The view from halfway up (opens in new tab)

I have talked with people who were genuinely surprised to hear that my parents don’t — hell, can’t — pay my rent. I have heard people sincerely say $100,000 isn’t really a lot of money when you think about it. This disparity naturally affects the search for employment too, they have the financial resources, the connections, the support and advice I wouldn’t even know to ask for. However, the thing that bothers me the most is infinitely more trivial than any of that. I have been asked by the o...