The option they don't really list is "continue working in more or less the same way until you retire", which I think is, by volume, what most people outside our

The option they don't really list is "continue working in more or less the same way until you retire", which I think is, by volume, what most people outside our industry expect. I was recently talking to some engineers about being in software in our 40s, and I eventually realized that a basic assumption they all shared was that they should continue getting raises and promotions indefinitely, and if that didn't happen it was a sign that something was wrong (with the company, or with them). They assumed that, as long as they continued advancing along a linear skill progression, getting better and better at their jobs, they would to continue getting at least commensurate career and salary progression. The thing is, that's not how most jobs work. In most trades, you reach a certain level, then top out, and after that you (hopefully) get small, periodic raises to match inflation, then one day you retire. But, you don't expect to make 10-25% more money every couple years for the rest of your life, the way you often do in your first decade or so of software development. I don't think it's a "check your privilege" thing, I think it's just that matching growth to compensation is a reasonable assumption engineers often make, because maybe that's how it should work in an optimal world, and it's sort of what a good developer experiences at first. But, the world isn't optimal, and the world of work is so sub-optimal it's not even funny, so don't count on it!