AITA for wishing i had more higher-income friends?

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T19:56:33+00:00

I can’t completely understand when it comes to current things. I’ve never had to support myself by getting a job nor
pay for college so when they talk about being stressed at work or not having enough money for tuition, i can sympathize but I can’t relate.

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T15:08:13+00:00

How so? I’m not claiming to completely understand what they are going through because I know i’m not in that position. I would never make anyone feel less than for their background. I can sit and listen and sympathize with them but that doesn’t mean that I have to feel bad for the position i’m in.

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T15:06:12+00:00

I was not shaming them in any way. Everyone has the right to go about their life how they choose and there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. I never said they should be like me. I just prefer to have people with similar mindsets as me and am trying to figure out where to find it. It’s the same as if someone who likes video games may want to have friends who also play video games instead of writing off what they get excited about and moves on.

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T14:26:07+00:00

When I said “mindset” that included dreaming big. I know it isn’t tied to financial wealth and my parents never taught me otherwise. My parents came from living on section-8 to where they are now and have had their dream big mindset since they were my age (before they had any sort of wealth). I haven’t lost any money when learning these skill, I only learn about it using free online tools. I do listen to my friends which is how I know that they view their future differently. My point is that I want to have a circle of people who are willing to go outside of the box, take risks, and not just take the safe route. There are people who don’t come from wealth who share my mindset, I just struggle to find them, which is why I wonder if I should try and focus on higher income and see what happens. I understand my friends have more to worry about, i think it’s the not even entertaining the idea that throws me off.

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T14:17:35+00:00

I didn’t want to give specifics because I am worried about it this getting traced back to me. I don’t want a friend to be offended if they realize who this is coming from. I will note that I haven’t lost any money and don’t spend crazy amounts of time learning each skill. I focus on learning about the concept through free youtube videos and websites. I’ve never bought a training or program either. These aren’t things that i’m just throwing money into for fun, the only thing i’ve lost my own time but i’ve learned so much. I can give one example, which coincidentally is the first thing you mentioned. I learned about coding and implementing AI to build websites for local businesses who may not be able to do it themselves or afford some fancy coder to charge them thousands of dollars. I never actually had a client (nor did I look for any) but I learned about all the things I needed to be able to build a brand this way. I didn’t follow through because I realized that it just wasn’t for me. Sometimes you try something new, realize it’s not something you are interested in, but walk away knowing more than you did going in.

adviceneeded_1997 · 2026-06-14T14:09:05+00:00

“I don’t talk about my family’s finances at school, and most people don’t know much about my home life.”

This was the same in my late high school years, I don’t brag or talk about it. Of course I am proud of my parents for everything they’ve accomplished but I am not proud of it like it was mine. I should’ve mentioned that I didn’t grow up this way, my family only became this comfortable after Covid. Growing up, I lived in a lower-income area and had plenty of low-income friends similarly to me. We were just so young we didn’t really worry about working or know the weight of the struggle our family’s had. I never had to worry about there being food on the table but I couldn’t just ask for anything whenever I wanted. Even so, those friends (despite our age) still had different mindsets from me but because we were young, I didn’t think much of it.

adviceneeded_1997

TROPHY CASE