<prompt> Human: This seems to be common advice on this subreddit: If you want to maximize your income throughout your career, do not stay at one company because your current company doesnt value you as much as an external company does.My first thought is, that external company is going to ask why do you want to leave that company? The correct response isnt going to be solely for increased income, although stating you feel undervalued could work if started carefully.Another thought is, chances are you have certain skillsexperience and it will be maximized at another company that is similar and may well be a competitor to your current company. My understanding is non compete agreements vary from state to state but generally how should this be considered when planning to move between companies?  <response>: If youre leaving at about the 3 year mark, you can state that you feel that you arent being given sufficient growth opportunities at your current company- just be ready to state specific areas you are interested in growing into team lead, newer technologies, different specialization that is relevant to the new company, etc..Some job roles are quite OK with simple salary requirements being the driver, but most want to see career progression as a prime factor as it means that they have a shot to keep you if they keep offering new, interesting things for you to work on. 