hahaha, u were in such a rush to say "your insecurities", then start talking about how "im a midwestern redneck" ^{speaking of insecurities} that you didn't realize you completely misread the salient point of my post that you're responding to :)

this part:

im a remote senior software engineer with an SF salary in a lower cost-of-living area.

read that.

then read it again.

get it yet?

your entire post hinges on something you misread.

i don't live in san francisco. i have a san francisco salary, but i am a remote engineer. i can freely work where i choose. in the past year, i've lived in boulder, colorado; austin, texas; london, and now im back in the US, and im currently in Raleigh, North Carolina.

hahahaha