I've worked here forever

I've worked at this company for 23 years. This week is the anniversary of my starting with this company in 1988. Some people would say, "That's great." Others would say, "What's the matter with you?" The "what's the matter with you" folks may be right because I could probably make more money if I looked around. But then I'd probably have to work farther from home or we'd need to move. Also, there are a LOT of appealing things at this job. The chief one being that we aren't pressured into putting in extra time to maintain our "he's a team player" credentials. There are times when I need to put in extra hours at the office or do work at home at night or on week-ends but there is no pressure to do so.

I also like what we do here. We're not designing bombs or things that will wreck the environment or cause people to lose their homes. We don't hurt animals and we don't cause children to dislike their parents. We don't make products that deceive people into spending money on something that is not going to work. Our products are used to improve the world. Our products help people and companies reduce the amount of energy they use. Our products help improve the environment.

When I left my previous job (where I worked for 13 years) to take this one, I took a $15,000 a year pay cut because I liked what this company did and how they did it. I don't think I've ever made that pay difference up over the years. And I've not become a manager at this company. Many people think that because I've worked here so long, I should be part of the management team. I enjoy what I do too much to be moved to a job where I just manage people. Besides, I'm not good at that. See The Peter Principle (this is a revised version of the original book written in 1969) and you'll understand what I'm talking about. For a short article on it see the Wikipedia article here. I'm doing exactly what I should be doing and what I enjoy doing.

When I've asked people in the military why they have to transfer so often, they say it's so they can advance. I guess I can understand that - you need to get different experiences in order to grow. But it doesn't seem like the right way to get more experience. Plus, you'd think constantly rearranging units would reduce the cohesion that should be an important part of a military unit.

Anyway, I'm here and I'll probably be here longer - if they'll continue to have me.

[Update, Jan 8, I didn't mean to imply that in the 23 years I've worked here, my salary has never reached the level of my previous job. What I meant was that I'm probably still $15,000 behind the salary at a similar job at a different company. My salary has certainly risen faster than the rate of inflation. It just hasn't kept up with the increase in my experience and in the rise in engineering salaries over the last 23 years.]