Middle income especially after taxes. Living as I do now that's twice what I make. (made ) I could save a lot or have much money left over but if I bought a big house with a huge mortgage or as Classic said, moved to a spendy place to live then I could still be hocked up to my nose in debt.

No I don't think it's a lot of money. If you are married and had a combined income of the same then yes it's extra money with buying power.

I just checked indeed and salary dot com and it seems that someone with my experience should be making between 80k and 128k.

That is a scary amount of money to me, actually.

the 50% is about 58k.

WTF?

Don't ask....get them to make an offer.

Where I live, which isn't high end in the least bit, 60K is good but not great...you still need to be frugal if you don't want to go into debt. Meaning you can enjoy a decent standard of living, but on the low end.

60k to a singlet is hugely different than 60k for a family!

Yep. And kids add exponentially to the problem.

Don't mention a sum initially. If they can play coy, so can you. And make sure you do get yourself more than familiar with that software fast.

I already down loaded it and have started playing with it. It is a lot like its cousins, does some things better some things worse. It should be cake.

I'm pondering the salary question since they specifically ask for it. I've heard of cases where if you can't follow simple instructions like we need a, b, c. then your app is pitched.

Still thinking about it. I may ask for some crazy number. (to me anyway) considering what their current out of house budget must be. I know similar companies who go out of house can pay upwards of 2 mil a year, so 80k is a bargain.

I agree with monster. If they didn't even put a salary range in the job description, then definitely don't mention one either. Make them realize how much they want you first.

There you go, anon.

And you're right about the application. I have been on many hiring committees and some scholarship committees, and your application could be stellar in most every way, but it's going to be tossed for not following the process (very important to certain companies) or for misspellings and the like, in favor of the person who did what was asked and took the time to do it really well.

Am I right when I say that they are asking for salary requirements as part of the application? Then you have to do that part.

They expect you to ask for the moon: I doubt they'll toss your app for asking for more than they're expecting to pay. That will all come out in the negotiation once you've been offered the job.

Anyway, I hate that approach. I've looked at FA jobs and if there isn't a pay listed it kind of pisses me off. I've lived the disparity of pay in this field, and I think it would be nice to know if a job that sounds interesting to me is going to be a huge pay cut, before I even bother applying. Then, to ask you "well, what do YOU think you should make" seems to be part of the game, but one I am not fond of. It seems like a sneaky way to try to get someone cheaper than they expect to pay.

Spoke with a FOAF today who had worked for the co. I am applying to and got some of the down-low. He said, among other things, starting by asking for 100k might scare them a bit, so start with 75k and talk about a 4 day week plus bennies.

These are incomprehensible #s to me. But I think I could get used to them.

Do you trust this FOAF?

If so, go for it and good luck.
75k w/ 4 day week and bennies sounds good.

Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to...
Never mind that last thought there....

It all comes down to how many people want the same job, and are qualified for iit, and how bad they need your particular skill set. It is always better to know the salary ranges in your head and let them make the first offer and then go up from their offer. (IMHO)

For an entry level job, where you have never made that much money before, there is nothing wrong with taking what ever they offer you to get the experience you need for resume building. If you are just starting out, single, no kids, it could be an ideal opportunity to get your foot in the door. A lot of people are struggling now so employment at a higher rate than you are currently earning is a boon in it self. Go for it. Take the job, work it for a few years, ask for a raise as you contribute to the corp. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

And as classic said, 60k is not a lot of money if you live in NYC, but you would get along fairly nicely in less populated areas. It all depends.