re: Poll: Six-figure earners feel they’re in ‘survival mode’

Interesting thread. I’m OT poor. I make under 6 figures. Single dad, paying child support. I’ve made it work thus far, mostly by eliminating trips. I go out to eat maybe twice a month, and it’s not to a 5 star steakhouse.

My profession was never going to get me rich, but inflation has been a major bitch. My parents were teachers and I grew up middle class in a family of 5. That won’t be my reality. I’ll be lower middle class barring a career change.

Depending on where you live, you can’t just eliminate your Starbucks and be fine. As someone said, luxuries are cheaper now, necessities have gone through the roof. Food and insurance are killers at this point. I’m living in an older house, but it’s good size for me. I have no issues driving an older vehicle.

Keeping up with the Joneses isn’t great for society. One of my best friends is married, works from home, and he and his wife rake in the dough. He admits to working way less hours than I do, and he and his wife will fly to some concert or sports event every other weekend it seems. I feel terrible for being jealous and realizing that I am kind of locked into this life.

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My profession was never going to get me rich

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You made this choice. You are your own jailer.

I graduated top of my class in an excellent major, made a lot of money and hated it

I quit, make less money now but my quality of life has gone up

I have never wanted the finer things in life though so my experience doesn’t apply to everyone

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When I selected my major at the age of 18, I should have had the foresight to predict my economic situation, complete with a child and a divorce, and the state of our national economy over twenty years later.

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Dude. You clearly said the profession you picked was never going to make you rich. Did you forget to put in any words in that sentence?

Not interested in your answer. We left it where we agreed on one thing. Let’s not ruin that.

I want to hear his response.

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My profession was never going to get me rich, but inflation has been a major bitch. My parents were teachers and I grew up middle class in a family of 5. That won’t be my reality. I’ll be lower middle class barring a career change

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I have a degree in secondary ed. I "worked" as a teacher for 6 months and then the company I did summer work for offered me a position paying more than I made teaching, the work was a hell of a lot more fulfilling/fun and involved a lot of travel.

Your teaching degree can cross over to a few other areas that are more rewarding, if you get burned out on teaching.

My degree made it possible to be one of the first "private" industry people to get certified by the NAI (National assoc for interpreters) who previously worked with Park personnel, and it gave me access to a lot of opportunities.

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When I selected my major at the age of 18, I should have had the foresight to predict my economic situation, complete with a child and a divorce, and the state of our national economy over twenty years later.

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Not really, but kind of. None of those things should have been unprecedented considerations for an 18 year old.

Respect for knowing your passion by 18, though. Plenty folks just sort the options by descending salary and move down until they see something they can tolerate.

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And engineering and Econ

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Never claimed either, Junior.

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Then why are you an hourly admin at a dock?

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Your worldview is so fricking tiny. Its that autism of yours.

And they leave this fact out too about the sizes of homes growing. That costs more just in of itself. It wasn’t normal to have that big a house. But they don’t let facts get in the way.

My parents were both college educated and we lived in about a 1500-1600 sq ft house with a family of 5 in the late 70s through about the early 90s. My sisters shared a bedroom which was also pretty common then as well.