How I Negotiated a 40% Higher Salary as a Junior Developer

When I got my first dev job offer, I almost accepted it on the spot. The number looked fine. More than I was making before (which was nothing). I was excited just to have an offer. Then a friend told me something that changed my entire approach: "The first number they give you is never the real number." That single piece of advice made me an extra 40% on my starting salary. And I want to share exactly how I did it, step by step, because this stuff isn't as scary as it sounds. The Situation I was 18 at the time. Zero professional experience. A portfolio of personal projects, some freelance work, and a lot of SwiftUI knowledge. I applied to a small company that was building a mobile app. After two technical interviews and a take-home project, they gave me an offer. The offer was decent. Slightly below the market average for juniors in my area, but not insultingly low. Most people would've taken it. I almost did. Why Most Juniors Don't Negotiate Let me explain the mindset I had to overcom