<prompt> Human: So, my situation is that I am a senior computer science major whos graduating in about a month. I already have a job as a systems developer that I managed to get in my junior year. Upon the offer of that job, I was told that they would be open to renegotiation of my salary once I graduated.Following some advice I saw in a few of these threads, I decided that I wanted to be armed with some counter offers for this renegotiation. Because I know how long it can take to get an offer, I went ahead and put in my resume to a few places back in February. I got called back immediately by one, scheduled an interview in March, and they just gave me an offer today.Now, the company I work for is a smaller company, and the original posting for the position Im in was for 45k. Thats about 25 below average entry level for my degree in my area, so I am worried thats what my renegotiated salary will be here, or at least their initial offer. I know that, despite how much I like it here, starting out 25 below average is going to hurt my salary prospects going forward. The job I got an offer for, however, is offering me 60k a year along with much better benefits.So, the problem Im facing is this:Do I accept the position I was offered, and then wait until I graduate to see if my current company will match? this would mean reneging on my acceptance of the other offerDo I go ahead and meet with HR and push the renegotiation up a month?I really dont want to screw this up.  <response>: Id just be honest with your current company. Say, look, Ive got a lucrative offer for my first year out of school. Its clear Im graduating. We all know that at this point. Im not flunking out in the last month. If youre not willing to negotiate now, I have to take the other offer. Simple as that. If they are unwilling to negotiate now knowing you have a good offer on the table then they are not worth your time. Also, always always always take a job with good benefits. You have to weigh them against the salary, but in this scenario it looks like you have an offer with a better salary AND better benefits. In my opinion, unless you have some personal attachment to your current company it would be foolish not to take the offer at the new company or at least use it now for leverage. You are in control right now. Dont wait. These opportunities can come often, but they can also be few and far between. You dont want to miss your opportunity. No hard feelings. Just straight business. Negotiate now or Im gone. 