Don’t take salary advice from family members and well-meaning friends.
Never say to a potential employer, “My husband said I’m worth this much money,” or “My mother said I should be making this level of salary.” Truth be told, the people who are telling you what you should be paid don’t know the market. The bottom line is that you’re going to get paid what you’re worth in the current marketplace. Unless someone purposefully takes advantage of you (which is not common), then you’re going to get paid fairly.
The key is that you need to do some real research on what you’re worth. As you do so, take into account your education level, years of experience, industry, size company you’re interviewing with, and even your geographic location. After all, a job for a small company in Yulee, Florida will pay a lot less than that same job for large company in Manhattan.
You can find realistic salary information from local temporary services, job posting boards, and even websites like salary.com. Use the information you find out as a starting guide and adjust the figure up or down based on your specific circumstances.