My first job was ... magical. Great team, working on a thing I had passion about, with a supporting direct supervisor and great management all the way to the top. I worked hard, pay was okay, but it was about doing good work.

I think many people look for the best $$$ and not for great fit -- as our society is all about what bling you can show off. I had better paying jobs after that first one, but with office politics and whatnot thrown in, and that makes things more challenging for sure. One thing that I find helps is good people and opportunities. You can't be sure to have the same manager forever, but if you have options to change teams and most of the people are decent, that can very helpful.

Also, you have to understand what motivates you, and what gives you satisfaction. Is it working on a good team? Is it being a star performer? Is it successfully adding features? Is it having the largest paycheque possible? Looking for positions that give you the most personal satisfaction can help; and as long as it's not about getting the most pay, there are some tradeoffs you can make. (Like less pay for more say in what you work on, for instance).