How old are you, how much do you make, are you satisfied with your life, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the PPs mostly all lawyers?

Not me, I'm a marketing director. But I only make $150K.

Seriously, you folks are so far out in space that I wonder if you can see how most of humanity lives.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 39
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) 115k
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) smart, strong work ethic, degree from an ivy certainly hasn't hurt, I know myself and I knew what was going to make me happy at work and in life and I very consciously sought out those things. I think I made good decisions because I was confident enough not to get sucked into the - money and a high salary are everything trap.
Are you satisfied with your life? yes, very. Great husband, great kids, job that challenges me and I feel good about but does not consume my whole life

[Anonymous]

41
$0
Yes
Family support, good education (Ivy x2), hard work, some luck, supportive DH
Yes - mostly satisfied. Haven't decided what to do when I grow up (2nd career when kids are all in school). So a lot of reflection right now on what enjoy and what I'd like to do. Some uncertainty, which is a little unsettling, but also exciting.
Being financially comfortable (from both my own and DH's contributions) certainly eliminates some stresses, but not everything. I don't think I'd feel quite "satisfied" if I didn't feel prepared for retirement, kids' educations, emergencies, etc.

[Anonymous]

Age: 32
Salary: 90k
Successful?: Professionally yes. I love my job/career and have good work/life balance.
Contributed to success: Parents who taught me to value hard work.
Satisfied?: I'm satisfied professionally.
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? To some extent, sure. If I couldn't afford healthcare or good childcare for my daughter or had a super-tight budget, I would probably be less satisfied. If my salary were higher, I wouldn't change the way I live. I would probably just save more for retirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the PPs mostly all lawyers?

Not me, I'm a marketing director. But I only make $150K.

Seriously, you folks are so far out in space that I wonder if you can see how most of humanity lives.

For a marketing director that does seem low though. I'd expect closer to $250.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are you? 39
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) 115k
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) yes
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) smart, strong work ethic, degree from an ivy certainly hasn't hurt, I know myself and I knew what was going to make me happy at work and in life and I very consciously sought out those things. I think I made good decisions because I was confident enough not to get sucked into the - money and a high salary are everything trap.
Are you satisfied with your life? yes, very. Great husband, great kids, job that challenges me and I feel good about but does not consume my whole life

Sounds good. What is your job?

[Anonymous]

How old are you?
- 26

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI)
- $146k

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful)
- Yes. No college degree, no highschool diploma. 26 homeowner in DC and significant savings.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? )
- Luck and decent people skills and very solid technical skills

Are you satisfied with your life?
- Yes, always improving though.

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have?
- Satisfaction, no. Comfort/security/etc, yes. It's about stressing less rather than having more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:36, $80k and I feel like a failure. I had a great career making $20k more plus well-respected in my field, presenter at national conferences, etc. I felt very successful. Then we moved here for DH's job and the career I was supposed to be able to do from anywhere turned out to be not very viable in DC. Now my job is in a different field, my bosses are all at least five years younger than me and making over $100k, I hate every second that I'm at work and I directly attribute my lack of success to relocation. When I'm feeling particularly bitter I blame DH but that's not so great for our relationship, so I only do that in my darkest moments.
I'm not satisfied with my life because I feel like a pathetic loser every day at work and I know I could've been so much more, career-wise. I'm trying to find satisfaction in other areas of my life, but it's hard.

this sounds like me, only I didnt relocate. I just started over in the same industry, different niche.

[Anonymous]

I'm 34.
I make 60k.
Not entirely, but getting there.
Luck and hard work.
Yes, I have a good life.
Probably.Making less than that in DC would make my life harder.I've learned to spend less and need less and be happy with what I have.Wasn't too hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are you?
- 26

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI)
- $146k

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful)
- Yes. No college degree, no highschool diploma. 26 homeowner in DC and significant savings.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? )
- Luck and decent people skills and very solid technical skills

Are you satisfied with your life?
- Yes, always improving though.

Wow that is impressive for 26 years old. What do you do?

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have?
- Satisfaction, no. Comfort/security/etc, yes. It's about stressing less rather than having more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are you?

Wow that is impressive for 26 years old. What do you do?

I'm in IT with the government. It's not the most stable of jobs; but my current contract is 2 years in with a stable forseeable future. I'm a senior / management position.

It's mostly attributed to a combination of luck, good timing (got into IT at 18 right before the economy took a nosedive, which put me in a pretty good spot job experience wise compared to my peers). Outside of luck and timing; I have a few book credits to my name, a nice portfolio of successful high-dollar projects I've led, clearance, and very solid references and contacts.

I'm not delusional and I know my salary may not be long-term sustainable, but I have confidence that I'll always be employable with a salary that pays the mortgage comfortably.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 44
How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) 195K
Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) Kindof. I have a good professional reputation in general, but am not considered a leader in my field and I'm underpaid/underappreciated because I've chosen to stay for the work/life balance.
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) Intelligence, good education (SLAC, not Ivy, but I think that is more than sufficient to do well), parents instilling good work ethic & resiliency
Are you satisfied with your life? Mostly. I wish I could work less and spend more time with my kid. And take more vacations!
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Yes, it allows me to live a nice lifestyle (good neighborhood with good schools and a short commute), and to enjoy some travel and other things that make life more pleasant.

[Anonymous]

How old are you? 33
How much money do YOU make? $43k
Do you consider yourself successful? No. At an entry-level job, when it's past time for me to go to the next step. That won't happen at my current job, so currently job searching.
What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? In truth, I'm a bit lazy and not particularly career-driven. I value leisure time more, so I've sacrificed possible career advancement to stay at a job that has lots of leave, etc.
Are you satisfied with your life? Personally, absolutely. Professionally, no.
Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? Somewhat, my main worries comes from money. Another $100k of HHI and we'd be golden!

[Anonymous]

How old are you?
47

How much money do YOU make?
$100k

Do you consider yourself successful?
Yes and no. Work at a good company, respected for my abilities, but have been coasting for a number of years now. And don't really feel that bad about it.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof?
Like ^PP, I'm not very career driven. Basically counting the days until I can ditch the work world. (probably just a couple more years)

Are you satisfied with your life?
As satisfied as I would probably ever be (prone to bouts of depression, which don't always track with reality).

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have?
It's connected in that we have made good decisions (including the very lucky one of buying a house in a good spot many years ago and resisting the urge to upsize just because that's what everyone was doing). It allows me to more or less live a life I am satisfied with. And knowing that the end of full-time work is not that far off helps a lot too. Get me out of the rat race!

[Anonymous]

How old are you? I'm 51, almost 52.

How much money do YOU make? (This is only your individual income- not your HHI) ... $116,000 or so

Do you consider yourself successful? (based on your own definition of successful) Yes. I never dreamed I'd make so much money.

What do you think contributed to your success or your lack thereof? (example- an ivy education, good parents, etc? ) I was always precocious, did well in school, etc., and my parents were pretty demanding (frowned on anything less than A's), but we were middle-class, if that, with no family tradition of college, and so I didn't take advantage of the educational opportunities I could have. Went to public high school and a state college, got only a bachelor's degree, and then ... some talent and a lot of luck. Not to get all political, but I cannot fathom how somebody who happens to be successful can't acknowledge the role of luck. Plenty of people followed the same path as I did and ended up unemployed or making much, much less.

Are you satisfied with your life? Yes.

Is your level of satisfaction connected to how much money you have? It doesn't hurt. The word "comfortable" is overused, but it's apt. I don't overindulge, but I enjoy not having to worry about spending money.