I’m one of the kids that “made it” out of these situations and it took me until I was over 40 and making FAANG money to START thinking in terms other than “not being like my dad” or “ending up poor”.

> preserving your safety in some way

Even a comment as small as this is assuming a lot in poor areas. The only safety I had was in my own head or in my STEM classes because I could immerse myself in them enough to forget about life outside them.

Look up the problems associated with complex-ptsd, childhood neglect and parentification.

It was all about racing as hard as possible away from where I was, not about looking forward in any way. For most of my twenties my timeframe in planning was weeks or months if I felt confident.

I just got lucky I got hooked on computers and had a couple teachers that praised me for that and math.

In fact, I nearly dropped out in 9th grade to work at a Burger King so I had access to some kind of money. Instead I called CPS and moved in with my narcissistic mother who was at least financially stable. But it was a coin toss at the time.

My first job was in a factory and then in the Army, I didn’t have a plan or wants other than stable living situation and enough money for basic bills.