Hi Steve,

Check out www.dice.com Interesting contract and perm job listings.

>Here's the deal. I am currently working under a 1099 contract at $17.50 per hour (mostly off-site from my own office and I am told that I am grossly underpaid). Of course, I pay my own health insurance and FICA taxes too (Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!).
>But the thing is, I love my job and my employer so much that the money doesn't matter to me. But the Mrs. has asked me to look for a new job or a new contract that offers health insurance benefits and W-2 status. I see her point, but...

OK, I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, but you should never love an employer or job so much that you're undervaluing yourself. $17.50 is an abnormally low amount for any type of programmer.

I think the reason you see job listings in the $15 - $20/hour rate is that they can't find anyone to do the work at that amount, hence the listing stays and stays.

Depending on your experience, a good minimum rate for the Tampa area is $50. If you have over 5 years experience and/or web or SQL Server/Oracle experience then $75/hour should be your minimum.

My advice would be to go to a reputable contract/placement firm and get their advice and sign up for contract or contract-to-perm work. It's in their best interest to get as much as they can for you. If you extrapolate your current rate, you are making $35,000 per year with no benefits. If you have some experience and a degree (or more experience), I don't think it'd be hard to find a better 9-5 job in a booming market such as Tampa.