>> The problem is that at the time I took my job, I didn't have much choice, I was in a shitty position, no job, no money, no home, etc. and I took the fist pos

>> The problem is that at the time I took my job, I didn't have much choice, I was in a shitty position, no job, no money, no home, etc. and I took the fist position which came along. No shame in that. I graduated in 2001, and was ecstatic to receive my first (and only) job offer. 1.5 years later, the company went bankrupt, and my team of ~7 was sold (OK, the IP was sold, the team got offers). News came out that one person on the team was getting a raise during the transition and that person was me!! ...because the new company didn't have a pay grade that went low enough to accommodate my existing salary. :/ About 5 years later I cracked 6 figures in the Midwest U.S. and I'm not a super/rock/ninja/adjective du jour star by any stretch. My $.02: Keep working hard, know what you want (and don't be afraid to ask), communicate well, and generally be a Good Guy/Gal™. The rest kind of fell into place for me and my guess is that it will for you too. Best of luck!