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0 pointsthe_gastropod3y ago0 comments

If you’re working as a software engineer, you are already privileged, yes. It’s trivially easy, when making an average software engineer salary to save a significant portion of your income. If you save 50%, you need to work 1 year to save enough for a year off.

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BizarreByte3y ago

A lot of us aren’t making average HN level salaries and many have a lot of responsibilities. Saving 50% simply isn’t feasible for most people, even in this industry.

It is not “trivially easy” to take a year off. It’s reckless.

the_gastropodOP3y ago

Everyone's situation is unique. For many, it may not be easy at all—you're right. But in the "average" case of the average software engineer in the US, if you value the option to take a year off, it is absolutely trivial to save half your income.

Let's just do some back-of-napkin math to prove my point. The average American software engineer makes $110,944 / year [1]. The median salary in the US is $54,132 / year [2]. That's less than half an average software engineer. In other words, most Americans—even if they spend every penny they earn—live on less than half of what an average software engineer makes.

So yes. On average, a software engineer should be able to save half their income and take off a year. Or hell, save 33% of their income, and take a year off after working two!

[1] https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries

[2] https://www.firstrepublic.com/insights-education/how-much-do...

shortcake273y ago

So I think the issue is that people with more money are taking on more responsibilities (more expensive house / car etc). This makes it harder for them to take sabbaticals.

The mistake is when those same people then claim that someone making the same money without the same responsibilities is privileged.

It is a very odd position to hold. I’m not privileged just because someone else decided to take on the maximum amount of debt that was available to them.

shortcake273y ago

Conversely, I am not privileged just because I don’t have the same responsibilities as you.

If you can’t take a year off work because you have a mortgage, debts, and a family to feed, that’s a problem you need to solve. However, assuming that I’m privileged because I don’t have those things in nonsensical. I live out of a very cheap car and my expenses are virtually zero. That is not a privileged position.

BizarreByte3y ago

> That is not a privileged position.

That depends on if it’s caused by poverty, or a choice you made despite having the means for a better situation.

Being able to take a year off work and not end up homeless is incredibly privileged, but by your own admission you’re already homeless, possibly by choice. Most people don’t want to live in a car.

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BizarreByte3y ago

A lot of us aren’t making average HN level salaries and many have a lot of responsibilities. Saving 50% simply isn’t feasible for most people, even in this industry.

It is not “trivially easy” to take a year off. It’s reckless.

the_gastropodOP3y ago

So yes. On average, a software engineer should be able to save half their income and take off a year. Or hell, save 33% of their income, and take a year off after working two!

[1] https://www.indeed.com/career/software-engineer/salaries

[2] https://www.firstrepublic.com/insights-education/how-much-do...

shortcake273y ago

So I think the issue is that people with more money are taking on more responsibilities (more expensive house / car etc). This makes it harder for them to take sabbaticals.

The mistake is when those same people then claim that someone making the same money without the same responsibilities is privileged.

It is a very odd position to hold. I’m not privileged just because someone else decided to take on the maximum amount of debt that was available to them.

shortcake273y ago

Conversely, I am not privileged just because I don’t have the same responsibilities as you.

BizarreByte3y ago

> That is not a privileged position.

That depends on if it’s caused by poverty, or a choice you made despite having the means for a better situation.

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