What is "Making It"

In the minimum wage thread on this page, a couple of posters made mention of "making it" - "Because the working poor can't make it in our society," and "I'm pretty confident I'll make it, infact there's no doubt in my mind that I won't make it in this society".

What does that mean, to "make it"?

Is that a job that keeps your family healthy, that allows you to see your kids to go off to college? Enough money so that you can stop working when you are 65?

All I need to be happy, I think, in the long run, is to stay healthy, intelligent, and to have a wife that I love and that loves me. That's it. However, "making it" for me would involve a lot more - honestly, I'd like to drive a car with 700 ftlbs of torque to work each day, I'd like to gargle with vintage Romanee-Conti in the morning, I'd like to feed an African country off the interest from my investments, make Cornell build forests full of statues of me on the campus, you know, the whole lot. If I live long enough, stuff like that is not unrealistic, difficult, maybe, but not wholly unrealistic.

What is "making it" to you? How much do you need to be happy?

As long as it happens before inflation makes it less meaningful, which it easily should, I will be content when I break $100,000 a year. I am also on track to retire at 47, so that would be my second criterion. Living another 35-40 years doing whatever it is I choose to do would be true happiness.

P.O.D.

This is a good question, basically "making it" to me means not becoming just an everyday no-life, doing something imporant, supporting your family and not becoming the type of person who constantly complains about not having enough money.

I think I'd feel like I'd made it when I've settled into a good routine; a well-paying job, a family, read the New York Times every morning, do charity work every weekends, etc. I'm not deluded enough to think I could only be happy wealthy or influential, I'd prefer just a comfortable and predictable existence. That's enough for me.

Anyone want to say what they think a well paying job is? And a "predictable existence", Gozen? Conservative-in-waiting?

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Originally Posted by Stone

Anyone want to say what they think a well paying job is? And a "predictable existence", Gozen? Conservative-in-waiting?

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A well paying job is a job that pays good enough for me to have a decent apartment or possiby house in a nice neighborhood, something that supports me family and leaves a bit of money left over for "fun" stuff.

I'd be perfectly happy making $40,000 a year and would manage fine on it, although making more would be nice. I have no desire to be "wealthy" though and if I was I would probably still go for a middle-class lifestyle and give a lot of money away, there's no reason why you need to be super-rich.

30,000+ a year post rent should make one comfortable.

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Originally Posted by MVS

30,000+ a year post rent should make one comfortable.

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Exactly how I feel about it.

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Originally Posted by MVS

30,000+ a year post rent should make one comfortable.

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I am just being honest, but comfortable to me would be about $120k.