Man, some Eastern Europeans offered to write an app for me for $2000, and I assumed it was a scam since it'd be 50+ hours of work. Maybe I should hit those guys up again, if someone posting to HackerNews is making less as a programmer there than you'd make flipping burgers in California
I'm a refugee from Nicaragua living in Mexico. I have legal status (thank god) but my paperwork is still a mess. So I freelance on Upwork.
I'm surviving, but I make way less than a kid flipping burgers in the US. But the good news is I'm alive and well and happy :) And it will get worked out in time.
I'm super happy with my life and it keeps getting better but when I hear first worlders, or even affluent third worlders, talk about money it sounds so crazy :3 Hearing someone say 100k a year is 'enough for a family', when working families where I am now get by decently on 300 MXN a day lol.
Perspective is everything. Just gotta keep working hard! If you ever need a freelancer who's even cheaper than Eastern Europeans I'm here for you <3
