Most companies aren't out to screw you, but I've worked for a few (I'm 40 this year), and the vast majority of them aren't actively concerned with not screwing

Most companies aren't out to screw you, but I've worked for a few (I'm 40 this year), and the vast majority of them aren't actively concerned with not screwing you, which works out to the same thing practically speaking when it comes to raises and other advancement within the company over time. There is an old adage about the easiest way to get a raise in the tech field being to move to a new company. This is, in my experience, absolutely and nearly universally true (there are a select few companies that really stay on the ball with regards to keeping up with salary adjustments for existing employees, but they are very few and very far between).