<prompt> Human: Edit: thanks everyone. You all seem to be in agreement that Im getting lowballed pretty hard. Last night I replied to their email saying the median in Boulder is 50-55k. I also asked about the details of the benefits. Ill update with how it works out.Edit 2 I received a reply. They are holding firm at 33k. Their argument is that I have no prior experience with their stack, which is totally true. Im new to Web dev, my internships and classes were all systems programming. Other benefits include: 401k matching vested immediately at 4. Company pays for 50 of health care. Office is 5 mins walking from my apt. Unlimited time off, super flexible hours. Is this really that bad of a deal? Does taking this offer really hinder my progress as much as some of you have said? Heres the whole story:I graduated last December with a BS in Computer Science. I am unemployed and Ive been on the job hunt for a few months, and have been doing a lot of reading about salary negotiation.Im well aware of Rule Number 1, which is never give a number first. But in this case, I was caught off guard, because my first engagement with this particular company was a casual conversation with one of their employees at a bar. In this conversation, we discussed some general things about computer science and I asked for advice on finding a job. Among his job advice, he asked what kind of salary are you expecting to get?Before this point, Ive been reading up on this sub and making a budget for my first job, and Ive calculated that I need to be in the ballpark of 2kmonth to be able to pay for taxesinsurance, rent, food, and a car. So I unwittingly told him all that. Naturally, I would be much more comfortable with a higher salary than just 24k take-home pay, but I didnt make that clear in that moment.Come to find out, this guys company small startup is hiring an entry level software dev and they want to interview me. The interview went well and I just received their offer: sure enough, 33k. Ive done research on glassdoor, salary.com, payscale, and through friends and relatives, and Ive found that an entry level developer in my area Boulder CO goes for a lot higher, like in the 50-60s. How true is that really? I searched this and some other CS subs for salary info and I just cant fathom a fresh college graduate making 90k, even if you DO live in San Francisco. How bad did I shaft myself?Heres where I need the most help though. How do I counter their offer without seeming like Im going back on my word? I basically already told the guy I could live off of a 33k salary, but honestly Id be much more comfortable being in at least the mid 40s. Theres no way theyll bump the offer that high, right?As far as benefits, all I know is the offer includes a 401k, health insurance I pay for 50, and PTO. They said Ill get the rest of the details when I start the job.I like everything else about the company and dont want to have to turn it down, especially with how hard it is to get your first CS job.I do have one bit of hope, which is Im waiting on another company to see if theyll send me an offer. With that company slightly larger but still under 50 people, there were zero mentions of salary or compensation in the interview. So if company B offers me a higher salary, I suppose I could use that as leverage with company A.  <response>: What you told him casually means nothing. Your value isnt determined by what you need to live. You told him that your expenses are about 2k. Thats fine, but if youre worth 4k, thats what you should get. 