Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve been working in public school libraries for almost 10 years now and get paid basically nothing, and since I’m not a teacher, my retirement accrues so slowly that it’s basically nonexistent. I’ll probably have to work until I die. I should’ve switched careers a long time ago. One more year and I’m out. I decided to wait until my daughter graduates high school, and then I’ll make big life changes.
Just for some perspective, some companies give stock options to employees in lieu of better pay, so the guy you were frustrated with might also be broke.