What do you do, how much do you make, and how'd you get there?

[Anonymous]

1. MD at a federal agency
2. $250K, which is low for my field, in a flexible job
3. Worked like a dog in HS, top SLAC, top medical school, $125K educational debt then worked like a mule 120 hr weeks making $45-70K annually x 6 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

So I live outside the beltway and have a long commute where we can afford it. Have a similar-earning spouse that makes it work. Also, what’s with the “he”? Do you think we’re still nerdy guys with heavy-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors? Lots of NASA scientists in upper echelons are women this century!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

So I live outside the beltway and have a long commute where we can afford it. Have a similar-earning spouse that makes it work. Also, what’s with the “he”? Do you think we’re still nerdy guys with heavy-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors? Lots of NASA scientists in upper echelons are women this century!

NASA is probably one of the few “tech” places where women do have good representation. Maybe aerospace in general - Shotwell heads SpaceX for instance.

Not sure if that is chicken and egg — do they promote women throughout or do women gravitate towards a more family friendly environment than traditional brogrammer tech company?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

So I live outside the beltway and have a long commute where we can afford it. Have a similar-earning spouse that makes it work. Also, what’s with the “he”? Do you think we’re still nerdy guys with heavy-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors? Lots of NASA scientists in upper echelons are women this century!

Hopefully your spouse has zero or short commute to their $200k job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

So I live outside the beltway and have a long commute where we can afford it. Have a similar-earning spouse that makes it work. Also, what’s with the “he”? Do you think we’re still nerdy guys with heavy-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors? Lots of NASA scientists in upper echelons are women this century!

In my Fed office, most people are commuting about 50 miles a day each way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

1 hr each way commute is not reasonable.

[Anonymous]

1) GS-15, supervisor of a team w/ consumer protection focus
2) $175K
3) Ivy undergrad., campaign work in my 20s, Hill job where I started to specialize in issue area, Ivy master's in public admin., non-profit policy roles (had kids during this time), agency supervisory role.

I am very fulfilled by the mission-driven work and enjoy leading my team. I am satisfied with my compensation/benefits; money is not the goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

1 hr each way commute is not reasonable.

For you. There’s plenty of people who are willing to sit on a train two times a week listening to podcasts while they go back and forth and wfh the rest of the week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

Seriously this discussion is nuts. 190k with a spouse who also have at least a low six figure salary is a very lucky life. I live in Arlington on around that and know we are very wealthy. People are losing their minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

Seriously this discussion is nuts. 190k with a spouse who also have at least a low six figure salary is a very lucky life. I live in Arlington on around that and know we are very wealthy. People are losing their minds.

And yes pp I have two children! It is absurd to think you need each spouse to make 300k or something to be doing well and support your family

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

Seriously this discussion is nuts. 190k with a spouse who also have at least a low six figure salary is a very lucky life. I live in Arlington on around that and know we are very wealthy. People are losing their minds.

So your house was $1M?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

PP. I can share my route to contentment but it probably wouldn’t work for most DCUM folks. First, I’m not strongly motivated by money. Yes, the possibility of leaving science and earning much much more has always been present, but I didn’t ever take those off-ramps. So I worked very hard in my 20s for almost nothing, then worked very hard in my 30s to catch up to everyone, and by my early 40s I’d arrived at a position with no upward mobility. Nobody who cares about money would do any of this. Second, I’m motivated by the impact of what I do. I’m working at a very high level on a very large project that will change our understanding of the universe. What could be better than that!

PP here. I wasn’t motivated by money until we had kids and had to buy a house — I always lived simply, but with kids there are base level of support that gets very expensive very fast. Do you have kids?

He makes $190k! Are you telling me you think you can't afford kids on that salary?

NASA is downtown near Lenfant plaza. A home with decent schools and commute will cost $1M.

No it won't. You can easily have a place with a one hour commute and decent schools for under a million. Smaller SFH and plenty of town houses meet that requirement. Presumably his/her spouse also works. Not sure what fantasy land some of you people live in.

Seriously this discussion is nuts. 190k with a spouse who also have at least a low six figure salary is a very lucky life. I live in Arlington on around that and know we are very wealthy. People are losing their minds.

Careful, keep going like that and you’re going to spark another “Am I poor on $300k” discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clearly the DCUM middle class making $400k+ are shy to reveal their path to success. Thanks to the 1M lawyer

1) NASA engineer
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite engineering degree and masters, hooked up with a NASA mission I believed in and thought would make world better place. Regret not following the money into tech or defense, mommy tracked last decade and reluctant to take a risk because of DH more demanding and better paying job which disrupt our working parent juggle mid air.

1) NASA scientist
2) $190k
3) excelled in high school, elite science degree and top Ph.D., joined NASA to do great things and love it, but took 15 years post-Ph.D. to get to a GS15 and there’s no promotion from here.

So jealous, you are so happy, how do you afford to live here, and wonder if you should have detoured to make a nest egg when your classmates probably went to become quants, and then pivot to start their own space company at 40 after earning millions? My peers basically all did this and I was the dope being idealistic and not selling out to do “science”. Share you wisdom for contentment!

+1
I'd love to know how you are so content. I'm a NASA scientist, who left, earned a PhD and went to the corporate world, earning about 400k, but I still hate my job....I really miss the NASA scientists, such a nice bunch of folk. About half the corporate cogs aren't nearly as smart or humble, but whoa they're an arrogant bunch. Many also carry knives to backstabbing their way up. I can't do that and don't really belong....I'm too nice and know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's notable, so many people say "hard work", "grit", "worked my @ ss off"... do you think the guys who work on your car didn't work hard to get where they are? The person with the most grit and determination is probably the cleaning lady who walked here from Venezuela...

I'm not normally one to go crazy shouting "white privilege" but these answers seem really tone deaf. I'd love to also hear about how you got lucky.

This is a pretty myopic thing to say. I posted in this thread and from the responses so far I’m probably in the upper 5%. My parents came from the projects of their home country. So while you can think you know me and my privilege from one post, lady you’re the one who’s actually tone deaf.

I was thinking the same thing. Ignore her, she's virtue signaling.

+1

Ok to the PP who wants the dang sob story. My poor Latina mother grew up barefoot with 11 siblings and a philandering father with 8 additional bastard children. My dad was an expat in her country and started dating her while she was in HS - yes he had a masters degree (do the math - obviously my mom was pretty). They moved to the US to have kids to ensure we were Americans. I experienced racism growing up in a wealthy area and my mother was mistaken for the maid on many occasions. I was told I would only amount to being a housekeeper by a teacher in elementary school. I am white and only if you knew my mother would you know I'm Latina. I speak without an accent. I was taught hard work was my insurance and security and to pay my own way - wierd on dates in HS where i grew up, but i did it anyway. This was from my mother who married my father because he was a rich white man. Because my mom got lucky to marry my dad, I was lucky and had the best schooling and opportunities. I worked my f..ing ass off everywhere I went. I learned to be ashamed of my hispanic roots and because of my name and phenotype I can hide it better than most (luck). I made lucky choices and a few failures. I looked for the learnings in my failures and moved on. Is that what PP was looking for? Lemme guess I don't cout for her because you can't physically see my disadvantage.