> your recent years of peak lifetime earning potential overlapped with an industry massively overpaying its workforce Only if the following conditions are true

> your recent years of peak lifetime earning potential overlapped with an industry massively overpaying its workforce Only if the following conditions are true: 1. You spent your entire career in the US, ideally on the West Coast 2. You entered the industry early, ideally right after (or in!) university 3. You did not spend significant time in low-paying segments of the industry, such as in academia, hardware, games, idealistic open source, or the public sector 4. You did not need a significant career break, such as for major medical issues, being a SAHP, or caring for sick family members Even if all of the above applied, certain wealth-destroying events such as an expensive illness, legal trouble, or bad divorce, might have made FIRE infeasible.