I agree. The only challenge for me is the lack of dining table economics on the part of employers outside of places like NYC and the Bay Area. What I mean is t

I agree. The only challenge for me is the lack of dining table economics on the part of employers outside of places like NYC and the Bay Area. What I mean is that they almost exclusively look at local market prices for developers. They don't generally factor in what developers can make in the big cities. Now, some do, but generally they just apply the inverse of a cost-of-living multiplier and make that offer. That's problematic because then our savings rate, something that should be measured in absolute terms, is being reduced. Anyway, point being, if I add up my benefits, savings rate, and cost-of-living adjusted expenses, I end up with a big number for most non-coastal-U.S. employers. I then have the risk of branding myself as an overpriced prima donna, especially if I'm seen as a cost center instead of as a strategic resource.