Reply to What are the classic components of an UMC or UC American childhood?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]"This is ridiculous. Very few UMC families are in elite circles with the rich and powerful. Many of us are simply dual income white collar worker bees."

Then you're not UMC. And you don't realize that many, if not most, of "the powerful" have salaries of $200K or less. You might have a nice income, but you don't belong to that elite UMC grouping. UMC people are not worker bees.  Many work around the clock, but their work often involves higher level thinking and relationship building. Or they have skills and credentials that garner high salaries, like physicians or CPAs. These aren't people who punch a time clock or get paid overtime. They might only earn about the same as a DC cop with seniority who pulls lots of overtime and side gigs, but how they earn that money is very different. [/quote]
I am a CPA and my spouse is a physician (since you brought those two professions up) and I echo what PP said: this is ridiculous. We don’t hang out with the rich and the powerful, we’re not inviting Congresspeople and their staff to our kids’ baptisms, and neither are most of our CPA / physician coworkers. I wouldn’t dare call our family middle class, though.[/quote]

You may not hang out with the "rich and powerful" but I would bet you're reasonably well-connected amongst your colleagues, neighbors and friends. You have legacy status at the universities you attended and multiple universities that your spouse attended (undergrad, med school, residency, fellowship, etc.). Your spouse knows multiple other physicians and you both probably know plenty of people in the professional class (e.g., CPAs, lawyers, finance types, etc.) that could potentially be resources for your kids. It's not that the the Horatio Alger LMC types can't succeed. Rather, it's hard work and natural talents alone with a bit of luck that are the deciding factors.  They also probably had to hustle to understand what you or your kids already know -- whether it's social etiquette or who to go to and what is necessary if you're interested in applying to a selective university, getting a prestigious internship, or preparing for that first job interview.  For example, it's the difference between reading a book on investment banking and cold calling/DM someone in the field on LinkedIn rather than asking a family member about their experiences and what opportunities might be available.  It can still work, but it's much easier if you're already qualified AND have personal connections to the industry.  Moreover, as UMC, you can probably afford to pay 100% tuition and help your kids launch if they're in a field that benefits from unpaid internships or moving to a high cost of living area for that first job.  There's a great book called "Paying for the Party" that illustrates how these class differences play out at a public university.[/quote]
Hey, you’re the one who said we’re not UMC because we’re white collar worker bees. [/quote]

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