What do you do?

I don't hate rich people; I hate the pernicious strain of rich practiced by people in the Bay Area. After the 100th time being held up in line at the ice cream shop (I'm 6'1" and 160 lbs, I can eat what I want) by one of these fuckers taste testing every goddamn flavor while chitchatting with the cashier, you start to realize how little they care about other people. Being from the South, I had never really seen anything like it. You're right that I can't really predict what I'll be like 5+ years down the road, but, whatever, be sure to call me out when I inevitably post a picture here of my new Tesla Roadster once I start drinking the Kool-Aid.

I wasn't even going to respond to you, but apparently I hate the Bay Area a lot more than I realized. Maybe I will move

Gauss_sl said:

I don't hate rich people; I hate the pernicious strain of rich practiced by people in the Bay Area. After the 100th time being held up in line at the ice cream shop (I'm 6'1" and 160 lbs, I can eat what I want) by one of these fuckers taste testing every goddamn flavor while chitchatting with the cashier, you start to realize how little they care about other people. Being from the South, I had never really seen anything like it. You're right that I can't really predict what I'll be like 5+ years down the road, but, whatever, be sure to call me out when I inevitably post a picture here of my new Tesla Roadster once I start drinking the Kool-Aid.

I wasn't even going to respond to you, but apparently I hate the Bay Area a lot more than I realized. Maybe I will move

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Being from the actual south you must not have left your damn house if shit like that was not a daily occurrence.

good luck mate

inB4

Not sure where to put this so I'll ask here.. is the following legal?

Fiance works for the USPS. They got rid of the position she was hired for and remade it into a new position, which basically lowered the pay and stuff. Kind of sleazy, but we were aware that was happening well in advance and it is what it is. They converted her to the new position on April 9th or something like that. Before they converted her they gave her all of her annual accrued leave up to that point, that way she would get paid at the previous rate and not lose a whole bunch of money.

This week she was called into the postmaster's office and the USPS decided that they were going to retroactively convert everyone to this position on April 1st (or something similar). Now they say she owes all of the carry-over money back. Meaning she can keep the leave money at her new rate, but because she was paid out at her old rate they want the difference back.

Is it even remotely legal that a company can retroactively do this shit 2 months later? I realize it's the government, and they can do whatever the fuck they want. Just seems really sleazy. It's not a humongous amount of money, but when you're trying to pay for a wedding, apartment, save for a house and baby.. everything adds up.

Retired for health reasons, got them under control now starting my segway back into work.
Human Resources professional with a MSHRM
Was earning $75k on average after bonuses for my last company - $60k base but boku bonuses with specializing in openings as I did (Wegman's) - only had worked with one other company previously, briefly (Verizon)
Benefits were very solid, I came from a Federal employee family (Father was an O-10 IIRC with the FDA - I know he always spoke that in the unlikely event the draft was ever reinstated [and they took a 60+ year old as he was at the time, lol] he was automatically a Sgt or some such based on his payscale) and I didn't feel any "loss of benefits" between their insurance and what Wegman's provided - Verizon had been a step down in benefits however.

I guess I'll jump in

I'm a first year middle school social studies teacher at a big international school in Mexico City. I get paid in pesos, and it comes out to about 30k a year. Nothing great, especially in the international school circuit, but cost of living is pretty cheap, so it goes pretty far. Besides your basic health and dental, additional benefits are a matched savings plan of 5% of my salary, paid out yearly, and a ridiculously convoluted retirement plan that I cash out when I leave the country. I also get one flight home a year.

In larger, more competitive schools in the Middle East or Asia, I could make up to 75k with better benefits, and in some places, lower cost of living. The most confusing thing about doing the international circuit is that salaries aren't as important as potential saving, which schools advertised when hiring. 75k in Dubai vs 90k in London vs 80k in Tokyo is like comparing apples to oranges. Things like housing stipends and local tax codes and exemption treaties further complicate it.

Regardless, I would have been hard pressed to even find a job in my home state as a newly licensed teacher, and if I did, would likely be making less with a higher cost of living.

Cad_sl said:

It's ironic because if you were to acquire currency you would by definition be one of them. You claim you're above it and you wouldn't buy status goods, which is easy to say when you can't afford status goods and your career has the whiff of self-righteous academia.

I know you all like to think you'd be the millionaire next door driving your f150 and eating lubys living in a 50's ranch house but come on. The percentages just don't support your hipster views.

You hate these people because they've driven up your cost of living? Fuck you, move. It's expensive to live there because a bunch of people who have prioritized money want to live there. Go live where people prize being poor and I bet you won't have trouble with the rent. You want the advantages life with affluent people gives you without paying the piper. Suck it up.

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+1. Cad has been one of my favorite posters for years.

There doesn't seem to be many people who work in oil and gas here, so thought I'd chip in.

Industry: Energy

Education: Physics MSc

Experience: 5 years in commercial and technical side of the business.

Location: London

Salary: $200k

Benefits: 30 days holiday a year, final salary pension, private medical cover (in addition to UK national health service). Every 2nd Friday off . 20% ish bonus yearly.

Hours are usually 8-5 with infrequent travel to various locations across the globe.

Very competitive market and it's possible to pull in more in locations like Houston or Perth, particularly for technical jobs.

Eidal_sl said:

+1. Cad has been one of my favorite posters for years.

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Another +1.

Fuck, my fiance and I combined pull in around 300k after bonuses and in the Boston area we feel poor.

Speaking of which,
Industry: Software
Education: Comp Sci from a crap school. Degrees are just paper... uselss past that.
Experience: 7 years of mixed QE/Dev
Location: Boston
Salary: $120K + 15% Target
Benefits: Nothing special

Vinen_sl said:

Another +1.

Fuck, my fiance and I combined pull in around 300k after bonuses and in the Boston area we feel poor.

Speaking of which,
Industry: Software
Education: Comp Sci from a crap school. Degrees are just paper... uselss past that.
Experience: 7 years of mixed QE/Dev
Location: Boston
Salary: $120K + 15% Target
Benefits: Nothing special

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If you honestly make a combined 300k and feel poor you're living beyond your means, even in a city like Boston. There is no reason you shouldn't feel very comfortable at that salary range.

Gauss_sl said:

Seriously... as a science guy, the software boom has made it pretty much impossible to buy a home or start a life in the Bay Area. I was looking at apartments in the southwest corner of the bay, but being around so many nouveau riche douchebags in company t-shirts and jeans with sports cars was nauseating.

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After the latest 20% spike in real estate pricing over the last 6 months (over what were already ridiculous prices) I have given up looking in the bay area. This is coming from a couple whose combined salary is 470k/ yr and literally cannot afford a3 bedroom2 bath, 1800 square foot homewith that income level. I didn't get to where I was to compromise on shitty neighborhoods and I am far from asking for a lot of home. Losing out on a home in menlo park because it went for 250k over asking from an all-cash offer by some idiot investor from china is just par for the course at this point.

At prices somewhere around 1200$ per square foot or more at this point, I just have to assume that there has to be a downturn looming. When shit is expensive in beverly hills, malibu, or the hamptoms, atleast we're talking about mansions on huge estates. To pay - or rather, to not be able to afford - a 5k square foot lot that costs over 2mil - well, im just waitin for facebook or one of these other asscracks to implode and start some type of downward tech spiral so I can actually buy a home outside of east palo alto

Cad_sl said:

I'm sure poor is relative. It all depends on what circle you're running with. When he says poor, I gather he means "could still utilize additional funding to feel equal to those around me"... but in general I agree with you 100%, don't live beyond your means, and if you are, you're doing it wrong. There is no need to keep up with the Joneses. If you make $300k then you make plenty to do virtually anything you want.

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Naah, we live well within our means.

It's more the shock of how much we need to pay to get our future child into a good school system (Lexington).
Average entry level house is around 600-700.