I am blessed to make what I make, and if someone looked at it and said .. Look at Al, he is a white male in tech this is fucked up.

Let me tell you how 1/2 of my COVID has been.

Since 6/30, because of people that are "brilliant" and experts and smart and young and those that "know" everything.

I have had to work all but two weekends, in fact, I sit here through this weekend, working.

Why? Because I point out their incompetence and their design flaws and they make their solutions and designs and pontificate greatness.

I come in a like a masterful Jedi and prove them wrong. The problem is ... to do so requires data and that takes time and energy that expounds past 40 hours a week.

My inner joke is I makes lots, but if I put the hours against the pay, would you like Fries with that.

So I agree with you 100%, don't judge and don't pretend one can know what it takes to make that wage. Work hard, set your boundaries, and appreciate what you do.

Do look at the pay bands via glass door and other tools to make sure that your company is appreciating you for your wages and time and energy.

But to be honest and fair 2020 pushed us back to 2000, when even the top rung workers had to compete with companies promising citizenship to our great country for lower wages -or- the wunderkind of management (MBAs) who stated distributed work is the future, and then pushed outsourcing.

Work hard, love yourself, and don't judge yourself too hard, but never compare to another as one doesn't have the information or experience or "data" to properly know.