[iteria]

People mention survivorship bias because 20K/mo isn't doable in some situations. 20k/ is 240K/yr. That isn't peanuts in the vast majority of the US. I'm a programmer and I make multiples of whole families in my area and I can't see making 240K/yr without extreme amounts of stress and deciding to dedicate my life to work (which I won't do), for my tradesmen family members, I have no idea how they'd do it without running a business with several employees which everyone can't do. If you live outside of the super high cost of living places in the US, anyone you see making 240K definitely had some luck involved. It's right to call that out so that when people fail they know that it wasn't that they sucked, but that the stars didn't align for them in this situation. The odds are probably better than playing the lotto, but depending on your life situation, the chances might not be much better.

[gumballindie]

There really is nothing intellectually stimulating in learning that there is misery out there and that you too can fail. A cat can tell you that there's misery out there. What's interesting is knowing how to build things and get out of said misery. If you surround yourself with stories about losers you'll think that there are only losers out there and you'll get stuck. This is a forum about hackers and hacking a way out is far more interesting than constant posting about "survivorship bias". I want to learn stories about how people, small or large, build things that matter - not just plumb APIs and "hack" a new language. Those are cool too but those aren't the only "problems" that need solving. And indeed there are forums dedicated to that but I want to hear is the more "scientific" side of making commercially successful things, and like me there are plenty - but some have been alienated by this boring mindsent.

[penjelly]

parent mentioned survivorbias as a precaution for those who think its their destiny to make 20k/month after reading the OP.

> This is a forum about hackers and hacking a way out

yes, and as such you'll run into the folks with opinions on either side of the discussion, how is that not more intellectually stimulating than the alternative?