4 ms·

you're justifying your life choices, which is fine, but it makes it too hard to get any perspective from it. $200k is not a high salary for SV tech, which i kn

by apsurd 3y ago

you're justifying your life choices, which is fine, but it makes it too hard to get any perspective from it. $200k is not a high salary for SV tech, which i know sounds crazy, but a large part of this thread is about ambition and making it in the big city. Your data point isn't an earnest example of that trade off. i like that you like Austin and seeing your family. I don't like that you have to paint that picture against some kind of shit terrible black hole that is California. It's just not true. You wish you never moved to California!? I'm a california native, and perhaps that hurt me more than it should haha. Everyone loves California. How and wheher it's sustainable is its own question.

plasticsoprano 3y ago
As an Austin native I wish I could GTFO but family commitments preclude it. CA would be my preferred state but I can't afford to live there even though I make more than the parent commenter here. Maybe that's because I'm past my hustle stage and want a WLB that is more weighed toward life than work. I agree that CA isn't some terrible black hole. My Austin native brother moved to SF a couple of years ago and while the magic of SF has worn off he would still never pick Austin over it. Regardless, I can't trust someone that says they love the heat. 30+ years of it and every time I step foot in the Bay Area or PNW I wonder WTF I'm doing in Austin.
- freitzkriesler2 3y ago
  I grew up in the snow belt where 2-3 ft of snow and -10F for several months were the norm for the first 23 years of my life. Trust me, 110F texan heat is a dream compared to being stuck inside for 6 months of the year and watching everything slowly fet destroyed by road salt. Though i will say, I do love Seattle, another city that is also nearly as expensive as
freitzkriesler2 3y ago
Don't take it personally. California was great and I vividly remember how great it used to be. Unfortunately it isn't anymore and it's so obvious after having seen it's decline from 2011 to post pandemic. I can only imagine how great it used to be in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Unfortunately, California has a landed gentry problem who have a desire to not see things change. The end of that property tax prop would fix a lot of issues both nimby and otherwise. As for making it, I mean yeah I made it and certainly got mine from living on that rat race but think critically for a moment. No one is going to remember us once the living memory of us passes. Children are really the only legacy we can build. Family and time are far more important than anything elusive career wins you're going to get. I'm getting too old anyway.
- apsurd 3y ago
  thanks for replying. I understand much better now. I definitely agree with the family being most important part. It can become too trite of a response, so i'll add color by extending it to the _idea_ of family - really it's human intimacy - that's most meaningful. ambition and accolades are mostly a facade yes, but it's possible in that journey you dare and are vulnerable and meet people and learn about moments of intimacy and vulnerability and all that. Spoken like a true Californian! TLDR: people and connection (family) yes.
  - freitzkriesler2 3y ago
    Cheers mate. It does seem trite until your old lady pops out the first one. Then you sit there and wonder why the hell you spent so much time working or spending time doing silly things like brunch and bars when watching kids do kid things is infinitely more entertaining. Writing in the book of life takes living to whole new level. I wish I had kids sooner.

by apsurd 3y ago

plasticsoprano 3y ago

As an Austin native I wish I could GTFO but family commitments preclude it. CA would be my preferred state but I can't afford to live there even though I make more than the parent commenter here. Maybe that's because I'm past my hustle stage and want a WLB that is more weighed toward life than work. I agree that CA isn't some terrible black hole. My Austin native brother moved to SF a couple of years ago and while the magic of SF has worn off he would still never pick Austin over it. Regardless, I can't trust someone that says they love the heat. 30+ years of it and every time I step foot in the Bay Area or PNW I wonder WTF I'm doing in Austin.

freitzkriesler2 3y ago
I grew up in the snow belt where 2-3 ft of snow and -10F for several months were the norm for the first 23 years of my life. Trust me, 110F texan heat is a dream compared to being stuck inside for 6 months of the year and watching everything slowly fet destroyed by road salt. Though i will say, I do love Seattle, another city that is also nearly as expensive as

freitzkriesler2 3y ago

Don't take it personally. California was great and I vividly remember how great it used to be. Unfortunately it isn't anymore and it's so obvious after having seen it's decline from 2011 to post pandemic. I can only imagine how great it used to be in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Unfortunately, California has a landed gentry problem who have a desire to not see things change. The end of that property tax prop would fix a lot of issues both nimby and otherwise. As for making it, I mean yeah I made it and certainly got mine from living on that rat race but think critically for a moment. No one is going to remember us once the living memory of us passes. Children are really the only legacy we can build. Family and time are far more important than anything elusive career wins you're going to get. I'm getting too old anyway.

apsurd 3y ago
thanks for replying. I understand much better now. I definitely agree with the family being most important part. It can become too trite of a response, so i'll add color by extending it to the _idea_ of family - really it's human intimacy - that's most meaningful. ambition and accolades are mostly a facade yes, but it's possible in that journey you dare and are vulnerable and meet people and learn about moments of intimacy and vulnerability and all that. Spoken like a true Californian! TLDR: people and connection (family) yes.
- freitzkriesler2 3y ago
  Cheers mate. It does seem trite until your old lady pops out the first one. Then you sit there and wonder why the hell you spent so much time working or spending time doing silly things like brunch and bars when watching kids do kid things is infinitely more entertaining. Writing in the book of life takes living to whole new level. I wish I had kids sooner.