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Comment by newbie12 | Hacker News Reader

Yes a very good friend working in finance had an offer rescinded at this stage. They won't tell you why, although if the credit score is the reason they are legally supposed to send you an letter. Seriously, though, 400 FICO is appalling, I've never heard of a score that low in real life. You don't have bad credit because you don't have enough money, it is because you are living beyond your means. Stop making excuses. You are making $23K, which is enough for a single guy to live on in South Texas (I survived on a similar amount out of school). You need to get organized and take care of your business, including the speeding ticket. If you are a developer you should freelance to earn extra income-- that can actually lead to a better full-time job. You also need to downside your apartment-- live at home if that's an option, or get roommates. Also get rid of cable TV. The good news is that FICO scores can rebound pretty quickly.

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well it's not 400 but it's in the 400 range.

I know there are no excuses, and I've been irresponsible. However sometimes bad things happen to good people, and it's been a rough year.

Before that score I used to have a score in the range of 700.

Living at home is not an option. I have had bad luck with roommates they all turned out to be drug addicts or extremely loud.

Cable TV is included with rent, I do not even have a cellphone because I don't want to be spending $70/mo on that.

Then again, I'm not making excuses for that, I already have a plan to repay all my debt, and I'm starting next paycheck whether I'm moving forward with new company or I stay with my current employer.

[Redacted by author / uncivil]. How the fuck do you know that he's living beyond his means? Or that he lives in South Texas?

I agree that unless he's in dire circumstances, he should pay off the ticket. And yes, a credit score in the 400s is pretty awful. From a strategic perspective, he should do it in order to have one less thing to worry about. However, I don't know the OP and have no idea what his financial constraints are. I do know that life is very (and unfairly) difficult for some people, and moralizing as if it were all their fault is ridiculous.

He must've stalked his comment history. At one point he says:

> South Texas (Rio Grande Valley)

Yes, wondering how he knew that confused me enough to pull up his comment history.

But to be fair, I don't think everyone reacts as negatively to this type of criticism as you do. At least, I don't immediately think of it as moralizing and unnecessary. If I was in the situation of the OP, having someone reply harshly would probably inspire me to get things together. But then again, I'm not sure most people are this way.

But to be fair, I don't think everyone reacts as negatively to this type of criticism as you do.

Point. I also tend to defend others more ferociously than I defend myself. I've been taken farther into the public than I'd prefer and I don't feel a need to hide that I've made bad decisions (mostly, a few terrible picks regarding companies) in the past.

No need to "stalk" anything, said comment is on this very page.

If the end result of the comment means the the OP is in a better position after next months paycheck, then some stark words are the most valuable thing he can here right now. If you can't afford to pay for a speeding ticket you are living beyond your means, technically speaking.

Douches like you are one of the reasons I'm considering leaving HN.

That's what happens when you speak your mind and do your research: The pitchforks come out. Don't disagree, don't judge, and for the sake of all that's right on the internet, don't offer advice when it's clearly needed.

Perhaps leaving HN for a while would help many of us. Step back, smell the flowers, save the rest of us some of the internet rancor that shouldn't even show up here.

There's a difference between doing research and making judgmental statements based upon assumptions. $23K is probably fine for a single guy. What about a man with children or aging parents? Medical bills? Most of the advice given is very good, but there's no reason to accuse him of living beyond his means and making excuses other than to kick him while he's down.

Michael, you are wrong on that.

newbie12's made very insightful and somewhat unexpected observation. I personally value such observations a lot.

Even if newbie12 is wrong about his insight and recommendation - I still enjoy reading it. And if newbie12 made that recommendation to me personally - I would appreciate such recommendation even more.

Now compare newbie12's comment with your own: your comment is rude, provides zero insight, and attempts to silence newbie12 for all the wrong reasons.

You're right that I overreacted to him.

Sorry. I think I need a break from HN. Trying to be the savior of the tech industry is an exhausting job, and that was a case where my anger spilled over inappropriately.

I think your comment is appalling. How the hell would you know he is living beyond his means? Maybe there are perfectly legitimate reasons he can't take on extra work. Maybe he is dealing with illness and medical expenses or God knows what.

I have to get away from the keyboard now...

It doesn't sound like that's the case, and there is NEVER a reason for an employed person to allow a simple speeding ticket to turn into a bench warrant. I've struggled with these kinds issues in the past and the way out is to step up and take responsibility for your financial decisions.

You're right.

I could have done community service instead, but I didn't.

I didn't take responsibility for the ticket, and I just let it go. There's no excuse.

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