If your tracks are clean why worry? One doesn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to read between the lines and pay attention to detail, something I suppose you didn't bother to learn as a software engineer. But you and I know that honesty isn't one of your best assets. Another case in point- you claimed to have moved from the South to the East Coast, however you state that you are from the Bay Area here: http://gbnc.org/sajha/html/OpenThread.cfm?forum=2&ThreadID=35793 Your credibility is good as someone claiming to be a millionaire, but lives off of a cardboard box. If your messages were meant to be a joke, you should say so. I rest my case. ---------------------------------- thapap, Do you have a personal experience to make such conclusions? It is possible for an above average (this means one scores 'exceptional' during performance reviews) IT professional with 5 yrs exp. to make above 100K, but what is not possible is to go from 60K to over 100K in a matter of 4 months. Even if one changes employers (one puts themselves in the market or with a recruiter) the new employer will only offer the market rate or maybe up to 15% above the current rate (depending on demand of course). Have you ever been interviewed for a job? They ask you how much are you looking for. And then they call your former employer's HR to verify how much your current salary is, etc. The exception to the above rule is that if the candidate is exceptionally talented (means you were headhunted by a recruiter or the potential employer itself) then anything is possible. I had a classmate in my undergrad university (in the Bay Area) with no exp. who 'd been headhunted by Juniper Networks (networking gear maker in the Bay Area) b/c he wrote a networking algorithm that defied traditional packet-swtiching; his offer was well beyond 100K and a sign on bonus. Do you think our Katrina is this talented?