The key thing I'm trying to get across here is that it isn't the hopping that brings this sort of increase, it is simply working at one of the very high paying

The key thing I'm trying to get across here is that it isn't the hopping that brings this sort of increase, it is simply working at one of the very high paying companies in a high paying region. Zero hops, one hop, and seven hops can all get you there. Telling people to focus on the seven hops is misleading, IMO.