So they finally got back at you by making you a manager? Seriously, though, the pay curve you experienced isn't that atypical for young developers entering the

So they finally got back at you by making you a manager? Seriously, though, the pay curve you experienced isn't that atypical for young developers entering the market. Someone just out of college can always be had cheaply (except in a few unusual circumstances). For the most part they are an unknown quantity. If they come in and excel for a year they are suddenly worth a lot more, and that's just the way it works. My own pay curve looked very similar in the first three or four years of professional work... but it was twenty years ago. :) Also thanks for your kind words about senior engineers in their 50's. We agree!