Despite the skewed expectations of tech workers due to their high starting salaries, pretty much by definition a 22-year-old cannot be upper-middle class. The m

Despite the skewed expectations of tech workers due to their high starting salaries, pretty much by definition a 22-year-old cannot be upper-middle class. The most important thing about the "upper class" (in society in general) is not the money, it's the personal networking with the rest of the class. Within the tech industry, the path to security is not chasing salary. It is doing great work, making strong connections to your peers, and aspiring to enter what he calls the "protected class" of Staff Software Engineers who just need to call some friends to find a job. That doesn't happen when you're 22.