SWANK ADVICE-Don't ask because you won't like the answer

[Lily Powers]

I work for the government ("don't worry, I'm here to help!") and my pay is public information. Have to say, it doesn't bother me who knows and heck, maybe they'll even pity me and buy me dinner! If I had my own business though, I think I'd be protective of how much I made and answer such queries with a generic, "I do pretty well," whether I did pretty well or not. The internet is a wealth of information and it's all immediate, so maybe someone coming out of college is used to acquiring that knowledge with no problem and sees no issue with asking directly.