I've never made $200k/year, but for a couple years I was making $50k. When the bubble burst I ended up getting a job at a liquor store and bartending at the bar next door. My lifestyle now is completely different, but since I'm on the other end of the spectrum it might be interesting to compare my experience.
While I was working at the liquor store/bar one tech recruiter contacted me about getting involved in a starting a webhosting company with a group of other people. Certainly not the best time to get involved in that sort of venture, but I was working in a friggin liquor store for $7/hour, so I figured why the hell not?
I met with the guy that wanted to finance the whole thing and was impressed with how well he had it planned out, and of course, the fact that he had the money to finance it. The deal was, do the work for free, get 3% ownership of the company when it became profitable. The other guys got bored of it pretty quickly and it became obvious that I was the only one that really wanted to make it happen. So, when he decided the company needed a full-time employee, I was the obvious choice. So I became the first employee, making $7/hr.
In the meantime I gave up my 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment on the golfcourse, got a 3 bedroom house at the beach, and 2 housemates. I got a 17 year old car, but it's a 5.0 convertible and a hell of a lot of fun. I've been doing freelance work on the side for $30/hr, but only a couple hours a month, so it really just puts entertainment money in my pocket. I work from home 4 out of 5 days a week on average, and my hours are fairly flexible.
After a year, I'm still the only paid employee, and only make $10/hr plus minimal health benefits. My percentage has more than tripled though, but only the next year will tell if it's going to pay off. I actually get to make decisions and have a real influence in what's going on with the company. The webhosting part of the company is only a fraction of the money now, network administration and custom sites make up the bulk of our income. Times are still tough, but we've made progress so I'm still sticking with it.
I only eat out once or twice a week anymore, but as a side effect my cooking has vastly improved. I regularly spend lunch breaks at the beach, I have a tan again for the first time in years, and I'm in better shape from swimming than I've been in a long time. I live in a neighborhood instead of an apartment complex which means I actually know my neighbors and hang out with them.
Do I wish I was still making $50k/year? Hell yeah! Was I happier when I was? Hell no! But our income is growing steadily, and I wouldn't be suprised if I'm making more than $50k a year from now. If not, well, I can always go back to the corporate world.
I certainly wouldn't recommend taking this route to just anyone, but if you're willing to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices, you may find that you can still live a happy life AND not have to deal with all the corporate bullshit just to get a paycheck.
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So does this mean that if I'm already guilty of the crime I might as well do it, what about innocence before guilt?
Actually, if you've already paid the tax for doing it, shouldn't you be legally allowed to do it?
Wouldn't now be considered a single instant in time?
How could you forget the ever popular LSD?
I've never made $200k/year, but for a couple years I was making $50k. When the bubble burst I ended up getting a job at a liquor store and bartending at the bar next door. My lifestyle now is completely different, but since I'm on the other end of the spectrum it might be interesting to compare my experience.
While I was working at the liquor store/bar one tech recruiter contacted me about getting involved in a starting a webhosting company with a group of other people. Certainly not the best time to get involved in that sort of venture, but I was working in a friggin liquor store for $7/hour, so I figured why the hell not?
I met with the guy that wanted to finance the whole thing and was impressed with how well he had it planned out, and of course, the fact that he had the money to finance it. The deal was, do the work for free, get 3% ownership of the company when it became profitable. The other guys got bored of it pretty quickly and it became obvious that I was the only one that really wanted to make it happen. So, when he decided the company needed a full-time employee, I was the obvious choice. So I became the first employee, making $7/hr.
In the meantime I gave up my 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment on the golfcourse, got a 3 bedroom house at the beach, and 2 housemates. I got a 17 year old car, but it's a 5.0 convertible and a hell of a lot of fun. I've been doing freelance work on the side for $30/hr, but only a couple hours a month, so it really just puts entertainment money in my pocket. I work from home 4 out of 5 days a week on average, and my hours are fairly flexible.
After a year, I'm still the only paid employee, and only make $10/hr plus minimal health benefits. My percentage has more than tripled though, but only the next year will tell if it's going to pay off. I actually get to make decisions and have a real influence in what's going on with the company. The webhosting part of the company is only a fraction of the money now, network administration and custom sites make up the bulk of our income. Times are still tough, but we've made progress so I'm still sticking with it.
I only eat out once or twice a week anymore, but as a side effect my cooking has vastly improved. I regularly spend lunch breaks at the beach, I have a tan again for the first time in years, and I'm in better shape from swimming than I've been in a long time. I live in a neighborhood instead of an apartment complex which means I actually know my neighbors and hang out with them.
Do I wish I was still making $50k/year? Hell yeah! Was I happier when I was? Hell no! But our income is growing steadily, and I wouldn't be suprised if I'm making more than $50k a year from now. If not, well, I can always go back to the corporate world.
I certainly wouldn't recommend taking this route to just anyone, but if you're willing to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices, you may find that you can still live a happy life AND not have to deal with all the corporate bullshit just to get a paycheck.