How much money do you see yourself realistically making ten years from now?

[Maximin]

Originally posted by: z0mb13

Originally posted by: Maximin

Originally posted by: jmcoreymv
If I can afford a house mortgage here in CA, I'll be happy. (And not one of those fake interest-only ones either).

I.O. payment is not that bad. you can always pay more than the minimum required when you want to. It's great if your income is not fixed. Your monthly liability is lower. Besides, you can pay I.O. on your first mortgage and pay more toward your higher rate second HELOC if you didn't put 20% down. What's wrong w/ that?

the IO will only be for a certain period. After the period ends, you have to start paying principal, and your monthly mortgage will be HIGHER than if you used a normal fixed mortgage from the start since the principal you didnt pay down will be tacked on after the IO period ends.

So basically if your salary is still the same, or if your property doesnt appreciate, then u are screwed.

It depends on you loan type. I.O. period can be 5 or 10 yrs. By the time the I.O. period over, your 2nd HELOC can be paid off. You will have only 1st mortgage. You can always refi for better rate and term. It also depends on how long you wanna live in the house or keep the 1st loan. A loan that is good for someone, it doesn't mean that it is good for eveyone. Also, not everyone has a fixed salary.

 

[z0mb13]

Originally posted by: Maximin

Originally posted by: z0mb13

Originally posted by: Maximin

Originally posted by: jmcoreymv
If I can afford a house mortgage here in CA, I'll be happy. (And not one of those fake interest-only ones either).

I.O. payment is not that bad. you can always pay more than the minimum required when you want to. It's great if your income is not fixed. Your monthly liability is lower. Besides, you can pay I.O. on your first mortgage and pay more toward your higher rate second HELOC if you didn't put 20% down. What's wrong w/ that?

the IO will only be for a certain period. After the period ends, you have to start paying principal, and your monthly mortgage will be HIGHER than if you used a normal fixed mortgage from the start since the principal you didnt pay down will be tacked on after the IO period ends.

So basically if your salary is still the same, or if your property doesnt appreciate, then u are screwed.

It depends on you loan type. I.O. period can be 5 or 10 yrs. By the time the I.O. period over, your 2nd HELOC can be paid off. You will have only 1st mortgage. You can always refi for better rate and term. It also depends on how long you wanna live in the house or keep the 1st loan. A loan that is good for someone, it doesn't mean that it is good for eveyone. Also, not everyone has a fixed salary.

if you can afford to pay down ur second mortgage by the time the IO period ends, chances are u couldve easily afford a normal fixed mortgage in the first place.

But alas most often than not the type of people that got io loans will NOT pay down their second mortgage, and the reason they went IO is that is the only pay they can barely afford their mortgage payments. they are banking on home price appreciation or future salary increase to be able to afford the house long term.

 

[patentman]

Lets see, at my current salary, taking into account foreseeable increases and reducing to present value, in 2017 I should make between 250k-1million $US in todays terms, depending on whether I decide to pursue the partnership track in my law firm or not.

 

[voodoodrul]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: z0mb13

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
$45-$55k tops. Absolute tops. Providing I can keep a position that is. Otherwise back down to $25-$35k.

There's nothing quite like spending $60k on a bunch of degrees to have a crapshoot to see if you can pay off the loans.

What degrees did you get?

BA in History with a minor in Political Science, BS in Physics, and an MA in Education. All in progress still btw, though only 6 months left on the history.

you can live on 45k a year? and support a family on that salary?

I don't really have a family, just my daughter part-time, and my dad a little. But even when married with a kid full time we lived fine on $20-30k. Cost of living is nothing here, and I'm a very simple person with regards to expenses. After the divorce I was living on $8-16k a year with no real complaints. The average household income around here is probably in the $24k range.

If you avoid all debt (except arguably a home loan), live within your means, stay away from anything trendy or designer, eat at home primarily (or better yet, grow a little extra fruits and veggies, hunt and/or fish), and live in a non-metro area you honestly don't need much money to live.

Just remember that the national average household income (not individual) is what, $44k? Then think of everyone that makes more than that, sometimes billions more, and realize how many people have to make less than that to make it the average. Most people in America live on less than $40k a year. Period, and absolute fact. All the dreams and desires for six figure salaries are fine, but reality is reality.

What is the cost of living there? For like a 2 bd apt? Something not in the ghetto but also just sort of nice. Average house prices as well? Here the average household income is $21k I think. Housing prices are insane compared to income though. You simply can't find a house for less than $175,000.. And most of those are 1970's government homes that need a ton of work.

Anyway, buying a house is simply impossible here. Unless you really *want* to be in debt to your eyeballs for the next 30 years. Who can assure themselves they will be employed for 30 years at a reasonable pay rate these days?

My girlfriend and I make about $55k/year combined. Not bad for here, but we're still broke and I budget down to the penny.. And I'm not kidding about that. No frivolous spending either.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: voodoodrul

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: z0mb13

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
$45-$55k tops. Absolute tops. Providing I can keep a position that is. Otherwise back down to $25-$35k.

There's nothing quite like spending $60k on a bunch of degrees to have a crapshoot to see if you can pay off the loans.

What degrees did you get?

BA in History with a minor in Political Science, BS in Physics, and an MA in Education. All in progress still btw, though only 6 months left on the history.

you can live on 45k a year? and support a family on that salary?

I don't really have a family, just my daughter part-time, and my dad a little. But even when married with a kid full time we lived fine on $20-30k. Cost of living is nothing here, and I'm a very simple person with regards to expenses. After the divorce I was living on $8-16k a year with no real complaints. The average household income around here is probably in the $24k range.

If you avoid all debt (except arguably a home loan), live within your means, stay away from anything trendy or designer, eat at home primarily (or better yet, grow a little extra fruits and veggies, hunt and/or fish), and live in a non-metro area you honestly don't need much money to live.

Just remember that the national average household income (not individual) is what, $44k? Then think of everyone that makes more than that, sometimes billions more, and realize how many people have to make less than that to make it the average. Most people in America live on less than $40k a year. Period, and absolute fact. All the dreams and desires for six figure salaries are fine, but reality is reality.

What is the cost of living there? For like a 2 bd apt? Something not in the ghetto but also just sort of nice. Average house prices as well? Here the average household income is $21k I think. Housing prices are insane compared to income though. You simply can't find a house for less than $175,000.. And most of those are 1970's government homes that need a ton of work.

Anyway, buying a house is simply impossible here. Unless you really *want* to be in debt to your eyeballs for the next 30 years. Who can assure themselves they will be employed for 30 years at a reasonable pay rate these days?

My girlfriend and I make about $55k/year combined. Not bad for here, but we're still broke and I budget down to the penny.. And I'm not kidding about that. No frivolous spending either.

2 bedroom apt in an ok area, $450-600/mo. $800 a month if you get a great place in a great area. My 3bd 2ba 1800sq' with attached garage on about a 1/4 acre appraised at $123k a few years ago. I'm sure it's gone up since then, but it's still very low compared to national averages.

 

[Staples]

50k if I am lucky.

 

[patentman]

Originally posted by: voodoodrul

Unless you are in a special medical field or you're a lawyer, you will not be making more than $60k/year.. Unless someone wants to do you a favor and give you a BS position at a company where you can golf all day and sip coffee..

Just in case no one in here has thought about it, the US Patent and Trademark Office is Hiring just about anyone with a technical degree and a pulse to be a Patent Examiner. Starting pay (depending on your degree) is anywhere from 50-65k, and you can make ~$85k after 3-4 years if you are a good examiner and get your target promotions each year. Couple all that with government benefits (flexible work schedule, guaranteed 2 weeks sick leave/year; 2.5 weeks annual leave/year for 1st 3 years, 4 weeks after that) and you have a pretty nice job. Sure it gets boring after a while, but if you really want to you can parlay being a Patent Examiner into a heck of a career as a patent lawyer by going to law school (Thats what I did). Patent Lawyers can make a ton of money (they are the highest paid of all lawyers). Although, speaking from experience, more money isn't always good, at least not in every respect. The government job is a nice balance between work and life. Being a patent lawyer can be a bit overwhelming, no matter how well you are compensated.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: patentman
Just in case no one in here has thought about it, the US Patent and Trademark Office is Hiring just about anyone with a technical degree and a pulse to be a Patent Examiner. Starting pay (depending on your degree) is anywhere from 50-65k, and you can make ~$85k after 3-4 years if you are a good examiner and get your target promotions each year. Couple all that with government benefits (flexible work schedule, guaranteed 2 weeks sick leave/year; 2.5 weeks annual leave/year for 1st 3 years, 4 weeks after that) and you have a pretty nice job. Sure it gets boring after a while, but if you really want to you can parlay being a Patent Examiner into a heck of a career as a patent lawyer by going to law school (Thats what I did). Patent Lawyers can make a ton of money (they are the highest paid of all lawyers). Although, speaking from experience, more money isn't always good, at least not in every respect. The government job is a nice balance between work and life. Being a patent lawyer can be a bit overwhelming, no matter how well you are compensated.

My brother-in-law works for them down in Virginia. Good pay, good vacation, basically free law school, but the quotas they have to make can be nightmarish. I think you get faster at it with time, but that first couple years can be pretty painful. Still, if you're having trouble finding work otherwise, it's not a bad life at all.

-Erwos

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: patentman
Just in case no one in here has thought about it, the US Patent and Trademark Office is Hiring just about anyone with a technical degree and a pulse to be a Patent Examiner. Starting pay (depending on your degree) is anywhere from 50-65k, and you can make ~$85k after 3-4 years if you are a good examiner and get your target promotions each year. Couple all that with government benefits (flexible work schedule, guaranteed 2 weeks sick leave/year; 2.5 weeks annual leave/year for 1st 3 years, 4 weeks after that) and you have a pretty nice job. Sure it gets boring after a while, but if you really want to you can parlay being a Patent Examiner into a heck of a career as a patent lawyer by going to law school (Thats what I did). Patent Lawyers can make a ton of money (they are the highest paid of all lawyers). Although, speaking from experience, more money isn't always good, at least not in every respect. The government job is a nice balance between work and life. Being a patent lawyer can be a bit overwhelming, no matter how well you are compensated.

My brother-in-law works for them down in Virginia. Good pay, good vacation, basically free law school, but the quotas they have to make can be nightmarish. I think you get faster at it with time, but that first couple years can be pretty painful. Still, if you're having trouble finding work otherwise, it's not a bad life at all.

-Erwos

My roommate last year almost took a job with the Patent Office until Motorola gave him an offer at the last minute. His description of the patent job was pretty much inline with what the previous posters said - decent pay and benefits, but incredibly boring work.

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: RKS

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
The average annual salary for a lawyer employed in the private sector is $120k. Assuming I graduate from law school okay, which I start in the fall, I expect to make at least $250k in today's money ten years from now. I am smarter and harder-working than most people, though.

While it may be true that average annual income for a family is less than $50k, you have to remember that this includes the lower class and people at the poverty level. It's just like IQ: an average IQ of 100 means that a person is probably quite dull. The average IQ score for normally functioning people is a good deal higher.

I hate to burst your bubble but wait until the 1st semester grades are posted before considering yourself "smarter and harder-working than most people". 1L grades usually lead to a reality check.

I'll bet that most (98%) of entering 1Ls consider themselves smarter than most people.

I actually am smarter than most people, and I already possess a prodigious memory and good grasp of logic. In addition I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSATs. You didn't burst my bubble-- don't worry.

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
The average annual salary for a lawyer employed in the private sector is $120k. Assuming I graduate from law school okay, which I start in the fall, I expect to make at least $250k in today's money ten years from now. I am smarter and harder-working than most people, though.

You remind me of that little anecdote about driving: ask a random sample of people what skill their driving level is at, and 95% will respond "above average". Obviously, this cannot be true, and gives you a pretty good indicator of the obvious: most people dramatically overestimate their skills. Maybe you're really smarter and hard-working - but far more likely, you're closer to average. Just something to think about - you're hardly the only one on this thread with that problem.

The last time my IQ was tested I scored a 168. I scored almost perfect on my LSATs. During the long drawdown of IT headcount here in the US, I flourished without even a high school degree, winding up making over $100,000 full time. People I've worked with at my last several jobs have told me that they've never met anyone with my level of skill in what I do, or my ability to learn quickly. I developed my talents through many years of hard work, another reason I've never been without opportunities. I don't network well; I'm just very good at whatever I try.

I always maintain that everyone is very good at whatever they try, but that most people never try. This is obviously not strictly true; some have handicaps that prevent them becoming highly functioning no matter how hard they try. Still, I believe that geniuses are self-made, and anyone can reach a very high level of functioning if they're gifted with a standard set of biological hardware and a winning attitude. I don't think of myself as a genius, but I know myself to be more capable than most people.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
The last time my IQ was tested I scored a 168. I scored almost perfect on my LSATs. During the long drawdown of IT headcount here in the US, I flourished without even a high school degree, winding up making over $100,000 full time. People I've worked with at my last several jobs have told me that they've never met anyone with my level of skill in what I do, or my ability to learn quickly. I developed my talents through many years of hard work, another reason I've never been without opportunities. I don't network well; I'm just very good at whatever I try.

I always maintain that everyone is very good at whatever they try, but that most people never try. This is obviously not strictly true; some have handicaps that prevent them becoming highly functioning no matter how hard they try. Still, I believe that geniuses are self-made, and anyone can reach a very high level of functioning if they're gifted with a standard set of biological hardware and a winning attitude. I don't think of myself as a genius, but I know myself to be more capable than most people.

Maybe. We'll see how well your IT aptitude does for you in law school - the fact that you never finished high school should give you some advance warning that maybe this isn't going to be as easy as you think, even with high LSAT scores. However, I'm the first to admit that doing well in school or not is not the strongest indicator ever of whether you'll be successful or not - I had a terrible GPA, but I've had only tremendous success so far professionally.

But, in any event, to paraphrase that line from Samuel, "Let not one who puts on armor boast as one who takes it off." Tell us how brilliant you are _after_ you're done with law school, not before.

-Erwos

 

[patentman]

Originally posted by: 6000SUX

Originally posted by: RKS

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
The average annual salary for a lawyer employed in the private sector is $120k. Assuming I graduate from law school okay, which I start in the fall, I expect to make at least $250k in today's money ten years from now. I am smarter and harder-working than most people, though.

While it may be true that average annual income for a family is less than $50k, you have to remember that this includes the lower class and people at the poverty level. It's just like IQ: an average IQ of 100 means that a person is probably quite dull. The average IQ score for normally functioning people is a good deal higher.

I hate to burst your bubble but wait until the 1st semester grades are posted before considering yourself "smarter and harder-working than most people". 1L grades usually lead to a reality check.

I'll bet that most (98%) of entering 1Ls consider themselves smarter than most people.

I actually am smarter than most people, and I already possess a prodigious memory and good grasp of logic. In addition I scored in the 99th percentile on the LSATs. You didn't burst my bubble-- don't worry.

Where are you going to go to school? If you want some tips on how to survive first year PM me. I'm in my 4th year at Mason (for Intellectual Property Law) now. First year can be a big shock, even if you are smart as a whip. Few things are more painful then having to read 200 pages a week of archaic english about law.

 

[patentman]

Originally posted by: erwos

My brother-in-law works for them down in Virginia. Good pay, good vacation, basically free law school, but the quotas they have to make can be nightmarish. I think you get faster at it with time, but that first couple years can be pretty painful. Still, if you're having trouble finding work otherwise, it's not a bad life at all.

-Erwos

It can be boring, but it really depends on what art unit you are working for. I examined inventions that had anything to do with magnetic thin films, which means I got a ton of magnetic media, hard drive, and stealth technology. I thought it was pretty cool. Plus, if you like to argue about technical stuff, there are few better places to do that.

As for the quota's, a lot of people complain about them, but I never had a problem meeting mine. It was not uncommon for me to have met my quota for a biweek by thursday of the first week. Then I could work at my own pace on other applications.

Also, if you have a BS in a hard science, you will be hard pressed to find a job that pays better. I came out of undergrad making $28k a year working for the Nsval Research Lab. I went to the PTO and made 55k/year my first year, and now I'm making six figures. Not bad considering I've only been out of school for 6 years.

 

[patentman]

Originally posted by: erwos

But, in any event, to paraphrase that line from Samuel, "Let not one who puts on armor boast as one who takes it off." Tell us how brilliant you are _after_ you're done with law school, not before.

-Erwos

Excellent point. I too did very well on the LSATs, as well as undergrad. Yet law school is VERY tough, even if you are not working at the same time.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
The last time my IQ was tested I scored a 168. I scored almost perfect on my LSATs. During the long drawdown of IT headcount here in the US, I flourished without even a high school degree, winding up making over $100,000 full time. People I've worked with at my last several jobs have told me that they've never met anyone with my level of skill in what I do, or my ability to learn quickly. I developed my talents through many years of hard work, another reason I've never been without opportunities. I don't network well; I'm just very good at whatever I try.

I always maintain that everyone is very good at whatever they try, but that most people never try. This is obviously not strictly true; some have handicaps that prevent them becoming highly functioning no matter how hard they try. Still, I believe that geniuses are self-made, and anyone can reach a very high level of functioning if they're gifted with a standard set of biological hardware and a winning attitude. I don't think of myself as a genius, but I know myself to be more capable than most people.

Maybe. We'll see how well your IT aptitude does for you in law school - the fact that you never finished high school should give you some advance warning that maybe this isn't going to be as easy as you think, even with high LSAT scores. However, I'm the first to admit that doing well in school or not is not the strongest indicator ever of whether you'll be successful or not - I had a terrible GPA, but I've had only tremendous success so far professionally.

But, in any event, to paraphrase that line from Samuel, "Let not one who puts on armor boast as one who takes it off." Tell us how brilliant you are _after_ you're done with law school, not before.

-Erwos

you people are rediculous, you don't know this guy, you don't know why he didn't finish high school, why are you so quick to bring him down? fact is, $250k is not the pinnacle of success for a laywer and if he gets into a good law school, he should have a decent shot at $250. plenty of law firms pay that much for their 6th, 7th, and/or 8th year associates, and it's not like law firms fire anyone (though you'd want to get out if you don't think you're going to make partner).

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: patentman
Also, if you have a BS in a hard science, you will be hard pressed to find a job that pays better. I came out of undergrad making $28k a year working for the Nsval Research Lab. I went to the PTO and made 55k/year my first year, and now I'm making six figures. Not bad considering I've only been out of school for 6 years.

I'm really surprised to hear NRL screwed you like that. My wife (who has a MS in MechEng, albeit) is doing pretty well in terms of salary over there. Of course, no surprise hearing the patent office pays well - they seem to be desperate for people, and that means you can't have lots of turnover.

I gave thought to joining the patent office, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it - sounded too boring. Thankfully, good jobs are easy to find here, and I don't mind hopping around a bit for good salary increases and such. I'm actually leaving my current job at the end of next week for a new one down in Reston (what large corporation has a major ops center in Reston? you can figure it out), so that ought to be pretty exciting .

-Erwos

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: gopunk
you people are rediculous, you don't know this guy, you don't know why he didn't finish high school, why are you so quick to bring him down? fact is, $250k is not the pinnacle of success for a laywer and if he gets into a good law school, he should have a decent shot at $250. plenty of law firms pay that much for their 6th, 7th, and/or 8th year associates, and it's not like law firms fire anyone (though you'd want to get out if you don't think you're going to make partner).

No, I don't know why he didn't finish high school. But you'd figure there's a correlation between "not finishing high school" and "not doing well in disciplined settings".

People who brag about what they're going to do don't impress me nearly as much as the ones who brag about what they've done. A little humility goes a long way, sir.

-Erwos

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: gopunk
you people are rediculous, you don't know this guy, you don't know why he didn't finish high school, why are you so quick to bring him down? fact is, $250k is not the pinnacle of success for a laywer and if he gets into a good law school, he should have a decent shot at $250. plenty of law firms pay that much for their 6th, 7th, and/or 8th year associates, and it's not like law firms fire anyone (though you'd want to get out if you don't think you're going to make partner).

No, I don't know why he didn't finish high school. But you'd figure there's a correlation between "not finishing high school" and "not doing well in disciplined settings".

People who brag about what they're going to do don't impress me nearly as much as the ones who brag about what they've done. A little humility goes a long way, sir.

-Erwos

what did you expect in a thread asking for people to say how much they think they'll be making in 10 years? of course it's going to be about what they're going to do.

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: erwos
Maybe. We'll see how well your IT aptitude does for you in law school - the fact that you never finished high school should give you some advance warning that maybe this isn't going to be as easy as you think, even with high LSAT scores. However, I'm the first to admit that doing well in school or not is not the strongest indicator ever of whether you'll be successful or not - I had a terrible GPA, but I've had only tremendous success so far professionally.

But, in any event, to paraphrase that line from Samuel, "Let not one who puts on armor boast as one who takes it off." Tell us how brilliant you are _after_ you're done with law school, not before.

I don't have IT aptitude; I have high intelligence and a great work ethic. The fact that I dropped out of high school at the age of 14 should clue me in as to the difficulty of law school? What does that have to do with anything? I obviously had to finish college to go to law school, anyway. If you reason like this on the job, your ability to think logically and argue is not the reason for your success. Maybe it was the reason for your low GPA, or maybe it was that you didn't work very hard.

I wasn't boasting. I also never claimed to be brilliant; I specifically said that my abilities were above all the result of hard work. I made a realistic assessment of my abilities, and now I am attacked for it.

I merely said that I am smarter and harder-working than most people. I think I am smarter based on my ability to solve problems better than most others, my consistently high scores on all kinds of tests, my strong artistic abilities, and my ability to learn incredibly quickly. I think I am harder-working based on the fact that I spend many unpaid hours improving my own abilities, that I work large amounts of overtime with a good attitude when required, and that I have a consistently higher-than-average level of output.

You have a sneering tone. It doesn't faze me.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
You have a sneering tone. It doesn't faze me.

Obviously it does. Otherwise, you wouldn't have wasted all that time responding, and just repeating the same stuff you said before. But, forgive me: it was more of a disbelieving tone than anything else. Maybe you interpreted it that way because you're used to people sneering at you. I don't know.

We're not talking about me, because I wasn't the one making claims of being at the 95th percentile of my salary range in ten years before I even had the qualifications to work in the field. The fact that you took my admission of a low GPA and decided to call me lazy or dumb is immature. In fact, the reason I had such a low GPA was that I had bad personal discipline. It's not quite the same as being lazy or dumb. Is it any better now? A little. I can evaluate myself fairly.

We don't know where you're going to law school, or where you did undergrad. You can impress us all now by telling us you got into Harvard, but I suspect you might have mentioned that along with your 100k salary if that was the case. It isn't hard to graduate college these days, depending on where you go to school and what major you take. It's not even that hard to get into law school, honestly - there's a lot of smaller places around that don't have crazy admission standards. This isn't meant to disrespect on either your undergrad degree, or your chosen law school - far from it, you should be congratulated for beating the statistics.

You misinterpreted my comments about you dropping out of high school. I was not trying to imply you were dumb. I was trying to point out that if you didn't have the discipline or motivation to stay in then, what does that say about what you need to be concerned about with law school? Maybe it was indeed a personal situation - but that's just not the case with most high school dropouts.

As for your "realistic" assessment, it ismy experience that people are almost always badly calibrated in terms of taking guesses and assessments. This is not just personal anecdote; if you studied some behavioral economics, you'd see just how AWFUL people are at assessing values and risks. It's not just financial instruments, either - ask someone how high the tallest mountain is, or what the lowest point on Earth is, and you'll see that they get nowhere near the point in absolute values. Maybe you're just smarter and harder-working than the people you know - which is probably not quite a random sample of the entire country.

Good luck with law school. I sincerely hope you'll attain your dreams.

-Erwos

 

[6000SUX]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: 6000SUX
You have a sneering tone. It doesn't faze me.

Obviously it does. Otherwise, you wouldn't have wasted all that time responding, and just repeating the same stuff you said before. But, forgive me: it was more of a disbelieving tone than anything else. Maybe you interpreted it that way because you're used to people sneering at you. I don't know.

There you go with your snotty-ass tone again. You won't get very far in life if this is how you treat people face-to-face. I suspect you haven't had all that much success if you do.

It took a few minutes to type that text, nothing major. I type fast. I didn't repeat what I said before; I addressed each of the points you raised. You must have missed that in your haste to respond again.

Originally posted by: erwos
We're not talking about me, because I wasn't the one making claims of being at the 95th percentile of my salary range in ten years before I even had the qualifications to work in the field.

I made no claim. I gave an estimate. In addition, the figure I gave was from Department of Labor figures for lawyers employed in the private sector, many of them working for companies as relatively low-paid corporate lawyers. Your 95th-percentile figure is what I like to call an "asshat figure": you pulled it either out of your ass or out of a hat. There is no reason to think that lawyer's salaries occur on a perfect bell curve, based just on what I said.

Originally posted by: erwos
The fact that you took my admission of a low GPA and decided to call me lazy or dumb is immature.

I didn't call you lazy, I called you dumb.

Originally posted by: erwos
In fact, the reason I had such a low GPA was that I had bad personal discipline.

In other words, you were lazy-- unless you are claiming that you transgressed against yourself and didn't punish yourself hard enough.

Originally posted by: erwos
It's not quite the same as being lazy or dumb. Is it any better now? A little. I can evaluate myself fairly.

That's good to hear.

Originally posted by: erwos
We don't know where you're going to law school, or where you did undergrad. You can impress us all now by telling us you got into Harvard, but I suspect you might have mentioned that along with your 100k salary if that was the case.

I'm not trying to impress you. I don't think a 100k salary is all that impressive, unless you figure in the fact that I had no credentials to start.

Originally posted by: erwos
It isn't hard to graduate college these days, depending on where you go to school and what major you take. It's not even that hard to get into law school, honestly - there's a lot of smaller places around that don't have crazy admission standards. This isn't meant to disrespect on either your undergrad degree, or your chosen law school - far from it, you should be congratulated for beating the statistics.

You're talking out of both sides of your mouth again. In fact, as most would agree, you are trying to put me down in a small way, not that it matters; the place where I go to school has nothing to do with my two main claims. They are merely that I am smarter and harder-working than most people. Why you have such a tough time with this is hard to understand.

Originally posted by: erwos
You misinterpreted my comments about you dropping out of high school. I was not trying to imply you were dumb.

No, I didn't misinterpret anything. I never said that you were implying I was dumb, on that basis or any other. Find me the statement where I said that (or achieve enlightenment when you can't).

Originally posted by: erwos
I was trying to point out that if you didn't have the discipline or motivation to stay in then, what does that say about what you need to be concerned about with law school? Maybe it was indeed a personal situation - but that's just not the case with most high school dropouts.

It doesn't take much discipline or motivation to stay in high school. It is effectively the work of most students, and they go to it with the same enthusiasm and regularity of any worker at any job. Dropouts are not the norm.

Originally posted by: erwos
As for your "realistic" assessment, it ismy experience that people are almost always badly calibrated in terms of taking guesses and assessments. This is not just personal anecdote; if you studied some behavioral economics, you'd see just how AWFUL people are at assessing values and risks. It's not just financial instruments, either - ask someone how high the tallest mountain is, or what the lowest point on Earth is, and you'll see that they get nowhere near the point in absolute values. Maybe you're just smarter and harder-working than the people you know - which is probably not quite a random sample of the entire country.

My assessment is perfectly realistic. You never successfully explained how it is that I am being unrealistic. Is it because of my high LSAT scores, my high IQ score, my good salary, my sterling work ethic, what? What of these things don't I have? On what basis am I being unrealistic when I say that I am smarter and harder-working than average?

 

[erwos]

I guess I'm confused where you're getting your employment statistics. I look at the BLS stuff, and it claimed 90th percentile lawyers made $160k a year or so (the hourly wage was about $80, give or take). Can't you understand why I might be a little skeptical that you're going to blow right past that in a career you have no experience or education in?

The fact that you seem to ignore and misinterpret nearly everything I say in favor of some unmeasurable claims of "sterling work ethic" and "quick learner" while hanging onto high IQ (vaguely over-rated) and high LSATs (which is impressive, to be fair, but not everything) is reason enough for me to be doubtful. Your people skills make that doubly so - because, let's face it, you could have ended this discussion quite a long time ago with a simple "Maybe you're right, but I think I'll do fine." Instead, you had to just go out and fight the good fight, toss out personal attacks, and drag this out. (I think the same criticism could be applied to me, to be fair.)

But, again, I'd like to be proven wrong, because that'd be fantastic news for you. Good luck in law school - I really do mean that. If you're half of what you claim you are, you'll go far in life.

-Erwos

 

[erwos]

Aw, screw it. Good luck. That's all I really should say. Sorry for being an ass.

-Erwos

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: 6000SUX


The last time my IQ was tested I scored a 168. I scored almost perfect on my LSATs. During the long drawdown of IT headcount here in the US, I flourished without even a high school degree, winding up making over $100,000 full time. People I've worked with at my last several jobs have told me that they've never met anyone with my level of skill in what I do, or my ability to learn quickly. I developed my talents through many years of hard work, another reason I've never been without opportunities. I don't network well; I'm just very good at whatever I try.

Holy crap, can you pump yourself up any more?

Are you related to JLGatsby?

I'm probably the smartest person in this state. I scored perfect on my LSAT, SAT, ACT, and very highly on HSPT, CAT, and drug tests. I'm beautiful, having been on the cover of GQ 15 consecutive times. I have tons of friends, everyone likes me. People often take me aside on the street and comment how intelligent, good looking, awesome, smart, exciting, smart, and smart I am. I wish I could clone myself because I'm just so great and it would benefit Earth as a whole.