>>60609978 (OP)I gave up on trying to climb the corporate ladder. I found a comfy work from home job and am content to budget and save and enjoy the things I do own rather than trying to chase after the veneer of being "upper middle class". Middle class retards are actually well known to piss away their money on luxury rather than actually saving and building anything lasting. I also think it is a trap for people who land their dream jobs to go out and get overleveraged to a house and nice car only to lose their job and go bankrupt.
Budgeting and rationing paired with saving and investing are a powerful combination that you learn from tempering your expectations what the job market can give you. I have seen several of my white friends get shitcanned by HR after the 2020 DEI nonsense and it never surprised me one bit. Economically speaking, during a recession/depression, it is normal for wages to contract, and the most important thing in a depression is remaining employed. A lot of people won't even notice because they never lose their income and they are not invested in overleveraged investments. Being underpaid when this happens may even be to your benefit. Certainly, keeping your expenses in line with the median income is always a smart move.
This may sound like a loser mentality, but I think the financial landscape of 2025 calls for prudence.