[csaha]

The first time I applied to work for a high frequency trading group in a hedge fund, my boss asked me what my desired comp would be? I replied 400k, to which he immediately responded saying that's extremely reasonable... So clearly, I f*** myself over in the negotiation.

No company in our capitalist society pays any worker at any level. What the worker thinks they are worth- they pay the worker the absolute bare minimum that they think they can get away with. Doesn't matter if it's an entry level job, or ( like mine) a high end algo trading outfit etc

[satvikpendem]

That is the same principle in any market, not just the labor market. It is based on the laws of supply and demand, not what the product's "worth" is (how would you even know that at a large scale without price discovery?).

[WalterBright]

When you sell your house, do you sell it for as much as you can? When you buy a house, do you make the minimum offer you hope the seller will accept?

[intelVISA]

Depending on skill and experience that salary request's an incredible feat of self-sabotage.