🙂
I was dying there for a bit, but I’m better now.

The whole class-warfare thing really chaps my hide. I need to not rise to the bait every time.

I’m biased not because I’m from the elite, quite the opposite. I come from modest means but was able to become successful – at least by my definition (and probably by electric319’s).

Someone who sits at home watching TV shouldn’t expect to have the lifestyle of someone who works.

Someone who doesn’t go to college (or other training) shouldn’t expect to earn as much as one who does.

Someone with a bulgarian history degree probably shouldn’t expect to earn as much as a medical doctor.

A medical doctor probably shouldn’t expect to earn as much as someone who works in M&A.

Those realities are pretty evident to any junior high-schooler. If you want the bucks, choose the route and do the work. Don’t start complaining after the fact how unfair everything is and how we need a “system reboot” (as someone else said in a different thread).

I haven’t seen a lot of barriers to entry for most fields: willingness to work hard and learn (continuously) is one, intelligence helps, social intelligence certainly helps. I haven’t seen a lot of racial nor sexual discrimination in a multi-decade career. As a manager, certainly that has not once affected my compensation/promotion decisions.

I guess you could say I’ve bought into (and experienced) the american dream. I don’t need no reboot – I already *did* my work and continue to do it. Someone else with a different lifestory might have a different perspective I guess, but I still think there is opportunity aplenty here.

Reading the posts from RaptorDuck (remember him?) it was quite obvious he was very well off – but I never begrudged him his success. It was also pretty obvious to me that he worked very hard (and probably still does) to get where he is. Also he chose a lucrative field. Bully for him.