[m3talridl3y]

Before getting into the software industry, being paid in stock seemed like a no-brainer, because I looked at tech salaries and thought that you people were all making, at a baseline, well above what it costs to live a comfortable existence, so why wouldn't you play the odds a bit and try for a valuable payout when your stock options mature? Then I got a tech job and realized that, no, most people in tech are still just making ends meet due to the insane cost of living that descends like a dark cloud anywhere a thriving tech scene springs up.

[encoderer]

Where I'm sitting, in SF, I see an industry of upper middle class people who are more "wealthy" than "not wealthy." Now, there are plenty of people with paper-money options and below market salaries (which are still above $100k unless you're a masochist), but mid+ level engineers who are willing to work in a company with liquid or semi-liquid equity and that is doing alright for itself are having no trouble, even in todays insane real estate market.