Something to consider: For an employer, hiring is a risky business. You are now a known quantity so you should feel comfortable asking for a higher salary than

Something to consider: For an employer, hiring is a risky business. You are now a known quantity so you should feel comfortable asking for a higher salary than someone of off the street with "equivalent experience" IMO. As you may have discovered, instead of just appreciating the work you did for cheap money, they will be somewhat taken aback when asked to pay market rate. It's a human thing I think. ("I'm not going to pay Dr Heary Surgeon $500 hr! I didn't pay little Bobby Surgeon anywhere near that when he was mowing my lawn as a boy! I gave him his first job fer c*t sakes!")