4 ms·

In some sense, I sympathize with you. I too have worked hard and been successful. I chose (out of passion, but I don't begrudge those who chose based on economi

by gsoltis 15y ago

In some sense, I sympathize with you. I too have worked hard and been successful. I chose (out of passion, but I don't begrudge those who chose based on economics) to go into engineering while friends of mine went into less lucrative fields. I myself was fortunate. Lucky, to be honest. My parents took advantage of things like student loans so that they could work hard and be successful. The result was that I didn't have to worry about student loans and graduated without debt. I worked hard to graduate, but I don't have illusions that my financial situation was anything other than luck on my part. You may not call it luck, and I don't know your specific situation, but I'm going to hypothesize that you had some help along the way. How did you educate yourself? How did you pay for it? Did you go to a public school system? Was it better than the ones that exist now? Did you go to a private school? Did you pay for it yourself? My point is, we often take this sort of assistance for granted, and it is gratifying to credit ourselves with 100% of our success. Maybe you are 100% responsible for your own success. If that's the case, you're the first such person that I've ever met.

rick888 15y ago
"You may not call it luck, and I don't know your specific situation, but I'm going to hypothesize that you had some help along the way. How did you educate yourself? " We could go very far with attributing luck to success. Einstein must have been very lucky to come up with the theory of relativity. In fact, everything we do must be due to luck because it's lucky our planet is in a position from the sun that's habitable. "How did you educate yourself" By going to the library in the beginning (which is free) and then later through the Internet (which is also now free at almost any library in the US). Most people in Highschool and in college are out partying every weekend with their friends..and then they wonder why they aren't successful when it comes to getting a job. I chose to sacrifice my time to learn things that I knew would help advance my career. "How did you pay for it?" With a crappy retail job that didn't really have much to do with my career. "Did you go to a public school system". Yes. "My point is, we often take this sort of assistance for granted, and it is gratifying to credit ourselves with 100% of our success. Maybe you are 100% responsible for your own success. If that's the case, you're the first such person that I've ever met." I'm still not sure what your point is. It seems to only be brought up when anyone successful achieves anything great or when someone wants an excuse as to why they can't succeed. I also said luck has less than 1% to do with it. I know people that were in my exact same position at the exact same time. They chose to do things differently and now are working paycheck-to-paycheck. I saved my money (instead of buying the new $500 android phone when it came out) and now I don't have to worry about emergencies because I have enough money to pay for it. I'm really just tired of people not taking personal responsibility for their actions.
- gsoltis 15y ago
  You were lucky to have a quality library available to you. They aren't really free, and not everyone has the good fortune to grow up in a place that can afford one. You were lucky that your public school education was able to get you into a college. Not everyone has that opportunity, no matter how hard they work in school. You were lucky that you were able to find a crappy retail job to put yourself through college. Some people can't find jobs to do that, and not for lack of looking. Libraries and public schools are excellent examples. While I can't speak for these protesters as I'm not there with them, a lot of the sentiment that people are expressing is a sense of fewer opportunities. Schools and libraries are getting their budgets slashed across the entire country. This due in large part to fiscal policy. Bad policy leads to lower tax revenues leads to cutting teachers and library resources. I don't have the solution, but I can see how it's related to the finance industry as a whole. I agree with you that people should be responsible for making use of the opportunities that they have. Being offered a public education doesn't guarantee you anything, you have to actually take the time to learn from it. But that only works so long as we continue to offer quality public educations. I'm really just tired of people saying "I made it, why can't everyone else?" without considering that their situation may be different.
  - jstedfast 15y ago
    Lucky to have such good libraries available? Are you KIDDING ME!?!? I grew up in relatively poor small towns most of my life, where the town library was lucky if it had more than a thousand books. Certainly had no internet. But you know what? I did the same thing rick888 did and I was at that library all the time learning, trying to make myself better. I took advantage of every opportunity that came my way and I made the most of them. I didn't have wealthy parents with connections like so many of the rich spoiled brats I see around me bitching about how "lucky" I am to have a good job, or moaning about how there's so many fewer opportunities around them. Bullshit. Open your eyes. Stop making excuses. If you want something bad enough, like I (and clearly rick888) did, you will be successful. Do some people have more opportunities because of who their parents are and/or how much money they make? Sure, but so what? That's life. I overcame. Rick888 overcame. So can everyone else. Stop expecting things to just fall in your lap and complaining about how the world "isn't fair" and cast aside your damned entitlement complex. The world doesn't owe you jack. You have to fight for everything you want. That's the reality, and nothing these protesters do will ever change that.

by gsoltis 15y ago

rick888 15y ago

"You may not call it luck, and I don't know your specific situation, but I'm going to hypothesize that you had some help along the way. How did you educate yourself? " We could go very far with attributing luck to success. Einstein must have been very lucky to come up with the theory of relativity. In fact, everything we do must be due to luck because it's lucky our planet is in a position from the sun that's habitable. "How did you educate yourself" By going to the library in the beginning (which is free) and then later through the Internet (which is also now free at almost any library in the US). Most people in Highschool and in college are out partying every weekend with their friends..and then they wonder why they aren't successful when it comes to getting a job. I chose to sacrifice my time to learn things that I knew would help advance my career. "How did you pay for it?" With a crappy retail job that didn't really have much to do with my career. "Did you go to a public school system". Yes. "My point is, we often take this sort of assistance for granted, and it is gratifying to credit ourselves with 100% of our success. Maybe you are 100% responsible for your own success. If that's the case, you're the first such person that I've ever met." I'm still not sure what your point is. It seems to only be brought up when anyone successful achieves anything great or when someone wants an excuse as to why they can't succeed. I also said luck has less than 1% to do with it. I know people that were in my exact same position at the exact same time. They chose to do things differently and now are working paycheck-to-paycheck. I saved my money (instead of buying the new $500 android phone when it came out) and now I don't have to worry about emergencies because I have enough money to pay for it. I'm really just tired of people not taking personal responsibility for their actions.

gsoltis 15y ago
You were lucky to have a quality library available to you. They aren't really free, and not everyone has the good fortune to grow up in a place that can afford one. You were lucky that your public school education was able to get you into a college. Not everyone has that opportunity, no matter how hard they work in school. You were lucky that you were able to find a crappy retail job to put yourself through college. Some people can't find jobs to do that, and not for lack of looking. Libraries and public schools are excellent examples. While I can't speak for these protesters as I'm not there with them, a lot of the sentiment that people are expressing is a sense of fewer opportunities. Schools and libraries are getting their budgets slashed across the entire country. This due in large part to fiscal policy. Bad policy leads to lower tax revenues leads to cutting teachers and library resources. I don't have the solution, but I can see how it's related to the finance industry as a whole. I agree with you that people should be responsible for making use of the opportunities that they have. Being offered a public education doesn't guarantee you anything, you have to actually take the time to learn from it. But that only works so long as we continue to offer quality public educations. I'm really just tired of people saying "I made it, why can't everyone else?" without considering that their situation may be different.
- jstedfast 15y ago
  Lucky to have such good libraries available? Are you KIDDING ME!?!? I grew up in relatively poor small towns most of my life, where the town library was lucky if it had more than a thousand books. Certainly had no internet. But you know what? I did the same thing rick888 did and I was at that library all the time learning, trying to make myself better. I took advantage of every opportunity that came my way and I made the most of them. I didn't have wealthy parents with connections like so many of the rich spoiled brats I see around me bitching about how "lucky" I am to have a good job, or moaning about how there's so many fewer opportunities around them. Bullshit. Open your eyes. Stop making excuses. If you want something bad enough, like I (and clearly rick888) did, you will be successful. Do some people have more opportunities because of who their parents are and/or how much money they make? Sure, but so what? That's life. I overcame. Rick888 overcame. So can everyone else. Stop expecting things to just fall in your lap and complaining about how the world "isn't fair" and cast aside your damned entitlement complex. The world doesn't owe you jack. You have to fight for everything you want. That's the reality, and nothing these protesters do will ever change that.