There's definitely some "don't move here; we are full" but I think a lot of it is just that many have learned the hard way that if you're fundamentally unhappy

There's definitely some "don't move here; we are full" but I think a lot of it is just that many have learned the hard way that if you're fundamentally unhappy in your life at $130k, you may think that more money would solve your problems but $300k is probably not going to and you may have just found yourself at $300k but fundamentally even less happy than before. Some of the things that might happen to also get you there, like changing your specialty, reeducating, or starting your own business, might also address what you're dissatisfied about in life, but they may not if you're not trying to address anything but the money. A while ago I was quite depressed, and all of the problems in my life that I could've listed for you on a piece of paper boiled down to not making enough money to live where the job required me to. I worked way too hard to address that. It affected my family life, my mental health, and didn't yield the financial benefits I hoped it would. The ultimate fix to my happiness was actually a very big, risky hit to my career. I don't have the job security I used to have at all - but I am happy. I would hate for OP to get to $300k a year and still be unhappy. By all means try, but really do step back and ask yourself if $300k will make you happy. $130k is probably a typical salary in Seattle from my understanding, so not exactly "raking it in" and buying jet skis every weekend, but also unlikely to be the real source of frustration in life.