I made something like US$18k (pretax). Was the downpayment on my house. Not as much as I wished, but beats the hell out of flaming out.
ETA: Company sold out about 2 years after I started. I didn't make nearly as much as if I had continued being a contractor with a BigDumbCo. But I had a _LOT_ more fun.
ETA: Company sold out about 2 years after I started. I didn't make nearly as much as if I had continued being a contractor with a BigDumbCo. But I had a _LOT_ more fun.