We’ve got the Ask The Poor, Rich, and Child of Money threads. So, now, we’ve got me.
Any questions?
Do you feel as though you’re often overlooked by politicians?
Do you live in a McMansion that you can’t afford anymore?
All the time. If only I could plumb. And my name were Joe.
Then again, I overlook most politicians. So, I can’t complain.
Not yet… but one day, I hope to buy into that particular dream. I could always use more debt.
And, before it’s asked, yes Rushgeekgirl, I’d love to adopt you. Do you mind bunking with my 11 year old? (we have a Wii and a PS3!)
Do you pick up the dog doo and hope that it’s hard?
I thought I was the only one.
Of course, we got rid of the dog eventually. My life’s complicated enough as it is.
Ar you aspirational beyond middle class or are you content with your slice of pie?
Yes and yes. Who wouldn’t want to be rich? At the same time, if you’ve reached a stable point in your career/life where you’ve got food on the table, a roof over your head, a loving family, plenty of friends, and a few more minor luxuries to spare, you’d be an idiot not to be content.
Oh, and I love pie.
What do you do for work? How much do you make? How do you expect that amount to change over time?
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I work from home doing 3D modeling, animation, visual effects, and motion graphics for film & broadcast (for a number of agencies and studios nationwide).
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I make anywhere from 100k — 150k a year.
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I never went to college, and started in the graphic arts immediately after high school ('91), making around 30k a year. I’ve been able to gradually increase my skill through autodidactic means over the years, and also my reputation and salary in the corporate world. Finally, almost 3 years ago, I was able to break off on my own, and now I plan on continuing to grow my business, and add more production hands that can work under/with me, while also marking up their rates; allowing me to take on more work and more income proportionately.
Can I borrow your lawn mower
Also, 100-150k a year isn’t really middle class IMO. That sounds more professional/upper class.
Absolutely. I already checked the spark-plug, and have 'er gassed up for ya.
That might be the case if that was net income. Working for myself becomes a huge burden when you don’t have any company benefits. After taxes, health insurance, medical bills, (the health care I can afford is far worse than the BCBS coverage I had when I was employed), et al, I’m probably no better than I was, financially, than my last job, when I was earning ~75k a year (+ benefits). I do consider myself a professional, but I’m hardly upper-class. Besides, I was raised lower-middle class, and lived that way for about 80% of my life.
But I’m MUCH, much happier now concerning my career.
One more thing: Cost of business/overhead. Computer hardware and software is very expensive in my line of work.
Wow! Did the rest of you middle class people run away and hide somewhere? People in the news say they you guys have been dying off by the droves. Do you have a hiding spot? When are you guys coming back out?
Would you rather be Canadian where your middle-class money and lifestyle would go farther? 
I think I’m the only one left.
Did you see Avatar? What did you think about the special effects?
Can we assume that you live in the Greater Los Angeles area given your career? Do you ever wish that you could live somewhere else?
Also, what kind of mayonnaise do you put on your white bread?