[quote=kev374]Just a quick question… is $75/hr W2 6 month “contract” for a Sr. Java Engineer (15 years exp.) under, over or average?

A year ago I had asked for $70/hr and my recruiter said $65/hr was about as far as the market will bear right now…I had to pull some strings in the company (I had worked there earlier for a few years and they wanted me) to get the rate I had asked for but not without a lot of negotiation drama.

In 2007 I was making $70/hr as a contractor and it upsets me that in 2012 I am making the same while salaries have increased at the 3% rate (at least in the company I work at) and cost of living has VERY sharply increased.

Opinions?

BTW, I am a US citizen![/quote]

In LA, it sounds about right. I don’t think you can find a $100/hr java/J2EE job these days in LA, unless they are bringing you in as more of a system’s architect. And then it should be probably above $100/hr, even in LA