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by linuxftw 1453 days ago
I try to maximize my earnings during my working hours (M-F, 9-5ish) so I can enjoy things outside my working hours. Most of my work related unhappiness comes from the idea that "I should be making more money." I'm finally at a spot, where if the market rebounds a little, I'm in the top 10-15% of pay for an individual contributor, I think. Full time remote for the last 5 years, low cost of living state, and my annual income is somewhere between $350-$450k depending on how the market does (or much higher if things really turn around). I'm on year 1 at this new gig, so I won't feel that amount until bonus time comes around early next year, but man, it's bringing me a lot of joy, I can tell you that.

The only question is, do I buy a boat, a beach house, or a lake house? I live near a lake and already have a jetski and a friend with a boat, maybe I should just buy a tract of land to drive my jeep and some ATVs. I mean, maybe people get a lot of happiness out of work, I certainly don't. I like to have fun.
1 comments
marssaxman 1453 days ago
Ah, well! Congratulations on finding a life that works for you.

There is nothing I can spend any amount of money on which will make my free time happy enough to make up for the misery of a job I do not care about. It cannot be done. If a better job means I have to take a pay cut, no matter; it's worth it for a happier life. Any job I could possibly take at this point in my career will pay enough to live well, anyway, so I don't see much point in trying to maximize income. Hedonic treadmill, diminishing marginal utility, etc.

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linuxftw 1453 days ago
> Any job I could possibly take at this point in my career will pay enough to live well, anyway

I mean, we all hope that, but that could change without a moment's notice. For people outside the tech field, the last year's inflation, gas prices, and skyrocketing rents, their lifestyle went from 'enough to live' to 'short about $1k a month.'

If you live in a major western European city, yeah, you don't have to worry too much about money, there's a lot of social services available for you to fall back. Elsewhere, it's much more competitive.

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