To counter these answers a little... I saw the dot com bubble burst, and then made it through a round of layoffs in early 2k, and again near 2008. I saw peopl

To counter these answers a little... I saw the dot com bubble burst, and then made it through a round of layoffs in early 2k, and again near 2008. I saw people lose their homes, go bankrupt, and end up in bad positions. It really scarred me, to the extend where I won't work at a company that doesn't actually make something of value, or doesn't have an existing line of profit. I don't consider stock options when taking a position, since it's very rare they actually end up being worth anything significant, even with a buyout. I live well within my means so I can take a salary that's 1/2 and be ok, if needed. But, as the counter, you could easily, and rightly, claim that this has caused me to not make a significant amount of money by taking these less risky positions. Those risky positions pay more because they are risky, and everyone knows it.