High pay jobs or Better role jobs?

Have I sold myself cheap? Should I have bargained harder? These are questions most job seekers grapple with when negotiating for a new job.

For youngsters today, cost-to-company (CTC) and designation remain the biggest brag factors among peers. What you earn and how well you negotiate your salary are critical to ensuring your longterm financial well-being.

But how does a career strategy focused largely on a salary package play out in the long run? What's your take home?

When starting out one's career, peer pressure is high. How much one makes is as important for one's social standing as it is for one's wallet.

Not surprisingly, young executives switch jobs for as little as 10% and bargain hard for salary hikes.

In the short run, it matters. One is the obvious compounding effect. Two equally competent executives starting out at the same time with different negotiating skills can end up with significant gaps in salaries after barely six years and three job hops.