Rising Star
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Chief
Hello! Question for anyone that works at Google if I have hit my 3 applications per 90 days can I still apply to an additional role through a referral link? Or will I have to wait until the 90 days is up? Actually asking for a friend that doesn’t have this app 😊 thanks in advance for any insight.
Coach
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As someone who lives in Atlanta downtown making $75k a year. I manage to contribute to my 401k, saving, travel 3x a year and hang out locally each weekend. $100k is not the new poverty line and is a slap in the face to the majority of the population as only about 18% of Americans make over $100k. I truly believe many people live above their means and classify that as not making enough.
Rising Star
Fair enough, I hear you when it comes to making it work on $75k downtown with travel, weekends out, savings, and 401k contributions is legit impressive, and yeah, a ton of the "I can't afford life" complaints boil down to choices like daily Starbucks, brand-new cars on finance, or chasing that influencer lifestyle.
But let me play devil's advocate here for a sec, because there's another side that's worth chewing on. You're right that only about 15-18% of individual Americans crack $100k (households are higher, around 34-40% with dual incomes), so calling it "poverty" is hyperbolic and kinda dismissive to folks actually struggling on minimum wage or food stamps. But the frustration behind those hot takes isn't totally off-base; it's more about what feels like "getting by comfortably" versus just surviving.
For a lot of people, especially with kids, daycare alone can be $1,000-2,000/month per child, student loans are brutal, or unexpected stuff like medical bills wipes out savings. Inflation hit housing, food, and childcare hard the last few years, so even if you're not "poor," it can feel squeezed if you're not in that top 20%. Some folks aren't splurging. They're just in higher-cost spots or have family obligations pulling the budget tighter.
I definitely think that is the case. I make about 100k and live comfortably in Savannah, GA. I couldn't live in a major U.S. city without a roommate on my salary.
Rising Star
Totally agree—$100k in Savannah goes a LONG way compared to the big cities. You're basically living the dream down there: nice place to yourself, probably eating out whenever you want, maybe even building up some solid savings or taking decent trips. Up in NYC or SF? That same salary has you stressing over whether you can afford a 400 sq ft studio in a sketchy neighborhood, or forcing you into a roommate situation well into your 30s.
Pro
I don’t live in the US, but where I am, I’d need at least 100K to live comfortably. Costs have definitely risen everywhere.
Rising Star
Yeah, 100K to live comfortably feels spot on these days, especially outside the US where salaries don’t always keep pace with how crazy costs have gotten. Groceries, rent, utilities, transport; everything just keeps creeping up, and it’s wild how “normal” life now eats up way more than it did even 5 years ago.