The Day I Realized “Good Boy No Dey Pay”
Identity — Chief Oliver De Coque,
There is a phase every engineer passes through.
It starts with optimism.
You believe:
“If I work hard,
If I stay loyal,
If I own systems,
If I sacrifice weekends,
They will see me.”
They did see you.
They just didn’t increase your salary.
I used to think being a “good engineer” was enough.
Write clean code.
Fix bugs quietly.
Carry incidents like a soldier.
Never complain.
Corporate monk.
Good boy engineer.
Meanwhile…
Somewhere out there, someone with half my stress is earning multiples of my pay.
Not because they’re a genius.
Not because they’re lucky.
But because they understand the real game.
Where the Crack Started
The illusion didn’t break from Twitter.
It didn’t break from LinkedIn.
It broke from a casual conversation with a colleague.
Normal gist.
Normal day.
Then salary entered the chat.
Not in a bragging way.
Not in a flexing way.
Just matter-of-fact:
“Oh, I’m on around this range.”
I laughed.
Because surely…
They must be exaggerating.
Then I did mental math.
Then I compared responsibilities.
Then my spirit shifted.
Because I was:
Owning systems
Designing infrastructure
Debugging ugly production issues
Carrying responsibility
But my payslip was behaving like I was still learning how to center a div.
That was my first real encounter with a salary mismatch.
Not skill mismatch.
Salary mismatch.
The Lie We Were Sold
We were told:
“Focus on learning first.”
“Money will come later.”
“Don’t chase salary.”
Cool story.
Bills don’t accept potential.
Landlord does not care about trajectory.
NEPA does not respect passion.
Good Boy No Dey Pay
Let’s be honest.
Good boy engineering feels noble.
You’re loyal.
You’re dependable.
You’re always available.
You are also cheap.
Good boy engineering gives you:
Extra Jira tickets
More responsibility
“You’re doing well”
Small-small appreciation
It rarely gives you proportional compensation.
That sentence hurts.
But it’s true.
Titles Are Decorative
Senior.
Mid-level.
Junior.
Staff.
Distinguished.
Very fine words.
Very shiny LinkedIn ornaments.
But none of them pays your electricity bill.
Money does.
Call me intern.
Pay me well.
We will be best friends.
The Market Does Not Care About Your Loyalty
Your company does not love you.
Your manager might like you.
HR might smile.
But companies optimize for cost.
You must optimize for yourself.
It’s not wickedness.
It’s economics.
The Real Level System
There are only three meaningful levels in tech:
Can you solve real problems?
Can you solve them consistently?
Can someone else pay more for this skill?
That’s it.
Everything else is branding.
Good Boy Engineering vs Paid Engineering
Good Boy Engineering:
Waits to be recognized
Hopes for promotion
Works quietly
Avoids negotiation
Paid Engineering:
Positions value loudly
Applies one level higher
Negotiates upfront
Chooses markets carefully
Same skills.
Different outcomes.
The Mental Shift That Changes Everything
From:
“I am lucky to have this job”
To:
“I am a skilled infrastructure engineer choosing where to sell my labor.”
That sentence alone upgrades your career.
Another Hard Truth
People earning more than you are not necessarily better than you.
They are often just:
In better markets
Better at negotiating
Better at positioning
Skill matters.
But market selection matters more.
My New Philosophy
I don’t chase titles.
I don’t beg for recognition.
I don’t optimize for praise.
I optimize for:
Learning
Leverage
Compensation
Everything else is optional.
If You’re Reading This
And you:
Own systems
Ship real infrastructure
Debug production
Carry responsibility
But your pay doesn’t reflect it…
You are not ungrateful.
You are underpaid.
There is a difference.
Final Thought
You don’t need permission to want more.
You don’t need to feel guilty.
You don’t need to wait five years.
You don’t need a fancy title.
You need:
Better positioning.
Better negotiation.
Better market.
That’s it.