My degree surely helped, but what got my foot in the door was a particularly interesting project I worked on the year before. As for salary, it depends on the

My degree surely helped, but what got my foot in the door was a particularly interesting project I worked on the year before. As for salary, it depends on the company. In many places, this number would indeed be low. (See Netflix with its $300-$400k starting salaries.) At my company, it's maybe on the low-mid of the scale for employees who've had my position for a few years. (Last I checked, the range is approx. $200-$300k TC.) However, I considered it a very high offer indeed, given the large "gap" and general lack of corporate experience on my resume. I actually got in one level higher than I thought I would. (Though I've since come to realize that it was definitely the right slot for me.)