I had an employer that was saying things like, "This is how it works everywhere" when I complained about things. I ended up finding a website that compared abu

I had an employer that was saying things like, "This is how it works everywhere" when I complained about things. I ended up finding a website that compared abusive workplace behavior to abusive relationships, and I agreed with it... And still I stayed there until they screwed me on a raise, asking me if I could "wait until next year?" I started looking after that and got a 40% pay raise starting out at the new job. I knew what I was worth, and I still stayed. It's not just about not knowing what you're worth or thinking nobody else would want you. Sometimes it's about not wanting to deal with the unknown. I absolutely encourage people who haven't gotten significant raises each year to look at other jobs. You're almost certainly underpaid, unless you're a senior dev. In which case you're merely probably underpaid. That said, I've been here for 10 years and I'm happy. I'm a big fish in a small pond, and I have incredible job security, and I work the 40 hours that I want to. I know I could earn more, but now I value the rest of that more.