just look back 3 years ago in this industry... jobs were hard to come by, the pay was in the low 20K across the regional world... Now anywhere you go, you will mostly get a $7500+ signing bonus and a first year off total income in the 50K range, and you need to have a pulse to get hired... Imagine how much can change in the next 2 years... you could be making a really good choice grabbing that $7500, if everything craps out in the near future ( not likely ) or you can be selling yourself short if this pay and signing bonus madness keeps going up, (most likely).