39 - Silicon Valley salary, comfortable savings, six digits kids college account. Fun job, lots of respect for OSS contributions, great food, biking, fitness, luxury car. On top of that - coming home every day to kids who agree to play any online game I want! Main source of anxiety - aging parents living in a far-away country...
- lands a stable engineering job in a new factory in a small town right out of university
- housing not an issue, a big apartment close to the factory is provided by the enterprise
- has two kids with free health and child-care (zero street crime, drug usage unheard of)
- the authorities help mom find a job as a teacher in close proximity
- no fancy food, cars or clothing, but still, no big shortages, either
Free housing, international travel, crazy paid leave. 8 healthy successful children, no one starved.
I can't imagine being able to support more than 2 kids ever, without somehow becoming super-successful through sheer luck.