I am so tired of justifying my salary.

There are a lot of jobs out there in the US of A.

I know that. Logically, I do. I also know that the unemployment numbers lie — a lot of people are underemployed and/or working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

But the fact remains that there are a lot of jobs that sit unfilled for months. I’m in talent acquisition; believe me, I know.

I’m also on the job market. And God help me, I am tired. I’m tired of a lot of things, but I will tell you the one thing I am most tired of:

I am tired of feeling compelled to justify my salary requirements.

I also question (genuinely — this is truly without any trace of sarcasm or skepticism) whether other people are interrogated about why they feel they’re worth their salary as much as I am. I suspect they’re not, but I could be totally wrong. In fact, I’d love to be proved wrong. I don’t want to be the exception to the rule. I’d like to know everyone else is getting raked over the coals in the same way I am. Until I know that, though, I’m left frustrated and wondering.

I wonder if it’s because I’m single with no kids. I have no one to support but myself, and really, I could live on ramen, couldn’t I? Everyone has to sacrifice, you know. My cats and I aren’t exactly contributing to society in any kind of meaningful way. When you put it that way, my salary demands are really rather ridiculous, even if they are in line with what everyone else is paying for the same role; those people…