You Work Hard. I'll Profit High 🚀.

1 - Real life case from SpaceX 🚀

This is an electrician - night shift - job from SpaceX Texas 🇺🇸, paid average $23/hour (before tax).

How much is it after taxes 💸?

In Texas you don’t pay state taxes. Same goes for Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming. You’ll have to pay only Federal taxes for Washington DC, your private health insurance, private retirement, private life insurance, etc. Long story short, you’ll more likely end up paying ~ 30% of taxes to Uncle Sam (public & private contributions).

This means that out of the $23/hour, you’ll be left with $16/hour. Your take away home will be about $128/day, i.e., $2500/month.

With this salary, anywhere in the USA 🇺🇸, you’ll live tight - more likely poor, - even as a single person, even before COVID and this never seen before inflation. If you’ve a housewife, and children, your equation might have just become insolvable.

2 - Why would I care? 🤔

I don't care personally. Sorry to disappoint you, but I've never said that I was the good guy 😉.

Actually I used to care, and get emotional about salaries injustices, and the huge gap between Blue Collars/Engineers, and the Management Teams. Putting myself in the victim seat was so comforting and felt like I was being part of a cause or a revolution.

Speaking of Engineers, they have become in my opinion the NEW Blue Collars. With the difference is that unlike blue collars, engineers have to sell a kidney to afford a 4-6 years college education at ONLY +$250k... lol almost the price of my apartment in Paris, but instead of being surrounded by French models 😍 🇫🇷, a roof over your head, and an appreciating asset over time, you'll get the exclusive privilege of paying +$250k to an outdated education system, which is freely available on google, or in a $15/year library membership in my beloved Deutschland 🥨 🇩🇪, 1st/4th largest economy in Europe/World.

3 - And then I met Mr. Oops 👻

Five (x5) years ago, I looked proudly at my beautiful (x7) years career. I led the design, engineering and commissioning of top industrial projects in Europe 🇪🇺, Asia 🇰🇷, and America 🇺🇸, for civil and military clients. Commercial teams loved me so much that they would beg my boss to let me accompany them in high stakes multi millions commercial meetings with governments, and multi billions clients. By having me, they will get top technical expertise they lacked and which was crucial to convince and close contracts + entertainment guaranteed. Traveling with me is never boring!

All of this, is sweet, sexy, and will surely put butterflies on the eyes of your beautiful latina date in Brickell, Miami - Florida 🇺🇸. But in front of a banker, it doesn't fly higher than a fly 🪰.

That's why they say Cash is King.

But before I could get cash, build a profitable business, acquire assets and generate cash, I needed first to solve couple issues... and they were ALL in my head!

4 - As of my issues... they were ALL in my head 🧠

• 🖼 I loved, loved, loooooved LinkedIn titles, and cashless corporate recognitions certificates. I used to collect them, like 90% of LinkedIn members, who the second they get a 20cnts certificate, they rush to post it on LinkedIn, and tell the whole world how spending a 3 days workshop with Rajesh, eating unfrozen salmon tapas and collecting made in china goodies, was a life changing experience... 100% true experience 🥴
• 👨🏼‍💻 I believed that being loyal to the same employer was good... kinda gives you a legacy lol
• 👨‍💼 I believed that a Good manager fights for his team in front of the top management. While in reality, a Good manager fights for the top management interests in front of you (the workers), to make sure - again - you're profitable... If your manager tells you the opposite, he's either lying, or still new in the job.
• 🚀 I believed that annual performance reviews were meant to help you progress in your career. While in reality, they help Corporations making sure the soldiers (You) are still a profitable. Performance reviews are simply meant to ensure that soldiers (you, the worker), will execute next year's agenda with less overhead cost, and a higher margin, so that the shareholders dividends can be increased, as well as the top management bonuses, and their work apartments in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, view on the Eiffel Tower... putain ce que j'étais con!🙈
• 💸 I believed that it was good to not chase money, and chase jobs based on high responsibilities. You know; the type of responsibilities that will guarantee you the fame on LinkedIn... and incidentally a burn out too 🤒
• ⚖️ I believed that employers had an ethical, moral, almost human responsibility, in making sure workers have a good work/life balance. After all, it's illegal to not do so, right?! Now that I'm writing this, I remember working countless weekends (unpaid!), to get half $Billion civil and military vessels out of the docks, so that my management get the fat bonuses, and I get a tap on my shoulder (and a 20cnts certificate; I loooooved them so much)... I'm telling you, I was at another level of naivety 😂.

In short, I was a gift from the sky for greedy corporations (for any corporation tbh)! I'll work hard. They'll profit high!

If you check any of the points above, your chances of building wealth, knowing true financial or geographical freedom are close to zero (0) - more realistically - equal to zero (0). Allow me please to rephrase it:

If you check any of the points above, you'll more likely end your career with a colorful LinkedIn profile but a pale bank account.

...as well as a pale physical and mental health.

Note: I do not speak about my career from a frustrated point of view. I've lived incredible and privileged experiences, which by God's will, I earnt after countless sleepless nights, and unbreakable dedication. Like this one - below - in the military shipyard of the Canadian Navy 🇨🇦, which - I think - is owned partially by the US military 🇺🇸... but I'm not sure.

5 - What I changed to experience true Financial and Geographical Freedom 🗺

Well, I'll explain that in another post... or maybe I'll continue writing in this post... I don't know.

For now, I need to go to Marbella beach, Puerto Banús more exactly 🏖. It's 28C outside ☀️, nevastăs everywhere, and I've a meeting right at the beach... not even kidding 😉. Hasta Luego chicos🍹🩳🏝.

Anyway, that was my 20 cts thought...🪙 - "River Newsletter"