After four and a half years of staying loyal to their first job, one worker says they learned the hard way that dedication doesn't always pay off. Now they’re asking others in the r/jobs subreddit, “Is it just me or has ‘loyalty’ become the most expensive career mistake?”

They trained new hires, led projects, and took on extra tasks without ever asking for a raise, assuming their loyalty would be noticed and rewarded.

Everything Changed

They watched a new hire in the same role and with less experience get 20% higher pay. “That's when it hit me—loyalty doesn't get rewarded, it gets exploited,” the original poster wrote. They eventually left the company and secured a 35% salary increase elsewhere, along with better benefits and a workplace culture that showed more appreciation.

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Commenters jumped in with personal stories, many echoing the same lesson: staying loyal can come at a steep cost.

“The idea of being loyal to a company went out the window in the ’90s,” one corporate veteran wrote. “If I need to save as much money as possible for retirement, I will sure as sh*t be job hopping as regularly as I can.”

Another user, with over two decades at the same company, said bluntly: “Definitely doesn’t feel like they care at all.”

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Some shared stories of being passed over for raises and promotions despite doing the work of multiple roles. “Your mistake wasn't loyalty. It was not asking for a raise,” one wrote. Another added, “If you’re not getting compensated fairly, loyalty is charity for rich people.”

Still, not everyone agreed that loyalty is always a mistake. A few people pointed out that strong management and clear career growth can make staying worthwhile. 

Others argued that advocating for yourself, asking for raises, pushing for promotions, or even job hunting regularly, is the real key. “Loyalty isn’t as much a problem as silence is,” one said. “You have to ask or demand what you want.”

Some commenters did caution that industry and location can play a big role in whether job hopping is realistic. But the overall message was obvious: the old belief that staying with one company would result in security and recognition seems outdated.

“I am grateful I learned this lesson very early. It takes all the hard feelings out of the whole situation,” one person wrote. “I sell my labor to who will pay the most.”

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