You’re underpaid” is rarely about skill alone
We plotted real roles on a 3D "salary cube" — and the pattern is uncomfortable.
Two people can write the exact same code and earn 5× apart. The difference isn't talent. It's the other axes nobody teaches you to optimise: There is another factor/axis - #luck, and if you believe check https://retrograde.co.in
Technical competence — table stakes, not the whole game
Risk and Timings— commission sales & founders get paid in volatility
Pedigree — an IIM tag alone shifts the band (earns like a senior engineer with half the tech depth) - Lot of influencers make stories and dont give this importance - but it is in real life and dont go with their success.
Scarcity — cybersecurity & AI talent -comm and more simply because supply can't keep up
Leverage and experience — does your output scale while you sleep? A quant's model and a founder's equity do. A data-entry seat doesn't.
Salary = ƒ(competence · risk · pedigree · scarcity · leverage plus Beta ( others))
The takeaway isn't "grind harder." It's choose your axes. The highest-paid roles stack 3–4 of these at once — the lowest-paid optimise for none.
Which axis are you compounding this year? Also, seek divine blessings ::)
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Illustrative India-market ranges. Roles shift with cycles.

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