You know you have "made it" when ______
What do you think? What is a sign that you have really succeeded in life? How high have you set the bar for making it?
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Career Resources
You don't have a seamless budget
buyside offer
not sure why this answer has monkey shit. funniest & most accurate representation of most people on this site :)
Jamie Dimon never went buyside in his entire career
Jamie Dimon is a fucking LOSER
When you don't have to worry about MONEY
Apparently, I had already made it when I was earning $50K per year by that metric.
... you no longer check the balance of your bank accounts.
...you have the ability to do what you want to do.
If you want to buy a 10,000 square foot house in the Hamptons and have 4 sports cars, then you'll need to be rich in order to "make it". However, if you want to be an Olympian, you could "make it" in life without necessarily being rich. Set your goals high, but your goals don't always have to be money-related. All you have to do is reach your goals or put yourself in a position to do what you want to do, and then you've "made it".
When you reach "Human" status on WSO.
Still waiting to see someone with a "The Addict" status...50k+ bananas!
When your car has billionaire doors
edit - why am I getting monkey shit for lol
This man is the only reason I watch this show.
Dude I don't know, people are so liberal with the MS for the most uncontroversial shit. I guess everything is controversial these days.
hilarious...
The answer to this is absolutely relative. It depends on culture, race, wealth background friend group, expectations, marital status, parental status,etc. A postal worker in a rural area making $20/hr may feel like they made it when most of their peers are making minimum wage or are on welfare. An over leveraged MD may feel like a failure because he rakes half a mil at a boutique while some in his analyst class he feels he's smarter than rake in millions. A neurosurgeon might feel unaccomplished because she is childless and comes from a cultural or religious background that places a premium on kids. Whereas a poor mother from a rural area might feel accomplished because her only son graduated university as the first gen student of his family.
tl. dr -- it's all relative, and there's no point to compare. Just gotta be the best version of yourself you can be.
/ thread
Username checks out
Hahaha good catch
This is so hard to focus on when you're surrounded by people of your same background doing 1000x better than you.
Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I'll share something that worked for me. I've always been a "striver", like I suspect the majority of this community. I have also accepted I'll never be completely content. Every achievement leaves me wanting more. So I have in no way cracked the "happiness" code or whatever. This method just helped me visualize my personal achievements and helped me gain some perspective on life when I had different setbacks while my peers seemed to progress unimpeded through life.
1- If you find that not just a couple, but the majority of the people you grew up with (similar background, upbringing etc) are more successful than you, that means that at some point in your life, you've underachieved. Could have been circumstances beyond your control, but some where you messed up. 2- Think of life as a formula 1 race or a marathon. Sure, they've passed you, maybe even lapped you, but focusing on them won't help. You'll just be reminded of how wide the gulf between you is. So the question to ask yourself is the following: where's the closest realistic point in life where you feel you can be at a level you're personally satisfied with? 3- What do you have to change about yourself to get there? 4- Establish a plan and have different milestones or checkups. Could be weeks, could be every three months, could be a year. Any incremental change will make a difference, and eventually you'll get at a point where you'll realize that the gulf between you and your friends isn't that wide anyways. 5- Put it all in perspective. if you're North American, the simple fact you get to live here already makes you more fortunate than the vast majority of the planet.
Anyways, let's say that, like I suspect most people on here, your parents were at upper middle class or at least comfortably middle class. You may have gone to private school or a good public school and made it to either a target, or at least a decent non-target/state school. Maybe you goofed up and graduated with a 2.1 GPA/no internships etc...while your friends are making 6 figures in IB or 60k+ in nice consulting or corp jobs. Your username says you have no jobs or prospects, so you probably feel envious when your mbb or deloitte friend posts an IG story of them traveling for business or something. You've applied to a bunch of similar jobs but know you have no chance.
What if instead, you took that 30k sh*tty sales job & made a plan to hustle and parlay that into an MBA in 5/6 years? Or used that experience to get a F500 job 3/4 years ahead? That'd be a more productive and more efficient way of tackling that "gap" between you and your peers, instead of sitting at home and bemoaning your situation.
tl:dr stop comparing and instead be honest with yourself, establish a roadmap, and come post a glorious humblebrag thread here in 5 years on how you made it to consulting or ib or wtver. I believe in you man, as cheesy as it sounds.
You've made it when you wake up and smile everyday and are thankful for the life you live. And you can do that any day, with any amount of money. There are people who deliver mail for a living that have made it and there are billionaires who have not. And vise versa.
You're missing the point. The subjective nature of this question opens the door for a wide variety of interesting perspectives. He wasn't asking for THE answer- he was simply asking for YOUR answer.
Theres no universal metric for success. Its entirely subjective. When you've decided you've made it, then you've made it.
Yeah I agree I asked to see which way people would determine it (financial, family, career, creative, a mix)
You're missing the point. The subjective nature of this question opens the door for a wide variety of interesting perspectives. He wasn't asking for THE answer- he was simply asking for YOUR answer.
When you have absolute control over your time.
Agreed. When people need money, they sacrifice their time.
This. +1
When you can honestly say you're happy with life
When your passive income exceeds your annual spending.
YES.
Great answer.
Agree with that...
Solid
agree
when you land that "analyst program" at Tobin and Co
What's wrong with Tobin & Co
I am quoting from Justine Tobin's Linkedin description, 'Sole creator of the renown TOBIN internship program'... And their Analyst program in unpaid, very good WSO meme.
Hell yeah dude they topped the prestige rankings again this year
Was expecting way more facetious douchery in this thread...disappointing.
*When you make enough money that people give you props for being humble instead of calling you cheap, when you're being cheap.
*When you have enough office-clout to rock pinstripes without looking like a tryhard.
*When you can show up late to the office, without an elaborate excuse.
*When you start closing your office door to look busy so no one bothers you, when the reality is the Analysts are taking care of all the grunt work and you're just making phone calls and trolling through WSO.
*When you take the corporate card for a spin to get lunch with brokers and can order whatever you want without fear of ever having to explain the clearly unnecessarily expensive wine bottles you ordered.
*When HR knows you have more office-clout than them and becomes more concerned about you liking them than vice-versa.
*When you can say something bizarre and irrelevant and the interns will still nod their heads and vigorously jot it down into their notebooks to try and impress you.
I'll fucking rock pinstripes whenever I want.
You're god damn right.
For me, it was after I got my final offer during my investment banking internship. I'd left a small town, and I remember looking around Manhattan, still a little dazed that I'd gotten my offer, and thinking about all the times I used to visit the City as a kid and dream about living here. And now I'd made it a reality through sheer work. That, to me, was huge.
I look at a lot of kids stuck at home now and they're struggling, and so for me, "making it" was getting out and being able to carve a path unlike anybody else from my hometown.
Like the honesty
Thanks! Not sure it was quite lofty enough for WSO haha
Where are the comments about Davos invites or obituaries in The Economist?
you're so rich, you don't care about showing it to other people
It's hard to define, there are a lot of factors which would need to combine for me to consider myself to have made it, the minimum being a financially comfortable, happy, and healthy family. But I think that isn't overly hard to achieve.
If we're pushing to what I would dream of - at least an 8 figure net worth, a knighthood, and being an influential figure (in any area, and no, not an influencer on Instagram)
When you can continually load up your cart at WholeFoods and not blink twice at the register.
When you control your time:
For work, that means you control the hours, what you actually do, who you do it with / for. That's called freedom! It's very powerful and makes for a far more enjoyable life.
This is it, man. Classic WSO responses, every one obsessing about money, then realizing it doesn't get you as much as you has been promised...
You are actually paying for your own Netflix account
Wait a second...
When people look at you, then your wife, and are confused until they hear about your job
When you can be considered a "philanthropist".
When you can work from home without asking for permission or giving notice.
I've made it then!
we all made it
When you are the incoming CEO of Goldman Sachs who also is a DJ on the side.
When your closet is full of deal sleds and Patagucci vests (branded, or GTFO), your drawer full of Juul pods, and you have the baddest hardess on the street.
When you have "fuck you" money.
Whats the point of having "fuck you" money if you never say 'fuck you"?
When you finally get off your parents' cell phone plan
The family unlimited plan is my personal 2nd amendment. Take it from my cold dead hands.
Yeah, my brother and I are both in well-paying jobs and on my dads plan. We just pay proportionally every month for our usage. Why would I pay Verizon $130 a month instead of $60 a month while also helping my family to pay less?
Just dropping off on your own without an actual reason seems foolish.
When you wake up your neighbours due to snorting coke between the boobs of the rockstar analyst from USC
When you can buy something from the Financial Times "How to spend it"
You've made it when you:
yup
You Know You Have "Made It" When ______
you don't have to use this phrase anymore.
From Drake's best album, when you know you made it...:
It's always amazing when I read rap lyrics and I realize that I don't have any idea what they are actually saying when i listen to it and i make up half of the lyrics on my own.... terrifying.
Tip all the valet guys 100's when I pull up in my new ferrari. Half of the cash flow from my rental properties exceeds my annual spending Don't ever have to look at my bank account when I buy nice clothes or travel Buying a new car/house for a family member My dividend portfolio is making 6-7 figures a year
When your wife was miss “xyz” state, has a 8-9 figure trust fund and went to a semi-target
.
When you can make your parents stop working and shower them like spoilt kids. Giving back without worries is when I think you've made it.
You know you've made it when you have people protesting outside your building
When you don't even think twice about paying for a brazzers membership
Being contented and happy with what you have are the best signs that you have succeeded in life.
a lot of it comes down to "being the master of your own kingdom" see Rogan w/ Guy Ritchie
this is one of my favorite JRE clips of all time btw
I have really made it when I can recreate the Pyramids of Giza in the middle of AZ. I am accepting donations right now. I think I need roughly 5 billion more dollars (Math could be off).
You also know you made it when the prince of Nigeria starts emailing you.
When you have a Family Office handle all your affairs
Some of those people are in quite a bit of disarray from my experience....
Developing multiple streams of passive and residual income is key
When your drive and passion becomes natural and not because you are focused on the money
This is the best answer.
When you are rich enough to wear a bow tie and not be called a faggot for it.
I grew up on a council estate (family didn't even own our home) and now I own 6 properties
It is a relative question. Different people want different things (spending habits, lifestyle, priorities, obligations).
Ideally, it is when you have the liberty to decide what you want to do and when you want to do it. For example: You want to take two weeks off with your family, do it. Regardless of the budget (can be a trip across the globe or an escape upstate), that level of freedom speaks for itself.
You're missing the point. The subjective nature of this question opens the door for a wide variety of interesting perspectives. He wasn't asking for THE answer- he was simply asking for YOUR answer.
"You want to take two weeks off with your family, do it. Regardless of the budget (can be a trip across the globe or an escape upstate), that level of freedom speaks for itself."
Thanks.
You have a house in the Hamptons you forgot about
Always proud... Never satisfied...
This thread is equal parts hilarious and anxiety-inducing.
Forbes 400.
Being able to provide the best education and upbringing for my kids
All the responses thus far are incorrect. They are signals of the "faux riche" (i.e. wannabe wealthy).
There's only 1 correct answer, and it's the following:
You know you've made it when you are more concerned about hiding your wealth rather than flaunting it.
^ think about it.
I think you never really "make it", everytime you reach a goal you will set your eyes on something bigger.
You know you made it when you have a cubicle with a door and an extra 1 ft higher glass partition all around.
and a backup fidget spinner
Your lifestyle is aligned with your values. All of them.
When on sunday I am actually looking forward to monday
Depends on how you gauge success.
I think the general rule would be when you can stop showing up to work tomorrow and be fine financially without cutting obligations and running (much harder with a family than by yourself)
When you receive your first cold networking email
When you don't feel any regrets sacrificing incremental $$ for personal happiness
I wake up every day feeling excited about what I'll do that day.
I believe that in when someone makes it, they are able to provide a stable life for their children and family, without having the burden of stress they suffered growing up.
More importantly, my definition of making it is looking forward to going to work and kill it in the performance portion of it.
Oh, and not having to work all 7 days for months at a time.
When you have trouble calculating your net worth and so does any accountant you work with.
Yeah they have a tendency to forget about the watch colleciton
Hm...
I want a quarterly olive oil subscription and a monthly dry farm wines subscription. That's when I'll know I've made it. And I will definitely drink all the wine, but I won't go through that much olive oil, so I'll just give bottles away to motherfuckers. Power move.
-
.
When you no longer have to report to anyone...
when the difference between weekdays and weekends ceases to exist
I suppose all investment banking analysts have made it, then.
You've made it when, in theory, you could call someone the N-word on Twitter, unworried about how it will impact your personal finances. By this definition, not even Elon Musk has "made it"--so my definition is predicated upon financial independence and lack of notoriety. In essence, true freedom.
Success is not lying and getting a water cup only to put soda in it!
Making Forbes List
when you don't mind getting fired =D
When you can marry any Victoria's Secret model you want
You know you've made it when... (Originally Posted: 06/15/2011)
You have a controversial, best selling Children's Book take over the New York Times Book Review and you have one Bad Ass Mother Fucker serving as the narrator for the audio book, you have a major hit.
So without further adieu, may I present "Go The Fuck To Sleep", as read by Samuel L. Jackson:
Haha that's awesome!
eagerly awaits anti-domestic violence best seller Kickabitch
Great read.
Not enough swearing, my kids are going to grow up as softies.
l
Three Comma Club. x,000,000,000
You have a net worth of 20ml
...When you don't drink on the weekend because you are excited to go to work on Monday.
, , ,
In other words three commas.
When you can go anywhere and have anything without looking at the price tag, when you dont have to introduce yourself anymore.
When you guy a Patek for re-sale price
You know that you have made it when you own a private island in the Caribbean.
Zero achievable goals in this thread
Brainwashed by consumerism
Come back to reality
I've always set myself a very difficult goal. It is very difficult, but the result is always very good.
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