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I have been consistently making sixes since mid 20s. There's nothing fancy about it. The way I see it - I have more money to spend and lose I think I've been humbled by the real estate around me. In Fairfield or Westchester, the kind of house I want costs about 1.5 to 2 million bucks.
There is no stress at work. Stress is in place only in the beginning of your career. At 32, I have gained core industry expertise in a particular practice coz I have done nothing but the same niche skill in the last 10 years. The only problem comes in inter-lines of business politics and budget balancing. So you have a lot of people to **** off. That's the problem in my kind of job.
Six figures is nothing fancy and is mostly normal. It's average middle class salary and it is not to be confused with upward mobility.
My skill set was all across the board. I was a Unix and semiconductor tech heavy hitter in the underlying, but against my will my then company put me in a budding practice methodology, when at that time like every other kid I had dreams of being the biggest tech geek on earth. Picked up SAP and business objects/actuate/cognos along the way. So the practice methodology was made into a suite by a famous vendor (not gonna give names), and the suite had oracle database and all forms of technology on the front end for the GUI and integrated reporting, datawarehousing into one cube which can also talk to SAP systems. So my company fixed my salary at sixes and started marketing my skill to customers. Little did I know that they were billing me at 180 an hour and paying me peanuts. Six figures, yes, but 180-220 an hour... that was a shocker when I got access to my billing rate in the system coz I saw how much my company made off me.
But slowly, I started picking up on the functional side of the suite, coz I was fascinated by a lady in a suit who walked into a discussion room filled with executives and started dictating how they should do their job. And they constantly referenced me as a "developer", "business analyst", "tech guy", "BP", "BA", based on the roles I was performing, won't even mention my name, which was humiliating. Soon the execs gave her a fond nickname and called her "birdie" and she was the apple of everyone's eye. At 27, I decided I wanted to be like birdie. Today, I don't have a nickname but they call me by my first name with respect, and I have been doing what birdie has been doing then - help a company mature. It's more respectful and profitable and "unoffshoreable"
Last edited by Currency Pair Crocodile; 02-13-2012 at 09:28 AM..
Reason: Added the last and most vital word
Your view is limited to big cities. You need to preface your comments with that otherwise they are way off if talking about the average American.
I think my definition is right on the mark.
Middle class is middle class. Just becoz we can afford an iPod, an iPad, a 4BR/4BA house on a mortgage and a car loan should not give us the illusion that we are over middle class or upper middle class.
When it comes to quick affordability and net worth ranges - that's where true class divides between poor, middle and rich.
Problem with us middle class is that we refuse to accept that we are middle class in an effort to make ourselves feel good that we have "made" it and have done justice to our education. It's an illusion.
On the other hand, the rich know they are rich while the poor definitely know they are poor.
My skill set was all across the board. I was a Unix and semiconductor tech heavy hitter in the underlying, but against my will my then company put me in a budding practice methodology, when at that time like every other kid I had dreams of being the biggest tech geek on earth. Picked up SAP and business objects/actuate/cognos along the way. So the practice methodology was made into a suite by a famous vendor (not gonna give names), and the suite had oracle database and all forms of technology on the front end for the GUI and integrated reporting, datawarehousing into one cube which can also talk to SAP systems. So my company fixed my salary at sixes and started marketing my skill to customers. Little did I know that they were billing me at 180 an hour and paying me peanuts. Six figures, yes, but 180-220 an hour... that was a shocker when I got access to my billing rate in the system coz I saw how much my company made off me.
But slowly, I started picking up on the functional side of the suite, coz I was fascinated by a lady in a suit who walked into a discussion room filled with executives and started dictating how they should do their job. And they constantly referenced me as a "developer", "business analyst", "tech guy", "BP", "BA", based on the roles I was performing, won't even mention my name, which was humiliating. Soon the execs gave her a fond nickname and called her "birdie" and she was the apple of everyone's eye. At 27, I decided I wanted to be like birdie. Today, I don't have a nickname but they call me by my first name with respect, and I have been doing what birdie has been doing then - help a company mature. It's more respectful and profitable and "unoffshoreable"
You are apparently smart and lucky. Sometimes lucky plays a lot on each of us. You were put in a position that may take others a significant amount of effort to get in.
At 27, I was playing video games and had no clue what I wanted to do.
You are apparently smart and lucky. Sometimes lucky plays a lot on each of us. You were put in a position that may take others a significant amount of effort to get in.
At 27, I was playing video games and had no clue what I wanted to do.
My whole life, until I saw "birdie", was put together in place by events and chances. My only winning quality was performance and persistence and being born with natural intelligence - which I assumed as I am very good in maths and physics.
If you take a look at my life - my father always pushed me, I performed coz I was afraid of him, I got a job to make my parents happy, then I was pushed to work in fields I did not like, I wanted to be big on semiconductors, but my boss and manager thought I had different skills to tap and forced me into a practice I hated for the initial two years. In hindsight, I think their primary motive was to staff a position quickly with someone who could "speak well" and articulate things.
It was only in the late 20s I was clear as to what I really wanted. That woman had a major influence on me, primarily coz how much respect she was getting.
I have an uncle who worked in Manhattan for a couple of years, had a small ridiculously overpriced apartment there. Anyway, he said the excitement wore off after a couple of weeks. You see all of the museums, Broadway shows, and whatnot a couple of times, and then you stop doing it. The gazillion people and living in the middle of a gigantic concrete jungle really got to him, and he missed the pleasant people and open land in Texas.
And he can still fly to New York when he wants to see a Broadway show.
Middle class is middle class. Just becoz we can afford an iPod, an iPad, a 4BR/4BA house on a mortgage and a car loan should not give us the illusion that we are over middle class or upper middle class.
By this definition of middle class, then the vast majority of Americans are poor.
By this definition of middle class, then the vast majority of Americans are poor.
It's hard to define middle class. In the past, middle class provided a nice house, good health care, cars, vacations, money for leasure activities, one income household. With today's technology, there are many extra expenses that aren't necessities and some that are becoming necessities, like a computer and internet connection. These things are putting a strain on the middle class because the earnings aren't increasing to compensate for the modern world. Most middle class families are now two income households. That's not the same lifestyle of middle class in the past. Even professionals who need two incomes to make ends meet are really working class because if you can't provide for a family on one income that's not middle class in my eyes. Granted, there is a difference between a two income household that works because both want to work and a two income household because it's a necessity.
In most cases, a household with $40-$100K is defined as "middle class." For us who are talking here, we are above and beyond. Sometimes, we are classified as "upper middle class."
What I can attest is that making $100K/year is nothing glamorous. I don't think I worry any less than when I was making $40K. Still the same issues: retirement, job loss, taxes, food price, gas price...
I am able to make two oversea vacation trips a year and still keep a sizable saving. I still pretty much live a lifestyle similar to when I was making $40K. I drive a 12 year old car and have no intention to change it as long as it runs.
Certainly don't feel rich at all. Feeling rich is like I could drop $60,000 to buy a Corvette any day and don't have to worry about retirement.
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I think I've been humbled by the real estate around me. In Fairfield or Westchester, the kind of house I want costs about 1.5 to 2 million bucks.
