Smarts is quite useless under globalisation. There are millions of geniuses in India that one can hire for cheap these days. They all want out.
I'm clearly not starving. On the other hand, ask some $150k / year engineers from the Bay Area (ideally also with wife and kid(s)) if they're absolutely thrilled by their jobs and 'overload' class status, it's the same here. I'm also fully aware there are guys in this world who have it a lot worse than me but you're surely aware that dismissal of valid complaint on the basis of "others are having it worse" is a logical fallacy. And actually, solving my legitimate and rational complaints and pokes at the defects and absurdities of the current system is what will ACTUALLY make their lives and everyone's lives better. Not putting me down for not applauding laud enough with the herd.
In my native country (which is much much smaller then the US) there is a shortage of approx 30,000 IT'ers. So globalization seems not to work fully to say at least. Companies are even trying to find people without any IT education to teach them at work. Shows how desperate the situation becomes. When my youngest son finished his IT education he had already 6 months before graduating a fix contract (so no probation period) and a company car (Mercedes). He was only 22.
Your name aside, he got a Mercedes so it's like super-hard to guess what that country, much smaller than US, is
Can a person who is worth $5 million complain that he is poor because some others are much richer than he is. And then dismiss any mention of the fact that there are so many people who have it much worse as a logical fallacy? You are in the top 1% or income earners. You don't have a valid complaint either. My guess you are upset because you are not YET in the top 1% of people by net worth ( i think you need a net worth of $400K to be in that 1%). If you don't already own property, i suggest you start buying some, then it wont be long before you are too.
Well, maybe a bit what you're saying but probably not for the reasons you think (will talk about it later). Anywayz, your post reminded me of this:
I don't live in the same country as my son. I divorced years ago and he was living with my ex. He might soon join me however as he wants to start daytrading too. He noticed that it makes more money and gives more freedom then his actual job. Seems like he is more or less in the same situation as you.
I have the impression that he is not complaining about his salary. He does not like his job. I know that feeling. There are a lot of people that switch for a lower paid job as they feel more happy in that new job. The best of course is to have a more pleasant job and more money.
Don't give up the salary until you can't afford to spend time at work because the trading is so successful. Don't consider giving up work until you're making money with long-term trading: if you can't make money long-term trading, you certainly won't be able to do it through day-trading.