Every second of life is precious and every breathe we take is fragile. We often tend to be blind and ignore the fact that every second and every breathe could be our last and final. But once and awhile life will throw us a little something to remind us. When you are in fear for your life it all falls into perspective. And as traumatizing as events like that are we have to look at what we can learn from them.
Redditor u/YachtRockSantaMonica wanted everyone to discuss all the times they felt life was fragile enough to be concerned by asking.... [SERIOUS] What's the SCARIEST thing that has EVER happened where you feared for your life?1-
Same thing happened to my younger brother decades ago. A storm was rolling in over the water and the lifeguard was calling people in, but my ~6yo brother instead was floating further and further out. We could see him bobbing in between waves, getting more distant with each one that crested.
Lifeguard eventually sees him and swims way out with his float device and brings him back. I spent the rest of vacation entirely sick to the stomach over it.
We grew up somewhat near the coast where rip-tide formation was extremely common, so suffice to say we were brought up with rip-tide swimming techniques getting drilled into our heads. I've been caught in a few smaller ones and have been able to swim my way out since, but he was just so young he didn't know what to do. Scary as all hell.
2-
Every time I drove with my former step dad. He liked to take a bunch of pills (Xanax and Hydro's ) and would fall asleep behind the wheel while almost speeding if not already speeding. I would have to spend up to a few hours watching the road and him at the same time screaming at him to wake up and watch where he was going. then he'd get mad at me because he claimed to be in control the whole time. we did this for years until around the time before he died where he seemed to be genuinely trying to get his shit together but before he's wrecked his/my moms car on multiple occasions.
3-
At a friend's barbecue, I stupidly decided to swim from one end of the pool to the other UNDER the pool cover. Got about half way and was smoked, so went to push up the cover to get some air.
It doesn't work that way.
After a few efforts to push the cover up, and a moment of sheer panicked flapping, I realize I have to swim for the edge. Being pretty wigged out, my brain doesn't go to the closest edge at the side of the pool, but for the far end.
I made it there just, while my vision was starting to go a bit dark and blurry, and crawled, gasping, out up the steps, flopped down on my back and coughed up the last of the water I'd taken in.
As I finally sat up, someone handed me a beer. None of my mates had a clue what had just nearly happened, and I find myself wondering when I think about it since, how long they'd have left me under there before realizing something was wrong.
4-
Husband was driving box van through Toledo headed for Detroit, me in the passenger seat. Got hit by one of those sudden hard wind gusts while in the middle lane on the I280 suspended bridge over the river and it scooted us over a full lane and a half. I was looking out the window and down over the guardrail to the water below and eternity. That was the day I learned real terror will make you sick because for the next 30 minutes neither me nor my spouse could speak without retching from the horror of it.
5-
During the wine country fires in 2017 a social media call for help went out from a place that needed to evacuate horses quickly. I grew up on a horse farm so my buddy who had a livestock trailer came and picked me up and we went to help. If you've seen those videos of people driving through forest fires and it looks like night time in the middle of the day, it was exactly like that. Walls of fire on either side of us and heat so intense I can/t describe it. We got every horse out but we both had to go to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
6-
I was very young, around 9/10, going into surgery to get teeth taken out. While they had the mask on the knock me out, I started coughing and trying to sit up, they told me to calm down, I had never been in surgery before and started freaking out. When I freak out, I vomit. But I was laying down and it was stuck in my throat. I kept trying to sit up but the nurse has holding the mask over my face pretty tight, and I wasn't a very strong kid.
I struggled for about thirty seconds and started to feel a tight pressure in my head and behind my eyes, the only reason they noticed was because I hadn't been knocked out yet since I haven't been breathing. Sat me up and I spewed everywhere and was gasping like crazy, scared the doctor half to death when he walked in. Worst feeling ever, and as a kid I really thought I was gonna die.
7-
I crashed my moped into the back of a tractor on a small country road, went flying and narrowly avoided getting my head crushed by the wheel. The scariest part was realizing later that I nearly died (and telling my dad). At the time and In the immediate aftermath I was stupidly calm. I think my brain prescribed a me a massive dose of hormones.
8-
I was being chased by a biker late at night. He didn't like my driving I guess and flipped me off, yelled at me to stop my car and chased me around the area and even onto the highway before I lost him by going into a Walmart parking lot. Guess he didn't want any witnesses for whatever it was he had planned. He was the typical cliche biker: big older dude, bandana, tattoos, leather jacket.
9-
I slipped on a steep slope on a mountain... it was going to end in a cliff. Instead of going off the cliff, I managed to go into a clump of thorny bushes... there was barely any difference between swiss cheese and me...
10-
I didn't think I would die but the scariest day of my life was taking my newborn son home from the hospital. My partner had left me because he didn't think he was old enough to be a father (he was 27) so I was totally alone, my parents picked us up from hospital but just dropped us off at the door of my tiny bedsit, no offers of help or support.
I walked through the door with my brand new baby and just cried with fright and loneliness. Luckily, instinct and common sense kicked in and we survived, life eventually got better I'm glad to say but I'll never forget that awful feeling.
11-
I was held down by my throat by a man who said he was going to kill me. He was about to hit me when we were interrupted by a very brave man who also testified in court as a witness for me. I think I'd be dead if he hadn't come along. He assaulted and robbed another woman that evening too. I remember thinking "so this is how it ends" and feeling so gutted that I would die this way.
12-
I got caught in a riptide off Daytona Beach. I was just floating not too far off the shore with a friend (future wife but that's another story) and her younger cousin. They got hungry so they went back to shore to get some food, but I was just in a good mood, floating in the water and relaxing so I wanted to stay out for a bit. I kind of zoned out looking out at the horizon and all the boats off in the distance, it all felt very calm even though the waves were pretty strong.
Eventually I turned around to start heading back to the beach and I realized I was MUCH further way from the shore than I thought, and there weren't any other people near me anymore. I started swimming back to land but the beach wasn't getting any closer. I panicked a little, and I tried to swim as hard and fast as I possibly could to get back to the beach. After a minute or two I came to the grim realization that the beach was still getting further away. I started to truly feel like my life was in danger.
I was about to really freak out when a random surfer paddled over and ask me if I needed help. I said yes, and he grabbed my hand in one of his and kept paddling with the other. He explained "you looked like you were in trouble. When you get stuck in these things, you gotta swim parallel to the shore to get out of them." He pulled me to the left and dropped me off in much calmer waters.
I swam toward the beach and this time actually made progress, until I could stand and walk back onto dry land. I was nowhere near where I started, and it was a long walk to get back to our spot on the beach but I've never been more thankful for a long walk.
13-
Wow I'm from London and I got mugged a couple of times. 2 guys strangled me from the back and another 2 guys were in front of me searching me for my phone. Luckily someone working in a shop nearby saw this and immediately called the police. Thanks that worker to this day.
I met him after it all happened to thank him.
I didn't know him before. I recently found him on social media and sent him a message telling him I was married with two children now and it was all thanks to him that I was able to do that. He sent a lovely reply. He seemed and still seems like a really decent human being. I know that the experience was frightening for him too but I hope he gained something from it just like I did.
14-
After dinner with friends walked alone to my car and two dudes show up and one slams me against my car demanding me to open the car door. I panicked and threw the keys, and out of surprise the guy let go of me and I hauled butt to the nearest open public place. Car jacking gone stupid because when the cops got there, they left the keys in the ignition and ran away. Cops assume they couldn't drive a manual.
15-
I was home alone when I was 11 and someone tried to break in. I hid in the pantry and called the cops. Scariest 15 minutes of my life.
16-
Here's something quite recent that happened.
I was out for a morning bike ride at 8 am, I was biking around this secluded spot with a bunch of trees around; foresty area.
As I was biking along, a DAMN MOOSE jumps straight out of the trees and almost charges at me. But the moose saw me, got startled and hesitantly jumps back into the trees where it came from.
For people who have never seen a moose, they're freaking giant. Actually seeing them in person is a way scarier experience, especially about to charge straight at you. I was shaken as hell.
17-
I was robbed at gun point. One of the guys kept saying "shoot him, shoot him". Fortunately he was not the guy with a gun. I am glad he made the choice he made.
18-
The earthquake in Washington, DC in 2011. I'm from California so I wasn't new to earthquakes, but when it first began to shake, it didn't immediately register what was happening. First, I thought it was the Metro, but then I realized I was no where near a stop. Next I thought, terrorist attack, but there were no explosions, fire, or smoke. It finally dawned on me it was an earthquake, and I was about to shrug it off like I was used to back home, but then I suddenly remembered where I was. And that there aren't earthquakes in DC.
The apartment I lived in at the time was built in the late 50s, early 60s and the noises it was making sounded like the steel beams were twisting and straining. The swaying and sound it made was terrifying. I realized I had no where to run, no where to go, and just stood looking out my window frozen. When I saw everyone running out of the building, I knew I wouldn't make it out in time if the building collapsed, so at that moment I accepted I was going to die.
It was the strangest sensation. Total calm and acceptance, yet indescribable horror. There was no damage or injuries reported in my building, but I will never be able to shake that experience. Not the earthquake itself, but that split second where I believed I was going to die.
19-
I flipped a semi truck onto a median and slid 300 yards in Utica, NY. Almost slid off a mountain in PA somewhere in a semi. I no longer drive 18 wheelers. I stumbled out the cab and over to the other embankment. If I was going North, I stumbled across the road to S. While watching my near death experience, a car pull up close to me and two people got out and I heard them say "I wonder is driver still in there!?" while walking toward the tractor leaking diesel (30k environmental damage is what i was told). I didn't know diesel didn't explode so I had to stop them.
LSS
I woke up to a phone call in the hotel from Ron (hated that guy):
After making sure I was ok and telling me the damage, "Well, your fired."
How do I get home?
"Thats your concern... bye."
Like 3 days after my 23rd year on the planet. I resided in Michigan at the time. Had to move to Pittsburgh, PA cause it was closer and least expensive to travel to. I'm in Texas now.
20-
i had a gun held to my head during a robbery. I knew a girl for 3 years who was pretty beaten down by life, i felt bad for her and tried to help her out as best as i could, buying her groceries, helping out with her kid, etc. wasn't attracted to her or anything just felt bad as she was otherwise fun to talk to and hang out. eventually she got a boyfriend who looked like trailer trash, he eventually learned the cost of my photography gear and told her that he wanted to rob me and she agreed to help.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Not all television and movies are loved by all.
A story and its characters have to appeal to you in order for you to be engaged.
It can take next to nothing for us to lose interest and let the screen go black.
Redditor BarooTangClan wanted to compare notes on all the entertainment we've said "that's enough" to.
"What will make you instantly stop watching a movie or show and why?"
I hate bad acting, writing, storytelling... I hate bad anything.
Stop Jumping
"Fight scenes with a million visual cuts. Gives me motion sickness. Contrast the absolutely masterful work in John Wick. long cuts, realistic use of weapons (mostly), 100% skill."
StabbyPants
Louder
"When the actors whisper the whole movie and you have to crank the volume to hear what's being said - but the soundtrack or some other misc noise starts blaring at a higher volume directly after."
Blaze*itch
"I basically had to watch Stranger Things up in my attic with the windows and doors closed. I was worried the neighbors would think something was wrong or be annoyed if I watched it downstairs in my single family home. It was ridiculous."
ForecastForFourCats
"spice things up"
"Love triangles out of no where in a second or third season to 'spice things up' because studio writers are hacks and their idea of relationship drama is 'potential infidelity' at all times. It's the most tired trope on the go**amn planet and the second I see it rear its head I dip right the hell out."
amalgamas
"The whole concept of a love triangle to begin with an incredibly juvenile. Any healthy functioning adult who found themselves in a love triangle would soon choose to find themselves single."
Ouch_i_fell_down
Save your lips...
"When couples in a movie/show have a fight and one of them instantly goes to a friend and end up kissing her/him after talking for 5 minutes. I cringe so hard i turn it off and never watch it again."
Dry-Mycologist3966
"This pissed me off so much in Manifest. Girl is desperate to get back her ex-fiancé, he finally breaks up with his wife to get back with her and she's like 'nah, it's not fair to your wife, let me do this other dude I just met through a calling and be pissed at you for being jealous.' Michaela was the worst and everyone acted as if she were a saint the entire time."
gingerisla
Talk to Me
"Shows where a single polite conversation could fix everything."
Horror_Librarian_133
We are going overboard with the witty repartee. Talk normal...
Shut Up
"Annoying main character, especially if it's a kid."
abananation
"Kids who have a quippy, sassy retort to everything, and everyone just kind of crumbles before their wit."
CarpetPure7924
Speak Good
"Shows where kids in high school talk like they are 30 years olds who have done everything, been everywhere, know it all and use a ridiculously flowery and extensive vocabulary in every conversation. Like, have any of these writers ever been to high school? Literally no one talks like that. Even worse is when, in addition to this, all the adults talk normal or are just plain stupid, like so weird parallel universe."
StretchArmstrong74
Nonsense
"If the movie is too dark. Not graphic, just literally dark. I lose all sense of intensity in dark scenes and I'm not straining my damn eyes trying to figure out what the hell is going on."
TheShadowOfKaos
"I've seen about 10 percent of all DC movies recently. I've seen all of the individual films in full, just actually saw 10% of each of them."
Mortlach78
"Movies in the late 80s had a lot of dark but you could see the depth because of different shooting techniques. Now you cant see crap because its a CGI fest drowned in black color so you can't see crap because you have no depth in a scene. Compare night scenes in dark alleys in 80's movies and movies now. Utter crap show in the new ones."
Bombzey
Pay Attention Storytellers
"Bad editing would be a big one. A lot of modern horror movies can't help but edit the movies like they're trailers, with added noises to scare the audience because they are afraid the script alone isn't enough to keep people watching."
ThisIsCreation
"I remember this is where the first transformers movie lost me. When the transformers are fighting at the end, it's all a big, jumbled mess of metal and I can barely tell what's going on or who is who."
1840_NO
Drama
"When they go straight to relationship drama right away when it wasn't the selling point of the show."
LightInthewater
Do better, Hollywood. It's not that hard.
I fear death.
I wake up in cold sweats dreaming about it.
I think about it in my waking hours.
It's an obsession and clearly, I'm not alone.
But there are more preferred ways to exit.
All we can do is hope to be lucky enough to skip the mercilessly awful.
Please just let me go quick and in my sleep.
RedditorCallMehRiverwanted to hear about all the ways none of us what to leave this life.
"What Do You Think Would Be The Worst Death Imaginable?"
My list of the worst deaths is long. My imagination runs amok.
Trapped
"For me? Being trapped in a small tube or cave (like the ones you have to wiggle through) and getting stuck to where you can’t move your arms. And all you can do is wait to die. I’m getting chills just thinking about it."
Stuck
"The more I hear about cavers that get stuck, the more I think that's a crap way to go."
- braydenmaine
"There’s a great YouTube channel called Ask a Mortician and this was her #1 worse way to die. I can’t remember the exact details or their names, but two well-known divers went into an underwater cave."
"One of them became entangled and died. Years later, his friend dives back down there to try and retrieve his body, the body itself is rotten and his head comes off and the other guy also becomes tangled and dies. Really sad."
- melancholybuzzard
A Long Process
"Believed to be in a coma but coherent through the whole 20 year process until they pull the plug."
weebeardedman
"Oh man this just reminded me of a story I read on here about a guy who lost the ability to move and speak but was completely conscious. Had to just lay there and be awake but trapped in a useless body. His family thought he was brain dead or something and he couldn’t communicate to them that he was 'all there.' Crazy"
habeeb51
Slow & Steady
"Being slowly impaled by a growing bamboo. It was a form of torture probably used by the japanese during WW2 against Allied prisoners."
JazzySocrate
"My uncle who served back in the day said that people would have the bamboo slipped under their fingernails because it would continue to grow still. It would just continue growing into the body."
Payness0826
Excruciating
"Rabies."
Santolmo
"The scariest part is that once you have symptoms, you 100% will die. A 100% mortality rate has to be a psychological torture in itself."
RonaldRawdog
"Not only that, you feel irrational fear. Your brain is literally being eaten apart by the virus and it fu*ks up everything on it. You can't drink water because it hurts you. You feel dizzy, present a fever, excessively salivate, everything hurts and it only gets worse. I'd rather take a bullet and die when the symptoms are still tolerable."
Santolmo
Why can't we all just go engulfed in calm and quiet?
Suspended
"Some pulpy sci-fi book I read a while back had one of the best deaths of this real piece of crap bad guy. Left to die in a drowning sea lab under the Antarctic ice, he freezes himself in a state of the art suspended animation pod with some kind cold fusion power source that would keep it running for millions of years."
"But he forgot to inject himself with the drug that would put him to sleep. So basically he is in suspended animation at the bottom of the Antarctic ocean while his mind is perfectly awake and conscious in a near unbreakable machine that won't run out of power for millions of years and nobody knows about it."
DubiousAlibi
No Cure
"As an RN I have always thought that the worst way to die (natural process) is ALS. Lou Gehrig's Disease."
randymn1963
"My mom and grandmother have Huntington's disease, which is essentially ALS, Alzheimer's, and Dementia combined into one really messed up genetic disease. I have a 50% chance of inheriting it and if I hit 40 and there's still no cure I can't promise I'll feel like continuing on with my life because that disease is absolutely freaking miserable."
DevTheDummy
Agony...
"Radiation poisoning."
binhan123ad
"The fact your chromosomes can be so destroyed your body basically lost it's genetic code and with it the ability to make any new cells. It's literally a 'dead man walking' and you slowly rot away in agony. Stuff is so unimaginably f**ked up."
yea_nah448
"What's also bad about radiation is that it affects your nerves and brain cells last, so you have everything in place to feel all the pain of the rest of your cells being destroyed."
nosmelc
Goo
"I want to believe anything that slowly kills you painfully to be the worst. Such as slowly being crushed or something where the pain is beyond compare and yet not enough to throw you into shock or unconsciousness."
Beardless_Man
"Alternatively, being rapidly crushed into goo would probably be the least painful. I'm talking one of those massive industrial hammers they use for large steel work. Basically smooshed before the nerve signals make it to the brain."
Bannon9k
Now I'll never sleep again without nightmares of death.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Foreigners Explain Which Stereotypically American Things They've Always Wanted To Try
Most Americans think nothing of their humdrum daily activities or amenities available to them.
However, others with a different perspective might romanticize the things that are otherwise commonplace ideas and concepts for US citizens, like going to a diner or riding the school bus.
One Redditor looked to foreigners to hear of their American desires to respond to the following:
"Non-Americans of Reddit: what is an American thing you have always wanted to try?"
The things depicted in film really captivated foreign audiences.
Casual Dining
"To visit a diner like in the movies. In the middle of the night, it’s raining and just a few people there with great music from a jukebox."
– TotalAd6225
Iconic Student Transport
"Ride a yellow school bus even if I'm too old. Growing up I always loved seeing them on TV."
– infiresemo
Just Like The Ones We Used To Know
"A white Christmas."
"Living in an Australian state where I've never even seen snow in our winter, let alone experiencing that classic Hallmark movie moment of waking up to a street full of it and sitting around a fireplace while opening gifts/preparing a feast."
"Guess it's not strictly American, but the imagery and trope is something I've only really seen from American Films."
– Stoibs
They may be ubiquitous for us, but they sure seem to be novel ideas to foreigners.
Let's Be Frank
"One of the hotdogs from those little street cart things."
– Who_is_lost
Kitchen Marvel
"A friend of mine from Indonesia said, 'the food chewer in the sink.'"
"Garbage disposal."
– Mnemonic22
American Pie
"Apple Pie made by white-haired grandma, placed near window, who says 'oh dear...' as I levitate towards it."
– MegaJoltik
Pre-Game Ritual
"Proper tailgating before a ball game, the kind where there's ribs and stuff."
– SpiralToNowhere
Fried Delicacies
"Deep fried foods at a state fair. I'm from Scotland and we love to deep fry everything and I wanna know if it's just as good or better."
– fenrisulfr94
There are places to see!
Places To See
"National parks."
– nhungoc1508
"America’s greatest invention!"
– nhungoc1508
Backpacking In Nature
"I always wanted to hike The Appalachian Trail if that counts. Or see Yellowstone."
– EphemeralRemedy
New Chapters
"Being able to start a whole new life 'elsewhere' without having to leave my country and going through an arduous immigration process."
– Gmtfoegy
My cousin told me she looks forward to visiting a Trader Joe's someday when she visits America for the first time.
Her bucket list option was hardly surprising. My parents used to bring treats from TJs as a novelty souvenir gift item, and my relatives ate it up. Literally.
Let's face it. The snacks at TJs rocks.
Even store locations in New York City would have ridiculously long lines during busy hours because the West-coast-based grocer was a novelty on the East Coast.
Many people work hard from the moment they are on the clock until their respective shifts are over at the end of a long day.
For many of those in the workforce, the wages barely sustain a comfortable living, especially for those who are raising a family.
Yet, there are jobs that are known to pay a higher salary without requiring extreme physical labor, or the requirement of higher education.
Curious to hear what those jobs might be, Redditor ImAMasterBayter asked:
"People Break Down Which Professions Are Completely Overpaid"
Extensive training requirements are not a thing, apparently, with these professions.
Daily Dairy Duty
"I watch milk powder go into a bag and out on a conveyor and get paid $37 an hour."
– Stacwe3
Eyeing Dirt In Motion
"Mine? I get paid $20.50 a hr to watch dirt go by on a belt all day."
– trudmer
The Handy Man Is Happy To Help
"I am a handy man that charges $50/hr with a 3hr minimum, a couple months ago I got a call for service that consisted of changing 9 smoke detector batteries, 2 light bulbs, and rehanging a picture. I felt bad taking the money but the guy couldn’t have been happier to have that stuff finally done. He asked for my card and is now a very good client."
– iznmehra
Words From An Appraiser
"I make about 40 an hour after tax in the US as a real estate appraiser. You just need a college degree and a year of training and there is a huge shortage of appraisers right now."
"Edit because this post blew up: I only perceive this job as being overpaid because I used spent most of my 20's making pizza for minimum wage and imposter syndrome is a thing. Also, OP said he was looking for a possible career, and I felt like my job post was better than a troll post."
"Appraisers are not real estate agents or brokers. I do not buy or sell property."
"I do not, 'look at zillow and copy the number' and I don't just, 'make the number' in valuation. While I agree there are some appraisers who may lie or exaggerate, the same could be said of nearly any job. However, if I were to intentionally try hit some goal and got caught fudging the numbers, I'm looking at permanently losing my license and possible jail time depending on the severity. It's actually pretty common for me to, 'tank a deal' if someone is paying too much. This isn't the wild west of valuation anymore; FIRREA is a thing now. Appraisal reports aren't just 3 pages of photos with a cover page anymore; my typical appraisal is 30-50 pages with long boring typed pages of market data that I type and research myself."
"Let's talk about the appraisal gap. In most of the US, we are experiencing a, 'sellers market' meaning houses are selling for higher than what they normally sell for. A lot of people at this thread are blaming appraisers for driving housing prices up. Let me be perfectly clear about this: appraiser's valuations are based off of past data. That is it; we look at closed sales from the past. Realtors and brokers speculate on future markets, because they are motivated by profit. If anyone is driving this current market trend, it is the people buying properties over listing price, local government/laws willingness to allow foreign investors, the people who are raising rents, and the people who are making big risky developments. The appraisers have little to nothing to do with market perception of value; in my area at least many market participants are paying over 30% of listing price. Trust me when I say these people are not satisfied when my appraised value comes in less than that."
"The hardest part of the job is definitely the occasional angry phone call. Let's look at an example. Say someone lists their house at 100k, and they accept an offer for 150k, or 50% over listing. Well the appraisal is based off of past closed sales. The bank will only finance up to the appraised value. So if the appraisal comes in at 110k, meaning the subject in relation to comparable sales from the past year in the subject neighborhood equate to roughly 110k, they will either need to renegotiate the price, or be willing to put up 40k of their own money."
"In a sellers market, it's often better to accept a deal with better financing than a higher price. Let's say in this situation instead of taking the 150k offer with a mortgage, you take a smaller offer for 140k that is all cash, no financing. Well if there is no financing involved, meaning no bank, than no appraisal is needed."
– f4gmo
Landing work in software seems to be like hitting the jackpot of success.
High Commissions
"I’m in software sales, software sales. Coworker got 100k commission on a deal."
– The_GOATest1
So-Called Analysts
"There are an incredible amount of 'analysts' who just 'own' automated excel sheets they received from developer teams."
"Low to mid six figures is common in HCOL areas."
– Shoddy_Bus4679
The Successful Client
"I do the tax returns for a guy who paid 20k for demographic research software and made something like 40M over the last 3 years. His costs are almost nothing and admitted he does like 5 hours of work a week on it."
"I got more likes and comments than I thought I would, and wanted to add some more detail. The guy himself is super nice and easy to work with. It's hard not to feel jealous even though I make good money myself. His business and personal returns are super simple so we don't even charge him that much for them."
"The software is something proprietary he paid a third party for, and I don't know the name of that developer. The data output is sold to political campaigns and he's compensated more if the campaign wins. He did have some clients on both sides but now exclusively works on one side of the aisle."
– Todders8787
Salaries in the world of academics got a closer inspection.
The Administrators
"University administrators and board members."
– MayBeckByDay
A Stark Contrast
"I'm a professor. I love it. But the 'president's office' contains a staff of 5 people with a total payroll of just under $500k/year. Meanwhile, all the PhDs, MFAs, and DMAs who teach all the classes, advise all the students, and serve on all the committees bring home a whopping $50k-$65k/year, dependent on rank, tenure, etc. It's real fun...
– LPHaddleburg
Unfair Privileges
"The president of my institution makes a approximately $500k/year and is provided a house on campus alongside reserved parking if he so chooses to use it. He also gets a country club membership. Meanwhile I have to pay $200 to park at the school where I TA and do research, and I get paid maybe 1/20th of what he does. I genuinely do not understand why the f'k the dude who makes six figures doesn't pay for parking, but I do."
"Edit: that should be half a million."
– DADPATROL
Some of the cushiest jobs that require less time actively toiling away seem to be paying significantly more than the average livable wage offered in the US.
Perhaps the biggest indicator of what that might be was summed up best by Redditor iadasr, who said:
"Whatever you guys are all doing that lets you browse Reddit all day..."
Word.