability.

It’s a myth that the right professional opportunity falls into your lap as if by magic. As if you’ve been chosen by the golden hand of fate.

When you’re looking for a new role, you’re either running from something or being drawn to something. Let me explain.