It probably won't surprise anyone, but I LOVED the list.  I've repeated lots of the above lots of time to young associates who want it all NOW and want to whine when they get don't it.  I started my professional life with a used 15 year old car and 2 suits that I wore on alternate days.  No nice stereo, no furniture, nothing.

There is nothing in me that is bitter about any of it.  In many ways, those were great days.  Full of promise and discovery.  Something new to learn around each corner.  And I have moved on to quite a good deal of success, and have earned the luxury of hanging out on the internet in places like this while still being able to pay the bills.

People appreciate most what they have earned through hard work.  Anyone who has lived life as an adult more than 10 to 20 years can tell you that.  It's not a secret.  It's only a secret to those who insist on always blaming someone else for everything they don't have.

I still don't have fancy cars or a big house.  I've watched and learned:  none of that makes you happy.  We give our luxury money away to my son's school and to charity.  Buying stuff just means you have, well, more STUFF.  Better to make a difference in this world.

Questionable business practices aside, Bill Gates IS willing to put his money where it matters.  I respect that about him.  A lot.  And I also think he chose extremely well when he married.  

I will  not deny that there are some people that need a hand up in this world.  I donate to many causes that I believe help those in need.  Those who need should have.

But those who want without actually having need ... they need to learn.

As for how to spend your time when employed ... the discussions above are starting from totally different assumptions.  If you are unemployed like my sister was, sitting on a nice stash of cash, you can use that time to further common interests of society while waiting for just the right job to come along.  She felt that taking "any" job could permanently derail her career, and she certainly proved her wait to have been worth it when she landed a new job at 50% higher pay than her previous one.  But she had also earned that luxury for herself, but saving instead of spending her earnings to date.

Not all unemployment is equal.  There are many different reasons someone might be unemployed.  How flipping burgers would fit into it all rather depends on the reason you are not employed, wouldn't it?  Someone looking for a job, without a previously established career, without special training, and finding themselves unable to land anything that they dream of doing, should seriously consider taking the burger flipping job.  A client who interviews for a delivery service tells me it is astounding how many people will show up late for an interview, have no previous work experience, complain the whole way through the interview, and then chew her out when they find they are not hired.  Surprise, surprise, even package sorters are expected to show they can be on time, work hard, and have a positive attitude.