[wwww4alll]

Compensation is simply what people ask for and accept as fair.

Too many developers do not negotiate and simply accept lower compensation.

If your are a software engineer with a job offer, ALWAYS negotiate for higher salary. Most likely, you will get increase from first offer. If not, go find a company that will offer the higher increase.

[sokoloff]

There are companies who will offer you $X - $10K and negotiate up to $X if you fight them for it. There are other companies who will offer you $X + $5K and never negotiate.

For multiple reasons, it’s nicer to work at the second, but your algorithm ensures you’ll always choose the first type.