Ask HN: I don't need a big salary, how to avoid being deemed as lower quality?
I'm a Java dev / Linux sysadmin (actually a generalist, but that's where most of my experience is) working remotely from Romania.
If I go over $55k a year I get switched to another income tax bracket, which I wouldn't mind if it didn't come with a lot more paperwork and headaches (bureaucracy is better now around here, but it still has some catching up to do on the freelancer/self employed side) -- and I don't want that.
The problem is when I mention this salary upfront, I'm (mentally) assigned a lower value/quality when the client/employer is from an area when ever juniors make almost double that.
Now I'm no rockstar dev or 10x'er, but I do deliver.
If I go over $55k a year I get switched to another income tax bracket, which I wouldn't mind if it didn't come with a lot more paperwork and headaches (bureaucracy is better now around here, but it still has some catching up to do on the freelancer/self employed side) -- and I don't want that.
The problem is when I mention this salary upfront, I'm (mentally) assigned a lower value/quality when the client/employer is from an area when ever juniors make almost double that.
Now I'm no rockstar dev or 10x'er, but I do deliver.
How can I avoid this pitfall?