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> trust fund crowd You're on a discussion board filled with software developers and tech employees generally. The vast majority of such workers make a lot of m

> trust fund crowd You're on a discussion board filled with software developers and tech employees generally. The vast majority of such workers make a lot of money. If you're working in tech and you can't bank enough to take 6m-1yr off, you're doing your finances wrong. It doesn't require a trust fund to avoid the hedonic treadmill and save up.

toto444 5y ago
That's not true everywhere.
apercu 5y ago
Yes and no. Depends on your seniority and where you live to some degree. I was pretty burnt out at 28 after a year that included things like a 110 hour work week. At the time I couldn't afford 6 months or a year off. I did take a year off 2 years later.
BurningFrog 5y ago
Yeah, I easily make twice as much as I spend. So I take a year of now and then, if I feel like it.
- ericd 5y ago
  Do you ever find this makes finding a new job on return difficult?
  - wsc981 5y ago
    > Do you ever find this makes finding a new job on return difficult? I am not the same person you asked the question to, but I guess if you work on a couple of hobby projects and actually release those in your break year, you won't have holes in your CV.
    - ericd 5y ago
      Good point. I guess it depends on what kind of break you want...
  - anoncake 5y ago
    If you make twice as much as you need without being extremely frugal, you likely have the skills to compensate that.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - BurningFrog 5y ago
    Job searching with "stranger" companies becomes harder. But if you leave enough coworkers who want to work with you again at each job, you can always find jobs through them.
    - ericd 5y ago
      Yep, makes sense :-)
ls612 5y ago
Heck, I’m a poor grad student who gets a stipend from my program and is lucky enough to have parents willing and able to pay my rent. My total income including that family support is probably around $40k and I saved a ton of money this past year since I couldn’t do anything. I can only imagine how much someone in my situation with a FAANG income would have saved.
- baseballdork 5y ago
  Obviously if your parents are paying your largest expense, you can save a ton of money. I would assume most people aren't that fortunate.
  - ls612 5y ago
    My point is even with that money my income isn’t that high compared to software engineers.
    - SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
      If you were suddenly responsible for your room and board how long could you coast without a job or other support?
      - ls612 5y ago
        As long as my grad school stipend keeps going. I just wouldn't be able to save anymore.
    - baseballdork 5y ago
      Understood, but your expenses as a student are also unlikely to be very high, especially if your parents are covering rent/medical/etc, especially if you're comparing to SWEs in SV.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
hpoe 5y ago
Sure if you don't have a family to provide for. It turns out that it becomes a lot harder to take a gap year when you've still got a spouse and little people depending on you.
- obstacle1 5y ago
  I don't see this as much different from "sure, if you don't have a million dollar mortgage and 2 car payments to cover!" Having a family is partially a financial decision. People should make the decision with eyes wide open, having planned for it. Achieving a financial position above sustenance before having the expensive family is generally a good idea. Same as buying the house and cars.
  - refenestrator 5y ago
    Having a family is the bedrock of society. If only the top 10% of earners had one, we'd find ourselves in some trouble.
  - toto444 5y ago
    You are thinking from the point of view of someone with no mortgage, no family and you can choose what to do with your spare income. Some of us have a family or a house and that means they have renounced traveling. You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work. Which is the lot of 99.99% of people on this planet.
    - obstacle1 5y ago
      > You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work. I think we have different definitions of "sustainable", then. What you're describing sounds one step up from living paycheck to paycheck. And the fact that "most people are in that position!" doesn't make it a good position to be in, or a necessary one.
    - mateo411 5y ago
      You can travel with your family too. You won't be able to quit your job, go backpacking, and stay in youth hostels. But, you can go on road trips, go camping, you can take a cruise, or find an all inclusive resorts. You won't have as much time for yourself like you did in your youth, but you can still travel and you'll make memories with your family, and show them new things about the world.
rchaud 5y ago
> If you're working in tech and you can't bank enough to take 6m-1yr off, you're doing your finances wrong. Why would you assume to know what other people's financial situations are, let alone their wage scale in an industry where not everyone is a US-based SWE?
- ryandrake 5y ago
  Not to mention, even if you can save this much, put it in your 401(k), not a vacation savings account. The financial impact of taking a whole year without pay in your 20s probably adds 5 years to your retirement date, due to compounding interest and investment growth. Is it really worth it, just so you can fill your Insta with pictures of you windsurfing in Ibiza?
  - VRay 5y ago
    If you're writing so much software you hang out on HackerNews for fun, and you're not saving enough to max out your 401k AND have savings left over for 6 months off, you're doing your finances wrong (and/or you can get a 4x pay bump in a new job)
    - reducesuffering 5y ago
      Oh I hang out on Hacker News for fun but it comes at the expense of not "writing so much software" ;)
    - ryandrake 5y ago
      Most people here, even most software engineers, don’t make the sky high salaries that “very high-level FAANG engineers who also live in the Bay Area” make. Many have families, kids, education expenses, parents they support, expensive health issues, etc. It’s a huge assumption to think that everyone on HN can max out a 401(k) at all, let alone have any left over to save and blow on extended unpaid vacations. EDIT: Obviously (from the voting) I hit a raw nerve with that original comment. Who knew “save for retirement” was such controversial advice. I personally plan to ensure I do not have to eat dog food when I’m 80 because I partied in my 20s but I guess to each their own. Given the average American’s retirement savings rate, my plan is clearly unpopular!

toto444 5y ago

That's not true everywhere.

apercu 5y ago

Yes and no. Depends on your seniority and where you live to some degree. I was pretty burnt out at 28 after a year that included things like a 110 hour work week. At the time I couldn't afford 6 months or a year off. I did take a year off 2 years later.

BurningFrog 5y ago

Yeah, I easily make twice as much as I spend. So I take a year of now and then, if I feel like it.

ericd 5y ago
Do you ever find this makes finding a new job on return difficult?
- wsc981 5y ago
  > Do you ever find this makes finding a new job on return difficult? I am not the same person you asked the question to, but I guess if you work on a couple of hobby projects and actually release those in your break year, you won't have holes in your CV.
  - ericd 5y ago
    Good point. I guess it depends on what kind of break you want...
- anoncake 5y ago
  If you make twice as much as you need without being extremely frugal, you likely have the skills to compensate that.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- BurningFrog 5y ago
  Job searching with "stranger" companies becomes harder. But if you leave enough coworkers who want to work with you again at each job, you can always find jobs through them.
  - ericd 5y ago
    Yep, makes sense :-)

ls612 5y ago

Heck, I’m a poor grad student who gets a stipend from my program and is lucky enough to have parents willing and able to pay my rent. My total income including that family support is probably around $40k and I saved a ton of money this past year since I couldn’t do anything. I can only imagine how much someone in my situation with a FAANG income would have saved.

baseballdork 5y ago
Obviously if your parents are paying your largest expense, you can save a ton of money. I would assume most people aren't that fortunate.
- ls612 5y ago
  My point is even with that money my income isn’t that high compared to software engineers.
  - SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
    If you were suddenly responsible for your room and board how long could you coast without a job or other support?
    - ls612 5y ago
      As long as my grad school stipend keeps going. I just wouldn't be able to save anymore.
  - baseballdork 5y ago
    Understood, but your expenses as a student are also unlikely to be very high, especially if your parents are covering rent/medical/etc, especially if you're comparing to SWEs in SV.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

hpoe 5y ago

Sure if you don't have a family to provide for. It turns out that it becomes a lot harder to take a gap year when you've still got a spouse and little people depending on you.

obstacle1 5y ago
I don't see this as much different from "sure, if you don't have a million dollar mortgage and 2 car payments to cover!" Having a family is partially a financial decision. People should make the decision with eyes wide open, having planned for it. Achieving a financial position above sustenance before having the expensive family is generally a good idea. Same as buying the house and cars.
- refenestrator 5y ago
  Having a family is the bedrock of society. If only the top 10% of earners had one, we'd find ourselves in some trouble.
- toto444 5y ago
  You are thinking from the point of view of someone with no mortgage, no family and you can choose what to do with your spare income. Some of us have a family or a house and that means they have renounced traveling. You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work. Which is the lot of 99.99% of people on this planet.
  - obstacle1 5y ago
    > You can have a family, a house be sustainable but not earning enough to be able to pay for a year off of work. I think we have different definitions of "sustainable", then. What you're describing sounds one step up from living paycheck to paycheck. And the fact that "most people are in that position!" doesn't make it a good position to be in, or a necessary one.
  - mateo411 5y ago
    You can travel with your family too. You won't be able to quit your job, go backpacking, and stay in youth hostels. But, you can go on road trips, go camping, you can take a cruise, or find an all inclusive resorts. You won't have as much time for yourself like you did in your youth, but you can still travel and you'll make memories with your family, and show them new things about the world.

rchaud 5y ago

> If you're working in tech and you can't bank enough to take 6m-1yr off, you're doing your finances wrong. Why would you assume to know what other people's financial situations are, let alone their wage scale in an industry where not everyone is a US-based SWE?

ryandrake 5y ago
Not to mention, even if you can save this much, put it in your 401(k), not a vacation savings account. The financial impact of taking a whole year without pay in your 20s probably adds 5 years to your retirement date, due to compounding interest and investment growth. Is it really worth it, just so you can fill your Insta with pictures of you windsurfing in Ibiza?
- VRay 5y ago
  If you're writing so much software you hang out on HackerNews for fun, and you're not saving enough to max out your 401k AND have savings left over for 6 months off, you're doing your finances wrong (and/or you can get a 4x pay bump in a new job)
  - reducesuffering 5y ago
    Oh I hang out on Hacker News for fun but it comes at the expense of not "writing so much software" ;)
  - ryandrake 5y ago
    Most people here, even most software engineers, don’t make the sky high salaries that “very high-level FAANG engineers who also live in the Bay Area” make. Many have families, kids, education expenses, parents they support, expensive health issues, etc. It’s a huge assumption to think that everyone on HN can max out a 401(k) at all, let alone have any left over to save and blow on extended unpaid vacations. EDIT: Obviously (from the voting) I hit a raw nerve with that original comment. Who knew “save for retirement” was such controversial advice. I personally plan to ensure I do not have to eat dog food when I’m 80 because I partied in my 20s but I guess to each their own. Given the average American’s retirement savings rate, my plan is clearly unpopular!