3 ms·

because when you're poor you worry about food and medical bills, not chairs. come on, it's not hard to understand that other people may have less than you.

Spooky23 14y ago
The world isn't divided into "poor" and "rich". A chair for a programmer, particularly an independent one, is one of the tools that you need to work effectively. A friend of mine is an independent auto mechanic who has been in the business since he was 15 (about 20 years). He now owns a small shop, and probably nets a good "salary" similar to many IT professionals ($90-150k). Not rich, not poor. Guess what? He doesn't use a Craftsman mechanics toolkit from Sears. He has an long-term investment in high quality tools from vendors like Snap-On to the tune of $50-60k. Cheap tools would cost 1/3-1/2 that, but guess what -- a broken wrench means that he isn't working, and his time is worth $90/hour, and the high-end vendor comes to him, so he doesn't waste time in stores. As a programmer or IT type person, your brain is your primary tool, but it depends upon the working order of all of the supporting tools in your body to perform optimally. When your job involves sitting on your ass for most of the day, a proper chair is just like a $75 high quality wrench for a mechanic -- a good investment.
- taude 14y ago
  My buddy in the construction business spends way more on his tools than I possibly could as a software engineer, even if I bought a new Aeron chair, latest Mac Book Retina, and a 30" display each year.
- xvolter 14y ago
  I would also agree, the cost of being a mechanic is much higher than the cost to be a programmer of almost any kind.
masklinn 14y ago
I'm pretty sure not worrying about food budget isn't what SquareWheel meant by "well-off".
- SquareWheel 14y ago
  Perhaps "well off" was the wrong term. I simply mean that a ~$1000 chair is considered a "luxury purchase" that many aren't able to make. Even as a programmer who sits for the majority of the day, there are many other priorities that tend to come first and you would need a fair amount of financial comfort to make said purchase. But I feel it's not appropriate to speak of how someone else should be spending their money. I regret the initial comment.

Spooky23 14y ago

The world isn't divided into "poor" and "rich". A chair for a programmer, particularly an independent one, is one of the tools that you need to work effectively. A friend of mine is an independent auto mechanic who has been in the business since he was 15 (about 20 years). He now owns a small shop, and probably nets a good "salary" similar to many IT professionals ($90-150k). Not rich, not poor. Guess what? He doesn't use a Craftsman mechanics toolkit from Sears. He has an long-term investment in high quality tools from vendors like Snap-On to the tune of $50-60k. Cheap tools would cost 1/3-1/2 that, but guess what -- a broken wrench means that he isn't working, and his time is worth $90/hour, and the high-end vendor comes to him, so he doesn't waste time in stores. As a programmer or IT type person, your brain is your primary tool, but it depends upon the working order of all of the supporting tools in your body to perform optimally. When your job involves sitting on your ass for most of the day, a proper chair is just like a $75 high quality wrench for a mechanic -- a good investment.

taude 14y ago
My buddy in the construction business spends way more on his tools than I possibly could as a software engineer, even if I bought a new Aeron chair, latest Mac Book Retina, and a 30" display each year.
xvolter 14y ago
I would also agree, the cost of being a mechanic is much higher than the cost to be a programmer of almost any kind.

masklinn 14y ago

I'm pretty sure not worrying about food budget isn't what SquareWheel meant by "well-off".

SquareWheel 14y ago
Perhaps "well off" was the wrong term. I simply mean that a ~$1000 chair is considered a "luxury purchase" that many aren't able to make. Even as a programmer who sits for the majority of the day, there are many other priorities that tend to come first and you would need a fair amount of financial comfort to make said purchase. But I feel it's not appropriate to speak of how someone else should be spending their money. I regret the initial comment.