4 ms·

""living in the East Bay with roommates, commuting at least an hour, (very) occasionally going out," but it's eating good food with a roof over your head." Tha

by VLM 10y ago

""living in the East Bay with roommates, commuting at least an hour, (very) occasionally going out," but it's eating good food with a roof over your head." That sounds like me as a part time student / part time grocery store minimum wage shelf stocker around 1990 in the greater Chicago land area (well, within a very distant orbit of Chicago). I suppose most people would have considered me very poor at that time. I was on no government programs (other than uni student loans like everyone else). I had no medical insurance but I ate good food when I wanted. On the other hand I couldn't afford good steak, it was cheaper, but good and healthy, food. I was financially very hand to mouth no savings couldn't afford to "go out". Probably why I don't go out drinking now, never got in the habit when I was young. There are certainly poorer people, but the best case scenario being I'd have to downgrade to a starving student lifestyle is incredibly unappealing. In summary it sounds like if you work full time plus at Facebook in CA (admittedly in 2016), your standard of living will be the same as working part time as a grocery store shelf stocker outside CA (admittedly in 1990). Of course my commute was better, but the CA guy has already graduated so he doesn't have to balance work and school like I did, so it kinda balances out.

pmiller2 10y ago
> In summary it sounds like if you work full time plus at Facebook in CA (admittedly in 2016), I don't know by direct experience, but I hear even entry level hires are doing significantly better than $100K at Facebook.
- FilterSweep 10y ago
  It's 2016 though - before IPO, Facebook, like many other startups, could afford to pay employees less salary with the options. On that same note, the author should count his blessings. He received options. He was able to sell those options (a move many of us are criticizing) to buy a luxury car. Most people don't, or leave before they vest years later.
Grishnakh 10y ago
Thank you, this is my point exactly. Why should anyone work hard to get an advanced education and build a good professional resume, then go to work at a job that pays far above the average family income for the US, just so he can live like a part-time grocery store worker?

by VLM 10y ago

pmiller2 10y ago

> In summary it sounds like if you work full time plus at Facebook in CA (admittedly in 2016), I don't know by direct experience, but I hear even entry level hires are doing significantly better than $100K at Facebook.

FilterSweep 10y ago
It's 2016 though - before IPO, Facebook, like many other startups, could afford to pay employees less salary with the options. On that same note, the author should count his blessings. He received options. He was able to sell those options (a move many of us are criticizing) to buy a luxury car. Most people don't, or leave before they vest years later.

Grishnakh 10y ago

Thank you, this is my point exactly. Why should anyone work hard to get an advanced education and build a good professional resume, then go to work at a job that pays far above the average family income for the US, just so he can live like a part-time grocery store worker?