&gt; Being a shrewd negotiator is an absolutely critical skill in life, even if you don&#x27;t want the best-ever-salary. If you know how to negotiate the best-ever-salary, you can trade it in for things that do matter to you.<p>Exactly. But then most people will just bend over and wilt at having to deal with a car salesman, as if that&#x27;s the gold standard of having to negotiate something (it isn&#x27;t by any stretch). Or they will disparage and throw barbs at the same, as if a great price should just be handed to them on a silver platter.