(Speaking from US perspective) You want to minimize quick job jumps on your resume. It’s not terrible to jump after one year but two or more one-year stints in a row raises a red flag for me. I’d say if you do jump, prepare to stay at the next place for three-plus years.

Also it’s tough to make a case for someone with your experience getting 20% more when they could hire a fresh graduate for cheaper.

In this economy I would say it's always good to be actively looking. You don't have to leave your current position to interview somewhere else. In terms of salary, the best way to get a raise of 20% has historically been to change companies, it's rare to get that level of a raise at the same company and would need to be part of a major promotion.

it sounds like you're doing fine. that's good.

if you think you have an idea that you want to do more, then...ask to do more. but be careful what you wish for.

for instance, if you're not as productive as they think you should be, then get some specifics on what counts are 'more productive', and find out how to get more productive -- literally ask your manager, 'I want to become more productive. How do I become more productive?'

They might say, "Well you need to work more hours."

To which you can say yes, no, maybe, etc.

It's prob worth a search here and google to find out how to become a better/'more productive' developer (or whatever it is you're producing).

Tell bossman you want a raise, and you're willing to work hard for it, you want to be a great dev, you think you can get there, you just need to be pointed in the right direction.

I'm 100% certain it's possible to get better at programming and all related tasks. But I don't think it's easy to get there yourself -- you ideally need someone who _actually_ know wtf they're talking about, which is virtually non-existent. Like, a great 'highly productive' dev may/not be able to relate to you what you need to do to be great - b/c they might be geniuses, or might be autistic/savant, or just be shit communicators.

You can also do side projects, get certifications, etc. Pick some _very_ small slice of functionality, build a _very_ simple web app, put it up on your Digital Ocean (DO) server, add it to your linkedin and resume and portfolio home page, rinse and repeat with whatever new tech you want to learn.

You will prob burn out soon enough if you're not careful, so I'd advise that working smart is more important than working endless hours, which you don't seem inclined to do -- I think that's prob a good thing on balance.

That's my advice -- don't run for the hills -- yet. Be assertive -- very important skill to have. Read a book if you need to, watch some youtubes, etc. Get a sit-down meeting with your manager, tell them the spiel, get a plan, execute on the plan, make your manager very happy at your next review, get the raise, get the raise + inflation + bonus, get your confidence, get your career path and plan for continuous improvement, make sure your manager knows you want to live in the horrific js/react/ng/vue world, progress, don't get covid, live a full life, don't jump jobs just because you didn't know how to be assertive.

best.