Reply #23: Luck.

[haele]

You amongst all the other pretty poor on afdc or other such programs who managed to find one of the few magic easter-eggs available. It wasn't just hard work; you obviously managed to impress the right person.

I know this because even as my current position is not as good as I want it to be, over the years, as well as working hard, I've managed to impress the right people (by not having a social life and dedicating my life to work early on) along the way and have finally been very, very lucky to be employed at one of the few companies that actually gives almost half a shit about employees and one of the even fewer mid-upper level managers in my field who actually wants to be a mentor instead of just doing and/or keeping his job.

Too many of my co-workers - equally hard working, equally motivated, equally personable - are still stuck in the almost middle class blue collar arena, destined pretty much to end their lives living only on SSI and whatever military pension might be left when it's time to retire. I was lucky, and managed to maneuver, manipulate, and otherwise claw my way into a couple of the very few positions along the way that let me seem to rise above the others. Any miss-step, if I pissed anyone off, if I didn't "hide the bodies" sufficiently, and I would be back on the docks amongst the many other workers-bees who are expendable to companies and corporations, attempting to get ahead while working and taking care of my family at the same time.

After my work injury three years ago - for a while, it was very touch or go whether or not I'd have to make plans to move my family in with one set of our folks and struggle to start out on a new career path. One that, chances are, would not have included health care due to a disabled spouse. And if I were lucky enough to get a job that makes 70K a year, that still would not have been able to cover our medical costs if we would have been able to get our own insurance.

Save part of your salary - or invest as wisely as you can. Don't fritter away what you're making now with lots of toys, fun and luxuries "just because you can".
Take it from me; not too far off in the future, chances are that something will come up and you'll need all your salary and savings, your "investment" just to keep going.

Haele