Here's a tip. Take tips from recruiters with a pinch of salt. Their goal in life is for programmers to change jobs as often as possible, and to make as big a sa

Here's a tip. Take tips from recruiters with a pinch of salt. Their goal in life is for programmers to change jobs as often as possible, and to make as big a salary as possible so that they get better commission. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but their motivations are different to those of a programmer who wants a career. When I go for a job I take a lot more into consideration than the salary. There are the other benefits, the work environment, what will I learn, what challenges will I have to overcome, will I enjoy the work. If you change fields you may happily take a pay cut until you can perform at the same level you do now. You may take at a job that's a in a startup or at a company with financial difficulties that you think you can help turn around. In these scenarios a pay cut, deferred pay via bonus schemes or stock options maybe more important. Another issue is job security. Nobody likes to think of themselves as replaceable or average, but of course by definition most of us are. So if you negotiate yourself an extra $10k-$25k you better be prepared to deliver on that value or you will be at the top of the spreadsheet when it comes time to make cuts.