If you're feeling bogged down by your CCIE exams, think of the Benjamins (if that rocks your boat). My fellow blogger Michael Morris, who blogs for Cisco Subnet, is a CCIE and was approached by a recruiter pitching him a job in the DC area that paid between $135k to $155k. Michael says that's a bit less than what he thinks is the going rate in a high-cost area. CCIEs in the SF Bay Area for instance, won't get out of bed for less than $200k ... Read his blog here.