Recently, some organizational changes saw a senior IT specialist here move on - he took a job in the government sector for more money, which should tell you what kind of pay this place is offering. Anyway, because I'm also IT (primarily electronics specialist but I also handle stuff this division's IT guy doesn't have time to work with) I was asked by my boss if I would like to apply for this position that just opened up. There's already a junior for that position, and he's better qualified for the job. The position itself is managing IT for a decent sized org, but it's also dealing with government contracts on a certain level. Because of this, the government requires all these stupid certs that mean nothing but look good on paper, and you're only given so much time to get them. This is in addition to your other duties, so you're probably going to either have those certs, or are going to be spending your own time getting them (company pays the testing fees.) The outgoing guy was just balls to the wall busy. He's the three-pecker billy goat on a breeding farm busy guy. He gets in, and doesn't stop running until he leaves. He's responsible for all things IT. Cable, services, phones, computers, all the government networking interop with civilian networking, maintaining multiple networks across multiple (internal) sites, you name it. Some of the stuff is so arcance and ancient that event the receiving org doesn't know how it works anymore. It just does. For now. So I was asked to apply. I thought about it and said no, both because the junior that is there is a much better fit for the job and he should have been offered the promo right away, and because my job is quite laid back and I have a schedule that essentially allows me to come and go as I please, within reason. I assumed that this would be a 6-figure job, so that came into my thoughts as well - but then I thought about how this company tends to pay it's higher-ups and reconsidered. They finally did offer the position to the junior, and moved him so some of those contractually obligated perks were now available to him. That's what they should have done to start with. Had an opportunity to talk to the outgoing guy recently, since he's still in the area. Asked him for a roundabout number of what he was making because they were really hot and heavy on me applying for this position. He told me, and I was "wow...really? That's all? No wonder you could get more in the government sector..." I mean, he wasn't making a whole lot more than I am as a senior tech. That just clinched my decision, I made the right one. What really blows me away is some of the techs at this division make substantially more than that, and have some nice perks for being contractually hired. I can't understand how or why they wouldn't pay this guy more than the techs because he's the one keeping it together. Oh well, I guess that's how it works, and then companies wonder why their best people slip away.