As a software engineer in Silicon Valley in the ’80’s and ’90’s, when our skills were deeply in demand (and the Flat World hadn’t happened yet), my salary crept up from job to job.  Not nothing, but maybe 100% increase over 20 years.  Not much year over year.

Starting in the late ’90’s, I switched to jobs where I was helping another group with technology.  First I was a Thought Leader (whatever that is) at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Technology Centre, and then I was a VC at Valhalla Partners.  Over that 20-year stretch my salary went up 3x.  300%.

Why?  I think it’s the difference between cost-based and value-based price for my labor power.  As a software engineer, I was very good, but essentially I was a cost to my employers.  The less they paid me the lower the cost.  As a Thought Leader and a VC I was harder to price.  People tended to pay me a percentage of the value I was adding to their “product”, which worked out to a much sweeter deal.

I don’t know if this story constitutes a proof that mediating between two worlds is a better career strategy than being a star within one.  But I suspect it’s true.  And I recommend it to you.