The question worth asking is - how do you excel... at life... That is the only career question worth asking. You've placed constraints on it, such as 'new pr

The question worth asking is - how do you excel... at life... That is the only career question worth asking. You've placed constraints on it, such as 'new programmer', 'play by the rules', 'earn raises'. How do you know excelling at life means playing by the rules? How do you know more money means a better life? How do you know you don't want to switch companies? You don't. The way to find out is to just live your life, and not lose sight of what matters - excelling, at life, by rules YOU set. And they won't be the same rules, they'll change as you grow. How do you set rules by the way? By following your gut, heart, and intuition, and sometimes what other people say. You so far have it backwards, where what others have said has left no space for following your own instincts, hence the question you're asking. The biggest regret you can have - is living out somebody else's ideas and life, even if you 'excel'.