If you're getting paid as a software engineer in the USA[1] and you're making market rate for where you live, you can easily save >>50% of your salary and retire in 10 years.
Since I'm currently living and working on the San Francisco peninsula, I can actually speak to this from experience. :) My family of 3 lives on a budget of $50k, and yes, our savings rate is >>50%.
Of course, you specified living "well." I believe that we live well -- we're all certainly very happy, don't have any unmet needs, and are able to indulge in little luxuries like eating out once a month and visiting family in Europe once or twice a year. However, if living "well" to you requires having two late-model cars, a big house and eating out a few times a week, then yes, you will have trouble doing that while maintaining a high savings rate in the Bay Area.
I was commenting on the common context for HN articles.
One can definitely hustle for personal growth. I have to do that every day to keep up with the ever changing technology landscape.
However, when I hear it from a CEO or startup founder, it translates into help them to grow, were I would be the fertilizer. This is the principal reason "startup" is a warning term for me personally.
> ITT fashion illiterate techies doubting the success of a pretty genius product
I love that caring how you look is just "narcissism" now. :)
The other problem I see w/ the ML is that, due to the nature of data sets, it's going to be mostly white people who benefit. Minorities famously do poorly.
> I don't know anyone who "tells the poor" that. I think most people understand that capitalism is a rather brutal, territorial game. And being raised in a good household is a massive advantage.
Do you know any poor people? Ask them. I guarantee they've been told this in some form. Hell, ask anyone who is underprivileged.
"Feeding himself has been the toughest part of the challenge to date. “I’ve not been able to buy enough food,” Mr. Brar said, as he walked through the Downtown Eastside to his latest residence, a small, depressing room inside a sketchy-looking hotel. “I’ve already lost eight or nine pounds.” He buys mostly cereals and grains, instant noodles, some fresh and frozen vegetables, tofu and milk.
Local activists trailing behind him said his luck is about to change, at least on the dietary front. No one need go hungry in the Downtown Eastside, said a man named Dave, himself a local welfare recipient. “There’s lots of free food down here,” Dave said. “The thing is, though, you have to line up for every meal, and that becomes a full-time job.”"
Go into the store and mostly buy only things that cost less than 1$ per lb. Even if you average 1$/lb that would mean you could buy 900 grams per day. Just as an example, if you only bought rolled oats and whole wheat flour (which by the way are excellent sources of protein and fiber, magnesium and potassium - far more healthy than the average person eats), you would get about 3000+ calories from that. Though you'd probably want to mix it up a bit and buy some fruit and veg for a small part of your budget, arriving at close to 2k calories per day. And you'd still be eating more healthily than the vast majority of middle class peoples.
Even here, in the insanely expensive bay area, you can buy Costco spinach for 1.60$ per pound. bannanas 47c/lbs, rolled oats for 0.80$ per pound. etc. There's more examples of foods you can find that are cost effective.
Admittedly, you wouldn't be able to eat at restaurants, ever.
> I do not enjoy having my empathy tugged at people who only seem to see me as a member of their community when I have something they desire and who will not regard me as a member once I have provided such.
So you helping others is for your own self-satisfaction, and not to help others? You're looking for someone to convine you to be happy with the decision of helping others. That's what all your comments here read like. :)
I'm not surprised you're from the Bay Area, given that.
I'm happy to help others. I'm not happy to feel used.
I don't enjoy having my empathy tugged at by people who only care about me because they want money from me. This experience does not leave me feeling like I have contributed to my community and helped a person. It leaves me feeling used.
It's fine to say no to requests. I don't like how organized the charitable industry is in the US and the high-pressure tactics used to solicit donations. I prefer to donate anonymously or tell charitable solicitors that the more often and elaborately they contact me the less likely I am to contribute to their cause. Frankly I prefer just getting cash directly into the hands of people in need and don't burden myself with worrying about which cause should have priority over others.
Not well in the Bay Area, at least.