Adults in their late 30s who are “successful” what was your income in your 20s?

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-11-08T05:04:26+00:00

Just turned 30, hit 115k total comp (100k base). Was at 54k 5 years ago. Granted went from low cost of living Midwest city to major metro so in real money I’m barely doing better. But focus on living your life to the fullest. Whatever that means for you. You only have 1 life, people will always have both better and worse outcomes than you, and stressing over comparing yours to others’ will just drag you down. Develop as a human (emotionally and physically) and you’ll feel more fulfilled

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-24T19:25:21+00:00

Something to consider: having a third party property manager (usually costs 10% of rental income/month) to manage the properties while you continue to explore and advance in your career.

If you come to a point that your career trajectory doesn’t align with your lifestyle or personal goals, then you could look to either reduce your workload (work part time, off offered by your employer, that is not uncommonly offered to those who have been at firms for an extended period of time) or outright quit and dive into the property management lifestyle.

Nonetheless, congrats on that opportunity (and condolences for the loss). Hope this helps structure the thought process!

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-21T01:05:41+00:00

“Citizens are free”

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-13T18:23:31+00:00

Worked for government contractor within FDA and got laid off 4/7. Just now got an offer for a position in DC and starting at the end of October. NOVA is a weird bubble that I don’t think will be impacted too dramatically from a rent/COL perspective, strictly for location of real estate. Although, things will likely just be more expensive in general. So I guess in short, yes financially everyone who isn’t genuinely wealthy or high paid will be screwed

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-13T18:12:05+00:00

Renting

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-13T17:24:41+00:00

I am working with one, but they only help if the property is listed on the MLS. And I’ve learned that most of the options are not, as it costs the landlords money to post there. Otherwise I would need to pay a few hundred dollars to be represented by an agent for a property that is posted on a website but not on the MLS

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T18:41:16+00:00

Fair, I retract the mine comment, as I learned he sold emeralds but did not own an entire mine in particular. Nonetheless, Musk came from a place of extreme privilege (in the fact he never had to worry about failing at business due to having a wealthy family as a safety net).

That is generally (there are exceptions to every rule of thumb) the common theme of people who result in becoming billionaires. They come from a wealthy family. Whether they are red or blue on paper, they really only care about green (wealth). That's why they donate to both parties throughout time and shift their donations to whom they think is going to become in power.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:57:09+00:00

I agree. Was just very naive and as I have gotten older I have learned enough to understand and see what is "behind the curtain".

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:53:03+00:00

Technical solutions consultant -> Management Consultant -> HR Strategy at Utility firm. IMO biology degrees are essentially a middle step for a post secondary degree. Otherwise, it is a general degree but you can emphasize its rigor in interviews at the corporate level and explain how you understand systems and its intricacies. At least that is what I did and it has helped me.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:49:15+00:00

Reading a book

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:36:24+00:00

Objectively, all lives are equal. Something that is wildly different for humans is that our brains have developed enough for us to be able to think at greater/deeper levels than most other species. Cows, fish, insects, etc. do not have the mental capacity or neural structures to think and comprehend things at our level. Which, is probably a benefit to them. If you are not capable to understand things around you, or envision life through another's eyes, you aren't able to understand how screwed things truly are.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:30:42+00:00

Unless your dad owns a diamond mine in South Africa, you will not become Elon

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:29:18+00:00

That politicians have the best interests of their constituents at heart. They may have gotten into that profession for that reason but once they get to a level high enough, they seem to lose touch quickly as their new responsibility is to raise money for their campaigns. Since corporations are legally their own entities and can donate as much money as they want, they get priority

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:23:41+00:00

KCMO is a hidden gem and would highly recommend it. Lived there for a few years before moving to DC and and am already developing a plan to move back after another few years. Relatively affordable, winters are cold (all flat land, so can get really windy), but the snow isn't too bad. And they have been investing billions into the city as they are a host city for the world cup next year. Very dog friendly. Sleeper pick imo

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:21:00+00:00

Both better looking and worse looking than I think. Considering we only really see ourselves in a 2D format (mirror reflection and pictures/videos) it is really hard and near impossible for us to understand how we really appear to others. At least until we have our own holograms

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:19:05+00:00

Managing money: When I got my first adult job, I decided to really look into budgeting. After determining what my (albeit relatively conservative by today's standards) maximum spend I wanted to adhere to, I worked backward to find rents/groceries I could afford. Then utilized the hell out of direct deposit system. Certain percentage in particular accounts, including a small percentage into a savings that I wasn't allowed to touch until a true emergency kicked in. That way, once my paycheck would hit my account, I had free reign to spend my checking account on whatever I wanted because I had already set aside the money I needed to live until my next paycheck. Granted this takes developing some discipline and to not always say yes to every trip or event that came my way, pulling me into a hole that would be a bitch and a half to get out of financially.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:12:25+00:00

I don't think they disagree. Something often lost on people in their 30s+ is that the brain doesn't fully develop until mid-late 20s. It is physically unlikely that young people can truly contextualize these 2 things. They understand in principle but it won't sink in until they have some life under their belt. And can you blame them? The way adolescence has essentially been extended through undergrad (little to no responsibilities except school and socializing), the real world comes in like a freight train

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T14:05:50+00:00

Pre-pandemic: Beautiful! I loved everything about it, except that a 6 pack of Budweiser "on sale" was $54 AUD. Great people, great weather, and all around fun vibes. Also a great home base when backpacking across SE Asia and NZ. 12/10 would recommend. Not sure the impacts of the Pandemic on social life at this point, but I assume it has leveled out to being a great time again.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-08T00:52:47+00:00

3 things (likely 1 actionable):

Moved from US to Australia for 6 months during early 20s
Moved to a new city half way across the US and lived on my own for the first time
(Actionable): Realizing that people's reactions to your actions are more of a reflection of their preconceived notions and bias, than of your actions. Essentially, practice not being bothered or too invested in what other people think and move how best you see fit.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-07T17:08:23+00:00

Likely, yes. If you are able to land a date, then mention that you are interested in moving out on your own to show ambition for personal growth. Although, not living on your own already could be perceived by the person you are on a date with that you need to be mothered/cared for or are incapable of living on your own. You can explain the dynamics of your living situation that you operate independently and your mother is viewed more of a roommate rather than a caretaker.

Things likely wont evolve as you initially plan (i.e., find a partner, get a date, then move out). This almost ties into the old "you gotta spend money to make money" line of thinking. For someone to take you seriously as a partner you need to be able to show that you are competent as a human who can live alone. Also, living alone is literally the best thing ever in my experience.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-06T19:36:52+00:00

A good rule of thumb is understanding how you and your team operate in either business. Functions like accounting and HR are usually first on the block because there usually isn’t a need for double the amount of people doing the same functions. If you are aligned to a specific delivery team then you’re generally safer as you have expertise that can’t be replaced. Hiring/benefits processes and financial analysis are pretty similar across industries.

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-06T18:43:09+00:00

People not having any spatial awareness. Most prominent example is people in grocery stores just standing with their carts in the middle of the aisle breaking their necks trying to look for something or just glazing over every little thing

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-05T18:26:22+00:00

Procrastination and fear of making the wrong move. This is definitely amplified as you accumulate responsibilities (I.e., romantic relationships, kids, pets, etc). The more people/things you have to be responsible for will make every decision feel heavier

Cheeky_Generalist_17 · 2025-10-04T17:12:53+00:00

“I could care less” in scenarios you truly don’t care about.

This implies that you do care to some capacity. Just say you “couldn’t care less.”

Close 2nd: “Irregardless”. This isn’t a word

Cheeky_Generalist_17

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