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Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

theatlantic.com

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Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#51

Post by nommm-nommm »

eropple wrote: post #48
cheez wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd qualify it by saying: "With a lot of hard work, and the legal freedom to move away, anyone can break out of poverty." Staying in the same place (sounds like your grandparents were kick ass people) is pretty much the death sentence and many people, after certain youthful indiscretions may not be permitted to leave the area. Plus, you're white so I'm guessing you've never been detained for "matching the description…

> "With a lot of hard work, and the legal freedom to move away, anyone can break out of poverty." And, in many ways, the purest luck of the draw. If his grandfather didn't have a C64, what happens? Or for me, if my dad doesn't happen to go from selling office furniture to playing with computers when I was very young and I don't happen to then have computers lying around that I'm allowed to play with basically unimped…

It's a real lot of luck, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

I was very lucky. I didn't (and don't) work harder than my peers who didn't make it out of poverty, yet I did. Amount of effort isn't correlated with measures of financial security.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#52

Post by microcolonel »

galfarragem wrote: post #10
rdtsc wrote: post #5

I grew up poor. Not Africa poor, but ex Soviet Union falling apart poor. One thing that made a huge difference was parents who sacrificed their career to make sure they were home with me after school. They encouraged education. Mom never finished more than 7 grades of school, but she saved money for and for the 8th of March, equivalent to mothers day (oh the irony) got me cheapest ZX Spectrum clone we could find. It…

To raise kids, money beyond a low threshold is not relevant, providing a good education is. Money, or better, social capital gets importance when these kids become young adults and have chosen career paths with less demand.

I've done well without "an education". I think it's probably more complex than that.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#53

Post by [deleted] »

galfarragem wrote: post #10
rdtsc wrote: post #5

I grew up poor. Not Africa poor, but ex Soviet Union falling apart poor. One thing that made a huge difference was parents who sacrificed their career to make sure they were home with me after school. They encouraged education. Mom never finished more than 7 grades of school, but she saved money for and for the 8th of March, equivalent to mothers day (oh the irony) got me cheapest ZX Spectrum clone we could find. It…

To raise kids, money beyond a low threshold is not relevant, providing a good education is. Money, or better, social capital gets importance when these kids become young adults and have chosen career paths with less demand.

[deleted]

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#54

Post by eropple »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #51
eropple wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "With a lot of hard work, and the legal freedom to move away, anyone can break out of poverty." And, in many ways, the purest luck of the draw. If his grandfather didn't have a C64, what happens? Or for me, if my dad doesn't happen to go from selling office furniture to playing with computers when I was very young and I don't happen to then have computers lying around that I'm allowed to play with basically unimped…

It's a real lot of luck, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. I was very lucky. I didn't (and don't) work harder than my peers who didn't make it out of poverty, yet I did. Amount of effort isn't correlated with measures of financial security.

Well, there's also that, yeah? =) I don't think I work very hard. I would think less of myself if I did work very hard. I burn way more cycles on "how to be a good human" than I do anything work-related.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#55

Post by SCAQTony »

galfarragem wrote: post #10
rdtsc wrote: post #5

I grew up poor. Not Africa poor, but ex Soviet Union falling apart poor. One thing that made a huge difference was parents who sacrificed their career to make sure they were home with me after school. They encouraged education. Mom never finished more than 7 grades of school, but she saved money for and for the 8th of March, equivalent to mothers day (oh the irony) got me cheapest ZX Spectrum clone we could find. It…

To raise kids, money beyond a low threshold is not relevant, providing a good education is. Money, or better, social capital gets importance when these kids become young adults and have chosen career paths with less demand.

I have to agree with you, I have no high school diploma (ADDHD, dyslexia, deafness in one ear) and it was social capital and extroverted behavior that allowed me to meet upwardly pointed people in the arts that mentored me.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#56

Post by asimuvPR »

rdtsc wrote: post #5

I grew up poor. Not Africa poor, but ex Soviet Union falling apart poor. One thing that made a huge difference was parents who sacrificed their career to make sure they were home with me after school. They encouraged education. Mom never finished more than 7 grades of school, but she saved money for and for the 8th of March, equivalent to mothers day (oh the irony) got me cheapest ZX Spectrum clone we could find. It…

I don't really like to talk about it to avoid looking like a showoff, but I run a project to help those who want to learn computers and programming. Currently am preparing some space that was made available and getting some funds for raspberry pis. I share a similar story like you (poor, parents got me a c64 somehow) and want to pay it forward.

If anybody is interested in learning more or provide feedback about how I could improve the project feel free to email me.

Best of luck!

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#57

Post by nommm-nommm »

spo81rty wrote: post #17

I was born in a trailer park in Oklahoma. Lived in a 1 bedroom shack, and then lived with my grandparents until high school after my parents got divorced. I grew up very poor. But I loved computers, thanks to my dad having a Commodore 64. I excelled at math, loved computers, and went to DeVry to do computer programming. I was the first in my family to go to college. Started my first tech company at 22. With a lot of…

You had interests that lead you to financial security and an ability to pursue said interests - that's just plain dumb luck.

I'm not saying that you did not work hard, I'm sure you did. I am saying that plenty of people work just as hard but stay in poverty.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#58

Post by microcolonel »

init wrote: post #32

I'm one of those poor kids who got out. My identity project was programming. An friend gave me a an old noisy Pentium II that became my best friend. I spent countless hours, day and night, learning to program. Skipped prom to program, dodged sports in high school, never attended parties. Programming was my identity. I started working before starting college. The prohibitive cost of college made me drop out to focus o…

I have had impostor syndrome, but it died pretty quickly.

You don't need a degree. I do an excellent job for clients of my company; and I know what I'm worth to them. The many thousands of dollars per week are worth it because I'm the real deal.

You are probably not an impostor, you're probably just more valued than you know.

And if all of that rationalization fails; you should know that you don't have any obligation to prove that you're worth what you're compensated. That responsibility falls solely on those compensating you.

Re: Why Do Some Poor Kids Thrive?

#60

Post by [deleted] »

microcolonel wrote: post #52
galfarragem wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To raise kids, money beyond a low threshold is not relevant, providing a good education is. Money, or better, social capital gets importance when these kids become young adults and have chosen career paths with less demand.

I've done well without "an education". I think it's probably more complex than that.

[deleted]
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