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> A white collar programmer has more in common with a janitor than with a CEO. As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't th

> A white collar programmer has more in common with a janitor than with a CEO. As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't think this is true. There's a world of difference between a janitor and a white-collar programmer. A janitor worries paycheck-to-paycheck and has to consider every purchase, constantly lives in stress of a large unexpected expense, and so on, it's just vastly different. A programmer, like a CEO, has none of those concerns. Who cares if the CEO has earned enough for a bigger mansion or a more prestigious car? At some point (lower than most expect), money offers diminishing returns. A difference of +$100k/year will take care of most of Maslow's hierarchy and have you set for life unless you're financially irresponsible.

officeplant 5y ago
I still know six figure programmer friends living paycheck to paycheck, but that mostly comes down to the market that is California. My $40K a year as an underpaid Fire Alarm Tech/Draftsman in Louisiana can't even cover his rent.
jzb 5y ago
The janitor is already broke. The person with the six figure income is one or two bad days from being broke. Lose a job, get cancer - you may well be screwed. You’re at someone else’s mercy for insurance, and are dancing to someone else’s tune. The CEO gets fired and walks off with severance greater than a decade or more of your income, and a lifetime of the janitors.
beaconstudios 5y ago
The difference between the economic classes is much greater than how much money you have. Upper class doesn't mean "earns a lot of money at their day job", it's an entirely different relation to earning.
46756e 5y ago
I definitely agree with this, but I think you will find very few people that do. People in the middle-class want to believe it has more in common with the lower class. Everyone thinks the person slightly richer then them is the one making money they don't need and lives the luxurious life, and everyone their income and lower are the ones with real struggles. The middle-class (me included) might not like it, but they aren't the same as someone who struggles to make ends meet.
- manicdee 5y ago
  Not at all. The middle class is closer to the working class simply because the number of digits in their pay check (6) is closer to the working class pay check (5) than to the CEO’s remuneration (8 to 9).
heavyset_go 5y ago
> As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't think this is true. An uncomfortable truth is that many in the middle class are just a couple of shitty situations away from falling on seriously hard times, and even homelessness. Sometimes it's permanent. Illness, injury, divorce, bankruptcy or just bad luck can do it. Treatment for a heart attack can cost $800k to over $1 million, for example. That's just not a worry or reality for the majority of the wealthy. Lower, middle and upper middle classes are working class, as their livelihoods precariously depend on their labor and the continued whims of employers. The upper class has no need work, nor to worry about their livelihoods, as they live on appreciating assets. They can do what they want to, you have to spend your days working for them or your kids won't have health insurance.
pjmlp 5y ago
There are many places in the world where there is hardly any difference in pay actually, assuming electricity even happens to run one week long without powercuts. Some of these places are doing outsourcing for US companies, where the developers do indeed get six figures, and that is why those companies are getting their contract deals.
nswest23 5y ago
> As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't think this is true. holding this opinion means you've bought into the false narrative.

officeplant 5y ago

I still know six figure programmer friends living paycheck to paycheck, but that mostly comes down to the market that is California. My $40K a year as an underpaid Fire Alarm Tech/Draftsman in Louisiana can't even cover his rent.

jzb 5y ago

The janitor is already broke. The person with the six figure income is one or two bad days from being broke. Lose a job, get cancer - you may well be screwed. You’re at someone else’s mercy for insurance, and are dancing to someone else’s tune. The CEO gets fired and walks off with severance greater than a decade or more of your income, and a lifetime of the janitors.

beaconstudios 5y ago

The difference between the economic classes is much greater than how much money you have. Upper class doesn't mean "earns a lot of money at their day job", it's an entirely different relation to earning.

46756e 5y ago

I definitely agree with this, but I think you will find very few people that do. People in the middle-class want to believe it has more in common with the lower class. Everyone thinks the person slightly richer then them is the one making money they don't need and lives the luxurious life, and everyone their income and lower are the ones with real struggles. The middle-class (me included) might not like it, but they aren't the same as someone who struggles to make ends meet.

manicdee 5y ago
Not at all. The middle class is closer to the working class simply because the number of digits in their pay check (6) is closer to the working class pay check (5) than to the CEO’s remuneration (8 to 9).

heavyset_go 5y ago

> As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't think this is true. An uncomfortable truth is that many in the middle class are just a couple of shitty situations away from falling on seriously hard times, and even homelessness. Sometimes it's permanent. Illness, injury, divorce, bankruptcy or just bad luck can do it. Treatment for a heart attack can cost $800k to over $1 million, for example. That's just not a worry or reality for the majority of the wealthy. Lower, middle and upper middle classes are working class, as their livelihoods precariously depend on their labor and the continued whims of employers. The upper class has no need work, nor to worry about their livelihoods, as they live on appreciating assets. They can do what they want to, you have to spend your days working for them or your kids won't have health insurance.

pjmlp 5y ago

There are many places in the world where there is hardly any difference in pay actually, assuming electricity even happens to run one week long without powercuts. Some of these places are doing outsourcing for US companies, where the developers do indeed get six figures, and that is why those companies are getting their contract deals.

nswest23 5y ago

> As someone who grew up lower-class and now makes six figures in tech, I don't think this is true. holding this opinion means you've bought into the false narrative.