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My first job was at a Wal-Mart. My second job was at a meatpacking plant, because it simply paid better. My third job after busting my ass at home was doing w
by MrFoof 10y ago
My first job was at a Wal-Mart. My second job was at a meatpacking plant, because it simply paid better. My third job after busting my ass at home was doing web dev, back in the late 90s, in which I was hilariously underpaid. Today I'm a self-employed data warehousing and database performance consultant with no shortage of work and paying myself about what the Junkluggers guy does.
There's a way out if you bust your ass and do nothing but obsess about finding something better. Takes a while. Sometimes it takes 18 months just to stumble into an opportunity worth pursuing. Though if you don't put in the effort (and get a bit lucky), nothing changes.
One thing I definitely took away from that article? Holy crap am I frugal. I save a large multiple of #2 for retirement (Solo 401K and IRA maxed every year, with a bit extra on top in a taxable account), and spend about on par with #3. Granted, I've earned what I got so I don't squander it.
As for #4's commute, I've done similarly bad recently, albeit voluntarily. Walk to bus station, take bus one. Transfer to second bus, then walk two-thirds of a mile. About 100 minutes each way, and an average of 3 1/2 hours a day. I could save a wee bit of time with other options (not including car), but at 50-200% increased cost, so I maintained the frugal option even if it cost me another 30-40 minutes a day. Though it does mean that you tend to wake up at 5:45AM to make breakfast and then get to a client for 9AM, to then get home by around 7PM and hopefully have eaten and finished any chores by 8PM. You are beat. It's not easy to then put in extra effort to get other things -- like looking for a better opportunity -- done.
- Mystrl 10y agoDo most people actually have short commutes? I think I've grown so used to commuting an hour + each way doesn't faze me at all. In high school it was 45 mintues on a bus each way. University was bus bus skytrain bus for about an hour and 45 minutes and work now is bus bus train skytrain taking about 80 minutes. Honestly I would rather spend 80 minutes on transit than 45 minutes diving since I can sleep on the train in the morning and I'm usually reading on the way back not to mention the cost of owning a car.
- MrFoof 10y agoIt depends. For me, I prioritize it because a long commute adds zero value to my life, just costs (monetary, mental and time). I moved years ago to where mass transit could cover anywhere I needed to go, and could often get me there in 20 minutes or less. Granted, everyone's priorities are different, so for some they'll take a longer commute to facilitate other things. Most of my early jobs were 15-25 minutes each way via car. Later on as I moved towards increasingly urban areas it did increase to around 45-60 minutes each way. Then I moved, and shrunk it to 15-20 minutes again via mass transit. Then I started working for myself, and that's anywhere from 0 minutes (remote) to 35-40 minutes each way -- with a few extreme cases being 90-100 minutes each way because I choose not to drive (I have a car, but it exists for fun, not commuting, though I'll use it for a commute or meeting in a pinch) and to minimize cost.
- rm_-rf_slash 10y agoI walk 30 minutes up a steep hill every day. Walking out of my apartment to the garage, driving to the parking lot, and walking from there to my office actually takes closer to 40 minutes. I love every step of my daily uphill walk, especially in the winter. I love the endorphins boosting my start to the day, and I love knowing I can pretty much eat as I please (excluding alcohol) and end the day at a caloric balance. Side note: I previously lived further than practical for walking, but with my car in a driveway it was much faster to drive. Wouldn't go back for any reason.
- dtemp 10y agoMaybe this is the way that I've been lucky, but I was always either a 10min drive or a 5min walk from school as a boy, depending on which building (elementary/middle/high school). At college, I was on campus, and a 10min walk from anything. First job was a 45min subway ride, second job is a 30min subway, including walking. My mother was 15min from her job her whole life.