Over the past few years I have, through working my ass off, acquired a skill that, although not much in demand, nonetheless gets me a steady-ish flow of freelance work (I earn very little overall, but the per-hour rate is now very good).
I've been trying to get a full-time job (I want the security etc, especially as my partner and I want to start a family), but I'm not willing to compromise on pay. I know what my time is worth.
I went through an extended interview process with a company that I know is very large and has a lot of money. The job required a specific skill-set and was highly creative and difficult work. I could see that the average salary for that job in that country was very high. At the end they finally offered me a job, but low-balled me heavily on the salary. I negotiated a bit, but they barely raised the offered wage.
I just turned down the position, and damn it feels good. I've worked in so many shitty low-wage positions (my first job at 16 paid $6.50 an hour (in my country's equivalent currency)), and to finally have the ability to stand up for myself is priceless.
I've gone from long-term unemployment and homelessness to being in this position. I've never turned down a job offer before, because I've always had that panic mentality. Just wanted to rant/gloat/feel good about this somewhere and this seemed like maybe it was the place.
Demand respect, know your worth, and don't accept exploitative salaries. Fuck the bosses.