Update:
A little more than a year later, my stash is almost at $800k, which is higher than my original goal and was reached twice as fast as my estimate (thanks to good market returns).
A year ago, I was miserable and wanted a way out of my job, but I'm glad I stuck it out:
- Got promoted, got a few raises; I'll be grossing $370k in 2018;
- Work definitely gets easier with time. You learn to care less, you get more visibility/respect, you get better with internal tools, coding practices, you start mentoring junior co-workers, you get way more efficient, you see the bigger picture and high-visibility tasks more easily. If any junior software engineer is reading this, and especially for a first job at a top tech company, I definitely recommend you at least reach this point, it's worth it. See
this thread for strategies that helped me.
- Finally sorted out immigration issues; simplified my tax and investments.
- I realized my initial FIRE number (500-750k) was a little naive; sure I could live like a grad student all my life, but I now think 1M-1.5M is more realistic for a single person. IMO, 1M allows for a nice comfortable life, and the 1.5-2M range allows for essentially an upper middle-class family lifestyle without working, which is great.
So, my new number is 1M, which I should reach in < 1.5 years assuming 0 market return, at which point I'll probably quit FT work and slowly cruise to 1.5M via PT work, if still desired.
The only thing that makes me doubt is that quitting at 1M feels like leaving so much money on the table, which I might regret later. Many people at my company are earning in the $400-700k range and their role doesn't seem that far out of reach. On the other hand, I'm also yearning for FIRE sooner than later, and I'm starting to notice a pattern of OMY syndrome, i.e. once I reach a milestone, I start to envy the next ladder rung.