Post AcVRG6fujWjbIL3WS0 by mttaggart@infosec.town
(DIR) More posts by mttaggart@infosec.town
(DIR) Post #AcVOo7P6ELIpXRiXVA by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T16:56:37.177Z
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I'm trying not to be constantly angry about this pipeline:- Get told to go to college- Accrue historically bad debt- Graduate into the worst economy since the GD- Chase work across the country, away from home and support systems- Make a life in a new place- Get locked into work to pay debts- Start a family- Lol no you can't afford a house- Spend even more on childcare because whoops you moved away from familyMillennials are not the first "generation" to face this dilemma, but the numbers for us are real friggin' bad. The precarity of it all, even for folks with well-paying jobs, is....I can't think of a better word than "inhumane."
(DIR) Post #AcVR3eEwd0S7d8V5EW by DarcMoughty@infosec.exchange
2023-12-05T17:17:02Z
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@mttaggart I noped-out of that in freshman year of college when my folks were like, "uhh, turns out college is expensive. Instead of paying for it, we think you should get a loan! Don't worry, it'll be fine."I said that it wasn't fine. Dropped out and focused on work experience instead. Bought a little 'starter house' on an FHA loan (which promptly lost half its value for a decade, locking me here), and had a kid two miles away from grandparents and friends who could help with child care.Gotta say... it's not all good. I think I made good choices; I'll own a home and retire... but when I see a homeless person on the street, it's often someone I went to school with. I missed out on a lot of the college and Big City experiences my friends had.
(DIR) Post #AcVRCP30U0Xp7M5iVs by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T17:23:24.722Z
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@DarcMoughty Oh absolutely; there are a thousand different versions of the cruelty visited on people in the US for no reason.As someone in the Big City though, it's really remarkable how many times a day I'm reminded that America would much rather I died than spend money to help me remain alive.
(DIR) Post #AcVRDdAPTNclCK8hbU by johnelamb@mastodon.social
2023-12-05T17:14:14Z
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@mttaggart I am trying to say this in an understated way so as not to be seen as a complainer, but the total income to disposable income correlation has been sort of the opposite of whatever I expected it to be.And I say after a tremendous amount of lucky success and fortune.
(DIR) Post #AcVRG6fujWjbIL3WS0 by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T17:24:05.295Z
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@johnelamb I mean, same here. The game is absolutely rigged.
(DIR) Post #AcVVWnyntXyQ3H6poO by wholesomedonut@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T18:08:27Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mttaggart I have words to say about this,But I'll be darned if most of them aren't unproductive and expletive in nature.I've seen good people crushed by much less than I've had to face, and it's incredibly sobering to know that even if I struggle, so many have it worse.College for many is a mistake, nowadays.Go work a trade.We need pipes and wires and toilets and metalcraft.I argue we do not -need- more techies.I don't intend to stay in this industry forever.It sucks.
(DIR) Post #AcVVZqBk8i1vlqbp56 by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T18:12:28.152Z
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@wholesomedonut Yes and the idea that tech requires a four-year degree is insane. Apprenticeship and the trades are the right model to follow.
(DIR) Post #AcVXahenXnq1Vcjpaa by TindrasGrove@infosec.exchange
2023-12-05T18:31:49Z
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@mttaggart I recently had a friend rant on how it is bonkers that at 40 years old they’re in the black for the first time in their life. And this puts them ahead of peers.
(DIR) Post #AcVYcPflTrdGGTZNUe by wholesomedonut@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T18:44:52Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@mttaggart I've found that's what people inside the industry tend to do.But there's still the hurdle of making it past non technical HR hoops to begin with.I'll save my venom on that topic for another day.
(DIR) Post #AcVYxeLm6ZBFrrLVgG by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T18:50:22.343Z
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Lmao I forgot the part where independently building wealth for retirement is not optional because of course none of us are going to see a cent of Social Security.
(DIR) Post #AcVc0CIRAGVJajguSO by bitprophet@social.coop
2023-12-05T19:04:00Z
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@mttaggart independently building wealth, or even more likely, "simply working until we die" 😌
(DIR) Post #AcVc1jGG5UD07UP0ka by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T19:24:44.573Z
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@bitprophet 🤣🤣🤣😭
(DIR) Post #AcVrXQhq6pP19QsSGW by wholesomedonut@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T22:05:37Z
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@mttaggart Theres two options as I see itNest egg wealth, because you do not intend to spend much in retirement and your costs will be minimal somehow - this is a more morbid method, because you're more or less gating your lifestyle in accordance with how much you think you can live, and how long you can make cash last once the paychecks stop.Metric shitload of wealth, most likely acquired by living a significantly austere life and saving and investing every dang penny along the way.
(DIR) Post #AcVrXRdcdzci2dubKa by wholesomedonut@fosstodon.org
2023-12-05T22:08:04Z
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@mttaggart ..... Neither of these sound fun.In fact, they're horrible.Its either "life is okay and then sucks" or "most of life sucks and is then okay, but you're a fossil and can scarcely enjoy the cash"I suppose a third option is co-opting a larger home and land with others, and making it a multi generational thing.That's how we used to do it, anyway. It would take incredible investment from multiple parties in your neck of the woods to make that work.Other places, might be easier.
(DIR) Post #AcVs7ZGLlzyc78Fe2y by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T22:25:04.352Z
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@wholesomedonut The co-op model has crossed my mind. I remember when I lived in Princeton, a few folks I knew basically turned some of the Old Money mansions there into that kind of situation. It's an investment not just of treasure but of lifestyle choices. Also, as a rule, it's a top 10 Bad Idea to mix friends and finances.
(DIR) Post #AcVtP6HwL0A7Pzv2cS by cyb3rkitties@infosec.exchange
2023-12-05T22:38:14Z
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@mttaggart similar situation, except i moved across the atlantic ocean 🥲 every time i think about childcare, i want to cry. but, for now, i’m still jobless, so i do child care, home care, side projects, send out job applications, etc etc. it just never ends.
(DIR) Post #AcVtUaTjWDcMV23GCm by mttaggart@infosec.town
2023-12-05T22:40:26.604Z
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@cyb3rkitties I'm so, so sorry. I know it's incredibly, unjustly difficult.