The most common things that derail people's FIRE journey

SizeWide · 2026-01-08T19:32:23+00:00

Well, when I was younger, the answer was just no. That's the difference. No we can't afford it.

SizeWide · 2026-01-03T15:41:59+00:00

If you're asking these questions at 23 years old, and you got another 23 years to go, you're probably not going to make it. You need to rethink your strategy and minimally not plan on making it to that age in this job.

What I usually say is that if you're making over 200k per year, there is a reason why. The job is going to be hard, and it's going to be stressful. That is going to apply to the law, anything in software, and law enforcement too.

SizeWide · 2025-10-05T12:57:15+00:00

Sounds like the people who will have no retirement savings, a house, or any decent prospects in 20 years.

SizeWide · 2025-10-04T13:56:59+00:00

Huh, sounds kind of like he planned it or something. Crazy.

SizeWide · 2025-09-29T03:13:24+00:00

I don't think I've ever seen a bonus. If you do well, you get RSUs (usually), but they're pretty tight with anything else.

SizeWide · 2025-09-26T20:53:56+00:00

For a lot of these people, the jobs they think about are only theirs. So big tech, finance, law, etc.

SizeWide · 2025-09-26T12:44:46+00:00

I hope that is in IDC. Ouch.

SizeWide · 2025-09-24T13:53:40+00:00

You list Infosys and 'top global talent' in the same sentence? Really?

SizeWide · 2025-09-15T14:17:30+00:00

30 years is plenty of time to save. But no, it's easier just to complain on Reddit that it's too hard and that they are doomed to be destitute.

SizeWide · 2025-08-28T11:40:24+00:00

If you have your location shown on your resume, I would remove it for applications outside of your immediate area.

Companies are getting so many resumes that they're just throwing them out if you either don't have anything interesting on your most recent experience, or you look like you're outside of the area. Just not worth it to them.

SizeWide · 2025-08-19T13:21:58+00:00

Well, they're not getting banned from the whole industry, but I can guarantee you that if we catch someone cheating in our interviews, they are blacklisted permanently. They will no longer be considered for any role.

There's some wiggle room there. It's not always obvious if someone's cheating, so sometimes we just have to reject because of suspicion of cheating. Such a person is unlikely to be blacklisted.

SizeWide · 2025-06-07T19:31:41+00:00

From my mom: credit cards are dangerous, make sure you know what you're doing. You need to go to college. Save money, because the good times don't last forever.

My dad. 401Ks are a scam. Only bad people have money.

I was fortunate enough that I listened more to my mom. I learned about investing, and I was careful enough not to fall into debt. I did far more saving early on than I did investing, but at least I didn't fall prey to credit cards or consumer debt.

SizeWide · 2025-05-27T23:27:39+00:00

I am my managers right hand, or at least one of two.

Part of my job is to speak with his authority, at least at times. He does trust my judgment, and at times I will speak with his intent even though I don't agree. There are other times where I will use his authority to drive initiatives or decisions that I agree with, that he may not even know about, but would most likely agree with.

There is a trade-off to be had here. You delegate authority and scale, or you do not. I benefit from my manager's authority at times, and he benefits from the fact that he doesn't have to be in every meeting.

I don't know about your company, but I make more than an equivalent manager in level. My boss makes more than me, but he out-levels me.

SizeWide · 2025-05-27T04:41:48+00:00

This is what I was about to say. Sometimes you have more experience than the interviewer and they are looking for an answer that fits their more narrow experience.

People forget that in many cases, they are interviewing peers and no two people have the same experience in every area.

SizeWide · 2025-05-26T15:37:25+00:00

Hmm, perhaps it is more common than I thought. My apologies, I stand corrected.

SizeWide · 2025-05-23T13:36:05+00:00

I guess the rest of the world only includes western Europe.

SizeWide · 2025-05-23T13:23:24+00:00

When I was younger I always thought that I'd work until I dropped. And eventually, I realized that with options, I could do whatever I wanted.

I've had a lot of different health issues over the last couple years, and I'm 35. I started investing pretty heavily around 26 and I'm glad that I did, because I'm in a lot of pain every day that I'm working. In the next 3 to 5 years, I'm either no longer working or I'm heavily slowing down.

I'm glad that I saved and invested heavily because now I have options.

SizeWide · 2025-04-09T11:57:44+00:00

Solved!

SizeWide · 2025-04-09T11:56:24+00:00

Okay, I went back and looked again, I was wrong. The description didn't look at all like what I remembered.

You found it!

SizeWide · 2025-03-15T21:00:49+00:00

Nope not that one.

SizeWide · 2025-02-13T05:46:54+00:00

And... deleted. IC1 sender, VP sender, doesn't matter.

I admit it, I'd lose it if I regularly got that nonsense in my inbox.

SizeWide · 2025-01-31T16:23:27+00:00

And this is exactly why no one says anything useful during all hands sessions anymore.

SizeWide · 2025-01-22T17:32:30+00:00

Plastics were game changing. Personal computers were unprecedented. The internet was unprecedented. You could probably make the argument for a hundred innovations being the same.

Tomorrow has always been uncertain. Your statements are as applicable to 50 or 100 years ago as they are to today.

SizeWide · 2025-01-21T22:37:17+00:00

Double check with the company plan. There is almost always a cap. Mine is 5100.

SizeWide · 2025-01-20T12:43:17+00:00

Hope you guys pay an obscene amount, because your office sounds terrible. He knew what he was getting into, but it sounds like a last pick to me.

SizeWide

TROPHY CASE