Your reader Johnny is right when he talks about the poor pay in IT (Should have taken the bus, Letters blog). Last year I earned a little less than £30,000 for working on average three days per week. I have no academic qualifications, only a good number of years’ experience. I only have a basic knowledge of networks and earn my money looking after simple PCs and printers.

And yet I see adverts in your publication offering the same sort of salary but requiring various degrees or other qualifications and experience. They also ask that the candidate takes responsibility for this, that and the other, although the work, project or prospects are always exciting, which I suppose must count for something. And no, I don’t charge plumber’s rates.

Bob, submitted on the web