I've done a lot of reading today, so I unfortunately can not remember what article I saw that talked about how to do better at your job so you could make more money. The tips on how to do better at your job were all good from what I remember, but the whole time I was thinking to myself "You don't make more money by being better. You make more money by leaving."

This is not a hard and fast rule, as some people do move up the ranks and continually increase their salaries. But, unless you're being groomed for senior management at whatever company you work in, the way to increase your yearly earnings is to look elsewhere.

If you're a good worker, your company wants to keep you, but they don't want to give you huge raises in order to do so. And even if you enhance your skills and do an even better job, they're not going to get all crazy and say, "Wow, what an improvement! Here's an extra 5% on top of the raise we were going to give you."

No. The times when you make money are when you move on. Yes, you can try to get more from the company you're with, and you just might get it. But if you do get it, it's for one reason only - they're afraid you're going to leave. If you're a decent worker, they'd rather keep you than face finding someone new, which costs money. But they'll now think of you as disloyal, and they'll figure you couldn't find a better, higher-paying job elsewhere, so they'll stiff you in the future.

If you're a really, really good worker, you won't bother asking for a raise because you'll have already found another company willing to pay you more, and you'll be annoyed that the company you did all the great work for wasn't willing to give you any more money until they knew you were going to leave.

In short, unless you are being routinely promoted and your salary is happily escalating, keep your resumé up to date and keep looking. You might be surprised at just how much you're worth.