> If I knew you were good at Python and you were asking for $1.5k a month I would hire you and laugh all the way to the bank. One way to avoid exploitation lik

> If I knew you were good at Python and you were asking for $1.5k a month I would hire you and laugh all the way to the bank. One way to avoid exploitation like this is to try to develop a number of offers simultaneously. Go in with the plan of getting a couple of offers early, and then let them twist in the wind while you develop better ones. Having an offer is good leverage for getting a better offer from another place without seeming "greedy". (Be courteous and humble, of course, or at least fake it.) Also, the FAANGs seem to recruit endlessly, even when they're not really hiring. Good place for practice interviews, even if you don't care to work there. My offer from one got me a lot more money elsewhere.