u/Hugh_Mungus94

Hello everyone, my girlfriend (28F) and I (31M) are both doctorate-level professionals who recently joined the workforce (about 4 years ago for me and last year for her). I’ve been making around 170–190k over the past 3 years, and she’ll be making around 180k this year and going forward. On paper, we should be pretty comfortably middle class. However, we’re both first-generation immigrants from poor backgrounds, so we don’t have a house or any assets, and I have about 150k in student loans but pursuing PSLF.

We’ve been saving aggressively for a house, maxing out our 401(k)s, and investing on the side while still living pretty much the same way we did as students (renting, using coupons, only buying things on sale, etc.). The upside is that we’ve built a solid emergency fund and can afford vacation here and there, but it still doesn’t feel like we’re “middle class” at all, for example when we were on vacation we're still be like "how can this be so freaking expensive" whenever we go somewhere fancy.

My question is: when did you start to feel middle class and ease up on being so frugal? Looking ahead feels a bit discouraging, since right now we’re saving for a house, and after that we’ll probably be house-poor for years. How long did it take after you started working to actually feel and live like you were middle class?

Hello everyone, I’ve recently joined the healthcare field as a young doctorate-level professional, and I’ve been struggling with staying focused at work. I keep making small mistakes here and there, like forgetting to sign paperwork, forgetting to document tasks on paper, misplacing packages and not remembering where I left them, or miscount items. Nothing major or harmful, but it feels like a recurring pattern and I can’t figure out why. I’ve tried getting at least six hours of sleep every night, eating healthy and drinking coffee throughout the workday, as well as slowing down, but it still happens. There always seems to be a lot going on at once, and I’m constantly jumping between and juggling different tasks.

On top of that, since I’m the youngest at my workplace, I keep getting teased/playful bullied by my colleagues for these mistakes, which makes me really anxious and feel like I’m going to make even more mistakes at any moment and it honestly stressed me out so much.

What advice or tips do you have for becoming more attentive and avoiding these kinds of careless or distracted mistakes? Any help is appreciated