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"Self made" is an over-simplification of a complicated process... one which you impressively admit you've achieved. Which, 100% - that is amazing, and you shoul

"Self made" is an over-simplification of a complicated process... one which you impressively admit you've achieved. Which, 100% - that is amazing, and you should be proud of your accomplishments. My definition of "self made" is not important, my point is that everyone's definition is going to be different. Here's the thing - I have no idea who you are, what your history is, and I can't make a single comment on the validity of how you got from point A to point B... that is outside of the above compliment really. What I will tell you is that my anecdotal experience is that no one is out there admitting, "OH YEAH, my parents totally dropped $120k on my education, bought all of my cars, paid my rent, and gave me a free-reign credit card into my 30's." and ironically... I've ran into a TON of those people who self-identify as "self made" which is why I don't take the term seriously and see it as 100% subjective. TLDR: "self made" is subjective as all heck. I can't comment on your life man - I have no idea who you are. I stand by my original comment that things are getting more difficult in regards to building wealth from nothing. I got snarky against a comment that seemed to just posit a book from the 90's as the entire content of a reply as if that's valid to any conversation.

icedchai 6y ago
Thank you... but I never said if I thought I was actually self made! What if I tell you that my parents did pay for my education? And they gave me a car when I was 16? Or they were fortunate enough to be able buy a computer when I was in elementary school, which definitely contributed to my interests today, many decades later? Am I still self made? Or did that give me too much of a "head start" so I'm not? Was it so long ago now that it doesn't matter? TLDR: I agree, it's all subjective...
- folkhack 6y ago
  Ha - I mean... self made or not that's freakin' amazing. I envy that stability and hope to be there myself some day =) I'd personally say, me too in so many ways... I had my struggles with an early death in the immediate family but it did provide the money to support me into my early start! Here's the thing - struggle or not I absolutely have been around poverty and have actually done a bit in advocacy in the area. I don't say this for a gold star - just to qualify what I'm about to say. Being poor is hard. Like really hard. It's expensive in sooo many ways and I freakin' wish more of us had empathy for those people that are struggling in that situation. I see WAY too many folks on HN that are comfortable in highly-paid positions like myself that don't acknowledge these things and even sound angry in regards to how people are "suppose to be"... lemme tell ya... as someone with struggles - man sometimes it's really really hard. Even with some of the insane privileges that I've been afforded. All-in-all ... I wish more people admitted "man I had a lot of help" regardless if it's a computer in elementary school, or investments in education, etc. I know this has a negative "SJW" spin to it these days, but man... I have been privileged. holy crap I've been privileged. Doesn't diminish my accomplishments, but we need to come to terms that as a society everyone should have as equal of a playing field as possible..!

icedchai 6y ago

Thank you... but I never said if I thought I was actually self made! What if I tell you that my parents did pay for my education? And they gave me a car when I was 16? Or they were fortunate enough to be able buy a computer when I was in elementary school, which definitely contributed to my interests today, many decades later? Am I still self made? Or did that give me too much of a "head start" so I'm not? Was it so long ago now that it doesn't matter? TLDR: I agree, it's all subjective...

folkhack 6y ago
Ha - I mean... self made or not that's freakin' amazing. I envy that stability and hope to be there myself some day =) I'd personally say, me too in so many ways... I had my struggles with an early death in the immediate family but it did provide the money to support me into my early start! Here's the thing - struggle or not I absolutely have been around poverty and have actually done a bit in advocacy in the area. I don't say this for a gold star - just to qualify what I'm about to say. Being poor is hard. Like really hard. It's expensive in sooo many ways and I freakin' wish more of us had empathy for those people that are struggling in that situation. I see WAY too many folks on HN that are comfortable in highly-paid positions like myself that don't acknowledge these things and even sound angry in regards to how people are "suppose to be"... lemme tell ya... as someone with struggles - man sometimes it's really really hard. Even with some of the insane privileges that I've been afforded. All-in-all ... I wish more people admitted "man I had a lot of help" regardless if it's a computer in elementary school, or investments in education, etc. I know this has a negative "SJW" spin to it these days, but man... I have been privileged. holy crap I've been privileged. Doesn't diminish my accomplishments, but we need to come to terms that as a society everyone should have as equal of a playing field as possible..!