Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have anything to add to the main debate here, but I find it quite condescending that people keep saying that those of us who make that kind of income "don't live in the real world."

My parents came as immigrants to this country and had no soft capital to give to me except the cultural values of a love for education and hard work, and my siblings and I clawed our way into making $200k + by sheer force of will and talent while constantly being outsiders.

And people on this board say we don't live in the real world? Forgive me if I don't have endless sympathy for those whose families have been here for generations (with all the privileges that entails) if they still can't hack it and are slumming it in constant mediocrity.

What's your definition of "slumming it"? You don't find it condescending to say people earning $100,000 are mediocre? What a friggin' snob.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it surprising that successful people prefer to hang with other successful people instead of the poors?

Everyone I know makes 1M+. You 200k slummers are the poors in our books.

Anonymous wrote:I don't have anything to add to the main debate here, but I find it quite condescending that people keep saying that those of us who make that kind of income "don't live in the real world."

My parents came as immigrants to this country and had no soft capital to give to me except the cultural values of a love for education and hard work, and my siblings and I clawed our way into making $200k + by sheer force of will and talent while constantly being outsiders.

And people on this board say we don't live in the real world? Forgive me if I don't have endless sympathy for those whose families have been here for generations (with all the privileges that entails) if they still can't hack it and are slumming it in constant mediocrity.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it surprising that successful people prefer to hang with other successful people instead of the poors?

Anonymous wrote:Why is it surprising that successful people prefer to hang with other successful people instead of the poors?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak for OP, here but I'm in a similar situation.

I think the issue here is frame of reference. We think these salaries are typical because, for us, they are typical. Everyone in my peer/friend group that I spend time with makes at minimum 100K and we're relatively young (mid to late 20s). We reflexively compare ourselves to those we know.

Frankly, the people making 40-50K 5 or more years out of undergrad don't really register on our mental radar because we don't know them or spend time with them.

So snobby and out of touch with reality.

I don't think so and I agree with PP. This is a lot of people's reality in the DMV and/or DCUM. If it's not yours, well, that's life. If you do make that much, I would wonder why you don't think the same as PP. It isn't normal or healthy to be entirely empathetic with people in vastly different situations than you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak for OP, here but I'm in a similar situation.

I think the issue here is frame of reference. We think these salaries are typical because, for us, they are typical. Everyone in my peer/friend group that I spend time with makes at minimum 100K and we're relatively young (mid to late 20s). We reflexively compare ourselves to those we know.

Frankly, the people making 40-50K 5 or more years out of undergrad don't really register on our mental radar because we don't know them or spend time with them.

So snobby and out of touch with reality.

I don't think so and I agree with PP. This is a lot of people's reality in the DMV and/or DCUM. If it's not yours, well, that's life. If you do make that much, I would wonder why you don't think the same as PP. It isn't normal or healthy to be entirely empathetic with people in vastly different situations than you.

Okay, you've done it, you've written the perfect parody of a DCUM Money & Finances board post.

Right?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak for OP, here but I'm in a similar situation.

I think the issue here is frame of reference. We think these salaries are typical because, for us, they are typical. Everyone in my peer/friend group that I spend time with makes at minimum 100K and we're relatively young (mid to late 20s). We reflexively compare ourselves to those we know.

Frankly, the people making 40-50K 5 or more years out of undergrad don't really register on our mental radar because we don't know them or spend time with them.

So snobby and out of touch with reality.

I don't think so and I agree with PP. This is a lot of people's reality in the DMV and/or DCUM. If it's not yours, well, that's life. If you do make that much, I would wonder why you don't think the same as PP. It isn't normal or healthy to be entirely empathetic with people in vastly different situations than you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak for OP, here but I'm in a similar situation.

I think the issue here is frame of reference. We think these salaries are typical because, for us, they are typical. Everyone in my peer/friend group that I spend time with makes at minimum 100K and we're relatively young (mid to late 20s). We reflexively compare ourselves to those we know.

Frankly, the people making 40-50K 5 or more years out of undergrad don't really register on our mental radar because we don't know them or spend time with them.

So snobby and out of touch with reality.

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak for OP, here but I'm in a similar situation.

I think the issue here is frame of reference. We think these salaries are typical because, for us, they are typical. Everyone in my peer/friend group that I spend time with makes at minimum 100K and we're relatively young (mid to late 20s). We reflexively compare ourselves to those we know.

Frankly, the people making 40-50K 5 or more years out of undergrad don't really register on our mental radar because we don't know them or spend time with them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those numbers are probably skewed by people who deliberately go into low paying fields because of interest (publishing, fashion etc.) or go into public sector non-profit work.

Most of my friends who graduated my year were making $65K immediately after undergrad. By 2-3 years out many (if not most) were brushing up against 100K. 5-6 years out of college most of us are making in the 200K region.

I think it's very true that if you go into a private sector, for profit career where basically the only goal is to make money, you've definitely screwed up if you're only making 100k.

What field? My law firm hires college grads into entry level non-attorney positions for around $40k. If they stay 5-6 years they may be making $50-$60k, but they sure as hell aren't pulling down $200k unless during those 5-6 years they also went to law school and came back as associates.

OP here. Many friends went into management consulting (McKinsey, Bain etc.) where comp packages were around 80k all in first year. Some went into Econ consulting (Cornerstone, NERA etc.) where packages are around 70k first year. Many friends also went into investment banking where fjrstvyear comp was well above 100k.
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I also didn't mean to suggest the comp 5 years out was just on an undergrad degree. I finished professional school as did many of my friends and that's when we got the salary bump to $200k or so.

is as

You realize you are talking about less than 1% of the population right?
Most people even in DC will be in the 125-175k range max.