In a context of career development, seeking higher compensation may benefit top performers more than accepting the raise from their current employer. This is where having definitive career goals can help decide if your compensation is fair, or if the grass is indeed greener on the other side.

Most people don't consider inflation when calculating their raises. I used to figure that more money in the check meant more money. I learned that my raises must outpace inflation in order to be worth anything, first and foremost. That kind of data could begin to stem the tide of career development and on the nation. It's a question of providing the right motivation along with the right support and clearly there aren't answers. Our jobs are more sedentary. How much time do you spend in front of a computer everyday? As a top performer, it wasn't always a given because companies want to pay as little as possible to do the most work.

Source: http://www.careerenclave.com