Does anyone feel like you've never known adversity? I'm not saying I want to but I feel like I'm truly blessed.
A little background My parents were not super well to do but at the same time I didn't grow up poor either. My parents prepaid for my college before the tuition boom and I almost got a free ride through college. I know I know my parents could've made more money by investing said amount in an index fund or something but whatever. At college I was never in danger of failing a course or not getting a job. I put in what I felt was the bare minimum to essentially get straight As and felt I was naturally good at CS. I got a job nooo problem straight outta college and have seen a steady growth in my TC between 5 years at work and a masters degree cause YOLO (got a huge state scholarship for this too).(80 to 120 to 150 to 220 to 250 and now to 330k and on track for 450k) My point is I just felt like these things were right there when I needed them and things just happened to fall into my lap. I met a teammate of mine recently for a beer and he described what going through bankruptcy because of student loans and other stuff was like and I teared up a little when he described a meditation game he played with his kids to take their mind of the fact that they were starving and there was no food in the house. I am obviously grateful to everybody in my life who made this happen,especially my parents who have essentially given me the best possible start to life, I have every intention of taking care of them forever but I can't help but feel like a total loser who did the bare minimum to make use of the opportunities he was afforded. I feel like with the silver spoon I was given I should've done a lot more. This has consumed my thoughts over the last week and I feel like a total loser. Does anyone else feel this way?
Sounds like you feel guilty for your success. If you feel that bad about it, help others get into the same environment or mindset that put you in that path. Give back to others, in other ways besides financial.
So I get the feeling, but also those things didn't just happen, you made it happen. You applied, you interviewed. You made the smart choices/decisions. Even you did the bare minimum to get A's, trust me people don't do that much. You took control of your life. Don't let someone else's bad choices affect you. P.s I agree, you can make all the right choices and still fail but I guess this is where luck comes in. You should try to help people who have tried and failed.
it’s not a bare minimum, at least your rate of “fucking things up” is extremely low - you progress very steadily, which is a good trait I’d try learning about different paths other people go through, especially the harder ones as said before, help others who weren’t as fortunate, pick those you think are doing really good given their starting point or those who are not and would be doing much better with some minimal help
Consider helping less fortunate people, if you feel you got too lucky. It's not your obligation to do so, though. Everyone's gotta play the hand they're dealt, you're just playing yours.