> If they don't think you're great, why are they making an offer?
They could actually think you are indeed great but want to get you at the lowest possible price.
> Are all your coworkers and managers also going to be people they don't think are great but settled for anyway?
Extremely likely.
> Or is it that they're not very profitable and can't afford to pay for quality?
That one is 50/50, many companies, even those not very successful, can afford programmers just fine, but they want to get away with paying less.
> Do you want to work for someone who may not be in business much longer?
Of course not, this is why I am asking uncomfortable questions during the interview, like are they profitable, are their customers bound with longer-term contracts, do they expect sudden inflow of competition, are there any regulation changes on the horizon, and others.
They could actually think you are indeed great but want to get you at the lowest possible price.
> Are all your coworkers and managers also going to be people they don't think are great but settled for anyway?
Extremely likely.
> Or is it that they're not very profitable and can't afford to pay for quality?
That one is 50/50, many companies, even those not very successful, can afford programmers just fine, but they want to get away with paying less.
> Do you want to work for someone who may not be in business much longer?
Of course not, this is why I am asking uncomfortable questions during the interview, like are they profitable, are their customers bound with longer-term contracts, do they expect sudden inflow of competition, are there any regulation changes on the horizon, and others.