> So I never really had a clue what a reasonable wage or salary was, or how much I would actually lose to taxes, or what a reasonable budget was... and of course, none of that stuff was taught in high school, either.
A few years ago in Guatemala I bumped into a bunch of American final-year dentistry students who were volunteering down there. They were all around 22-24 and extremely friendly, so we got to talking.
It eventually came out that they all knew they were going to make ~$120k a year when they started work, but they had no idea what that meant. One guy admitted he had no idea if he'd be driving a Porsche or a civic on that salary, and another wondered if he could buy a house outright, would have to get a mortgage, or wouldn't be able to afford a house at all and would rent in a share house his whole life.
I honestly believe their parents had done them a massive disservice.
A few years ago in Guatemala I bumped into a bunch of American final-year dentistry students who were volunteering down there. They were all around 22-24 and extremely friendly, so we got to talking.
It eventually came out that they all knew they were going to make ~$120k a year when they started work, but they had no idea what that meant. One guy admitted he had no idea if he'd be driving a Porsche or a civic on that salary, and another wondered if he could buy a house outright, would have to get a mortgage, or wouldn't be able to afford a house at all and would rent in a share house his whole life.
I honestly believe their parents had done them a massive disservice.