2/8     I have a salary negotiation for a new job coming up.  If the median
        for that kind of work is $X/yr, what should I ask for an opening
        request?  Too high and I'll scare them off, too low and I'm selling
        myself short.
        \_ Ask for what you are worth and what you would be happy with.
           If in doubt, ask for more rather than less. You won't scare
           them off if they are a good place to work. They will just say:
           "Sorry, but this is our final offer: $xxx". Better to be
           overpaid than underpaid.
           \_ I think I'm worth $X.  Except for envy, I'd probably be happy
              with only 0.75X.  If I ask for 1.15X, would that be bad?
              \_ No.
              \_ It would not be bad, but don't be surprised if you don't
                 get it. Salary negotiation is its own area of expertise
                 and you should at least read up on it, if you want to get
                 paid anything near what you are worth.
                 \_ "A good trade is when you're happy and the other guy's
                    happy, regardless of what you paid for what."  -John
                    \_ yeah, gay sex is when both sides are happy
                     \_ Cause after straight sex the woman just lies there
                        crying and feeling like a dirty filthy whore?
        \_ Update: Her: What are you expecting
           Me: Market rate
           Her: There a range we have budgeted... <beating around the bush>
           Me: I think 1.15X sounds reasonable
           Her: <silence> ... That's within our range.
           \_ did you enjoy watching her beat around her bush?
           \_ may I ask what you do and what your experience is? I'm asking
              because if you're a code monkey, the salary range is actually
              pretty big
           \- re: the "envy" comment ... while i wouldn't characterize it as
              envy, but more of a fairness/do i look like a bitch factor,
              it does offend me when people with much lower productivity
              are paid better. the productivity difference in the computer
              world can easily be a couple of factors and not 10s of percent.
              of course the company can try to make it up in other ways
              [nicer office, more flex time/telecommute, interesting project,
              not having to do shit work, carry pager etc.] --psb
              \_ how much do you get paid for having a lot of experience but
                 no college degree? Thanks Partha
                 \_ I know someone who has a GED who makes about 1/4 million
                    dollars a year as some kind of fancy sysadmin
              \_ I agree with this. No one likes to find out that his
                 incompetent coworker on the verge of being fired all the
                 time makes more. Yes, this happened to me many times
                 before I learned to stop being a chump and make a demand.
                 \- well there is also the emperor has no clothes phenomenon.
                    i have a colleague that spends a lot of time traveling
                    to give seminars, has a couple of published books, is on
                    the editorial boards of mutliple things but is a demon-
                    strable moron ... to the point where his comments in
                    meetings have led to embarassed silences, people tell
                    stories about his cluelessness, share strategies for
                    dealing with his dumb ideas etc. it seems like sleazyness
                    [like this guy claims to have taught at uc berkeley ...
                    now either he did so once or means uc extension] works
                    as does shmoozing [he spends a lot of time gladhanding,
                    which is easy to do when you dont have work obligations]
                                                                   --psb
            \_ If you give a figure first, you lose. The game is to
               continue to ask for market rate until they break down and
               cough up a number - then refuse it until they tell you no.
               I am glad you got what you wanted, though.