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Comment by duxup | Hacker News Reader

How many people can actually afford to ... do that?

This is not the first time I've seen this prediction.

This is an upper middle class fantasy. It’s a very small slice of the population (though a big chunk of HN) that has the luxury to just quit a job and look for something better.

Most middle class and lower run a very tight money in=money out and can’t afford to be without work for more than a few weeks and certainly won’t resign without something else already lined up.

HN says I should have 15 years of expenses in a saving account before I consider moving out of my car and doing something extravagant like renting a studio apartment

This is the way.

Devs with cushy jobs cashing month after month, for sure. Others, no way.

This. And devs with no family or medical expenses. A warning to anyone thinking they'll be fine taking a sabbatical without health insurance: you're playing with fire. Don't try it in the U.S.

COBRA is what I’ve seen people use when away from work, sometimes benefits continue for a few months.

If you don't have the resources to buy health insurance, you probably don't have enough cushion for a decent sabbatical anyway.

If you're young and healthy you can get a high deductible policy that will protect you in the event of a disaster for very cheap, in the $150/mo range. These are not the Obamacare covers all your pre-existing conditions without a healthcare screening plans.

Why no health insurance? Go on the ACA exchange and pick a plan. It's an expense like any other.

A lot of these resignations will be people leaving for other jobs, not just giving up employment entirely. To the company left behind, that makes no difference; it's a resignation either way.

Average American makes $1.5 million total during their entire 40-50 year working career. In a world where tech salaries start around $100k and quickly go higher, many tech workers in their early 30s have already earned a lifetime's worth of average wages.

Can you quit if you want to continue living a lifestyle higher than the majority of Americans? No, but that's a tradeoff you're choosing.

Probably a lot of well paid developers who have had nothing to spend their money on for a year and a half

But how many of them have these well paid jobs with low expenses?

Anecdotally, I'm one of them. I'm a single guy that gets paid well above my mortgage and I do not really like to endlessly consume stuff (same TV since around 2007 which my buddies always complain about when we get together to watch fights or whatever. I don't have a dishwasher or microwave, I like to live very simply). I've been seriously considering dropping to 50% or something so I can keep my insurance but drastically lower my stress and raise the amount of time I can just sit out on the porch playing my guitar

Most working class people are both time and money poor. To be in a position to buy time back for a better life is a rare privilege, and I'm grateful to be in that position myself.

Me too, but I was also pushed.

I spent over 30 years, saving at around 40%, so I had a pretty decent amount ready for early retirement. I was able to sink a decent chunk into a couple of small corporations, while still having plenty to retire, but at a fairly humble level (that 40% meant no Teslas or in-ground pools).

By "pushed," I mean that when I started looking for work, I was treated quite barbarously. Some, by corporations, but mostly by headhunters. It was made quite clear, that I was not welcome in today's tech field.

So I had to swallow my pride, and just deal with the fact that no one wants to play with me, and I found some folks that would be happy to take what I have to offer for free. They are getting some pretty top-shelf work. I'm no slouch.

Best decision I ever made. The last couple of years have been some of the happiest of my life.

Wow, 40% savings is awesome. I think I'm lucky to hit 20%, even including employer contributions.

TBH, it would vary from year to year. A lot of the savings were used during the year (I never carried debt, so I would use saved money to do big purchases).

I also live pretty humbly. A lot of HN folks would not approve.

Man how many places still offer benefits at 50%?

I think my company does offer them, but I think you have to contribute more for them.

Most of them presumably since there hasn’t been a lot of ways to go out and spend money for the last year and a half.

I'm a dev and don't even make $100k. The median in the US for devs is about $97k. I support my family, so I don't have loads of cash to burn.

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