Not sure if this is the case here, but in this business it's common that compensation is structured as: base salary + guaranteed year-end bonus + performance-based year-end bonus. The offer would include only the first two items. The base salary should be similar to an average salary as a software engineer that you could get elsewhere. The guaranteed part of the bonus can vary anywhere from 10% to 100% of your salary; it really depends on the company and your position (in your case, you should expect a lower number). The non-guaranteed part of the bonus is where the real money can be found, though, and that cannot be negotiated. It will be based on your personal performance and on the performance of the company each year. So bargain carefully for the first two components of the compensation, but remember that the third component is where the real upside is. In other words, especially with your almost non-existent experience (no disrespect), you should take whatever you can get from them. Assuming that you want to work in that business, of course. I hope this helps.