Five years ago I was making ₹6L at a Bangalore agency, wondering if I'd made a terrible career choice. Today I'm at ₹40L at a Series D startup. Here's the real story.

**Year 1: The agency grind (₹6L)**

Agency taught me to work fast, present confidently, and handle difficult clients. It also taught me to hate waterfall processes. The technical skills improved quickly. The strategic skills didn't — agencies rarely let juniors near strategy.

**Year 2: The startup jump (₹10L)**

I left the agency for a 50-person startup. Salary bumped 65% — not because I was dramatically better, but because the market for designers who could own features end-to-end was much tighter. The lesson: agency experience translates to a premium in product companies.

**Year 3: Building in public changes everything (₹14L)**

I started sharing work on Dribbble and writing on Medium. Nothing viral — just consistent. By the end of the year, two inbound recruiter messages per week, versus one cold application per day before. Distribution matters.

**Year 4: The systems year (₹22L)**

I got obsessed with design systems. Built one from scratch at my company. This turned out to be the highest-leverage skill I developed — it's rare, hard, and well-compensated.

**Year 5: Principal / IC track (₹40L)**

Took an offer at a Series D company as a Principal Designer — individual contributor, no management. The IC track for designers is real and increasingly valued.

The uncomfortable truth: every salary jump came from leaving. Internal raises rarely keep up with market growth.