See, that's the kicker. You're able to see what the client needs, determine value and offer the best solution. As an independent business, you saw the benefit of that right away. You got PAID! That being said, does that really mean you're 10x better programmer than the next guy? The entrepreneurial & analytical mind may have made you just as valuable in the lumber business (yes, I know that's quite a stretch). The shortcoming of many companies in evaluating programmer performance is that Engineering/Development Managers are often making value judgements based on factors besides what you potentially bring to the company. They're looking at how easy you make their job, how much they like you (seriously, I haven't even seen a manager completely detach their liking of someone and do an objective evaluation). So, it boils down to, do you pay politics well, how smart do others "think" you are, and how well do you "sell" the value you bring to the company. In some of the larger corporations, most of that doesn't matter all that much anyways. If you're entrepreneurial, nothing will highlight your value quite like your own business!