← CareerReturnsWhat If You Had
Career Time Machine
What If You Had
Made a Different Choice?
Select a past career decision, enter how long ago it was, and see the financial divergence between your actual trajectory and the alternative — from then to 10 years into the future.
What decision do you want to model?
$
3 yrs
$55K/yr
what the other path would have paid more/less
+1.5%/yr
Cumulative Earnings: Then vs. Now
TODAY ↓
2yr ago: $8K
1yr ago: $16K
0yr ago: $25K
+1yr: $165K
+2yr: $311K
+3yr: $464K
+4yr: $624K
+5yr: $791K
+6yr: $965K
+7yr: $1.15M
+8yr: $1.34M
+9yr: $1.54M
+10yr: $1.75M
3 yrs agoToday+10 yrs
Your actual pathAlternative path
Past 3 Years — Divergence
$170K
cumulative difference over past 3 years
Forward Opportunity (10 yr)
$715K
approximate future compounding value
The key insight
Past divergence is sunk cost — it's gone. But the same $55K/year difference still lies ahead. Making the same decision today starts a new compounding curve. The best time to optimize a career decision was 3 years ago. The second best time is now.