[eric strt6]

I seemed to fall ass over backwards into a decent career with a decent company where I generally like my coworkers and most of the bosses I've had. I like the work, they trust me to do the work I think I should do, and I'm 100% remote so I spend my time in places that let me hike to views like this one from last weekend

I feel pretty lucky. If shit goes south, I live well below my means and could afford to take my time finding another gig.

But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance. If you can afford to tell your boss to eff off, it's a lot easier to treat your job as transactional; you don't need the raise or the title, so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get them.

this.

I have 3 years left to full timing retirement. That said I would have no hesitation to toss em my keys and walk if I got pissed off. I am at the I don't give a damn stage of my life.

 

[buckoW]

I feel pretty lucky. If shit goes south, I live well below my means and could afford to take my time finding another gig.

But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance. If you can afford to tell your boss to eff off, it's a lot easier to treat your job as transactional; you don't need the raise or the title, so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get them.

Totally agree. Also, working part time for a few different companies allows a similar situation.

 

[CBJ]

I say high paying job where you need to put in few hours with lots of flexibility is a sweet spot.

 

[StiHacka]

I say high paying job where you need to put in few hours with lots of flexibility is a sweet spot.

It is still hell if boring.

 

[Adventurous]

Speaking of which, any of you software development engineers or systems engineer folks looking for a jerb? My company is hiring and giving out new bike sized referral bonuses and well, I could really use a new bike.

 

[StiHacka]

Speaking of which, any of you software development engineers or systems engineer folks looking for a jerb?

You likely need to be way more specific. Software/systems roles are so unbelievably fragmented and narrowly defined these days, and you only have a chance to land a job if you did exactly the same thing previously.

 

[Adventurous]

You likely need to be way more specific. Software/systems roles are so unbelievably fragmented and narrowly defined these days, and you only have a chance to land a job if you did exactly the same thing previously.

If you or anyone is actually interested, PM me and I can pass along JDs and additional details.

 

[StiHacka]

If you or anyone is actually interested, PM me and I can pass along JDs and additional details.

Although I still code from time to time, I haven't worked as a software engineer for over 20 years now.

 

[Westy]

systems engineer is probably the most ambiguous and overused job description out there.

 

[maxyedor]

My experience with it is as my Mom as an elementary teacher and then myself with a short stint as a professor at a university. This is a job where they use the "exempt employee" excuse to keep you from earning overtime and where you are required to work (in the school months) far in excess of 8 hour days much of the time. Hell, my mom would sometimes employ us kids to help her and grade after school or on weekends. I remember how much of the time she was gone and how hard that was on the family. The intention of this rule is for highly-paid professionals like doctors, lawyers, etc., but educators are in there too and public and private institutions abuse the hell out of this. It's pretty fucked up how little they pay and then how much work you are expected to do "for free".

This varies widely by State/district. Also why local politics are important.

My wife is a teacher, 10 years in, and her base salary table puts her comfortably north of $100k, and gets an extra 15% over table for having her National Board cert, plus 3.5% for her masters. She's a 10 month employee, expected to work about 9 hours/day during those months, but gets paid 1/12 of her annual salary per month, I don't understand why that doesn't make her a 12 month employee, but it works. Her Union keeps the Admin pretty honest and any time she's required to work more than her contract hours at a specific time/location (conferences, meetings, etc) gets an hourly rate which is annual salary divided by contract hours, and the same hourly rate for teaching summer school, it works out really, really well. Her department gets a pretty healthy budget every year for supplies that covers everything they need, plus a bit extra for their personal preferences in shit like pens and wireless mice. She also qualifies for lifetime benefits at 20 years in.

We briefly looked at moving to Az as a job opportunity for me had come up, she'd have to take a nearly 80% pay cut.


She does what I used to do and am trying to get better at, volunteers for shit she really doesn't want to do because she feels she can be a value add, that's really her only major stress. Well, that and the occasional batshit crazy parent.

 

[Jozz]

But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance.

That.

 

[canadmos]

systems engineer is probably the most ambiguous and overused job description out there.

Same with xxx analyst.

I'm a systems analyst on our team, with a fancy senior title in front of it. I'm not even sure what it means, other than just do everything.

 

[StiHacka]

Ugh. Apparently, when I applied for the different position in our company that disappeared last week before they even sent me an offer, my boss got a notification and now I have to explain myself to him. Maybe I should just quit and write a book about everything that is wrong with HR in Murican corporations because I seem to be visiting all the shitty avenues.

 

[canadmos]

Ugh. Apparently, when I applied for the different position in our company that disappeared last week before they even sent me an offer, my boss got a notification and now I have to explain myself to him. Maybe I should just quit and write a book about everything that is wrong with HR in Murican corporations because I seem to be visiting all the shitty avenues.

You'd think if its an intracompany move they wouldn't bat an eye, maybe even encourage it.

We've got buildings all over NA, Europe and Asia - people shuffle around all the time and some of it seems to be encouraged and expected. Gets ideas and whatnot to spread out through the company. A lot of the times someone will move to a completely different product group for a year or two and then come back - they come back with a different views, thoughts and ideas from working with different processes and whatnot.

 

[Poops McDougal]

This varies widely by State/district. Also why local politics are important.

My wife is a teacher, 10 years in, and her base salary table puts her comfortably north of $100k, and gets an extra 15% over table for having her National Board cert, plus 3.5% for her masters. She's a 10 month employee, expected to work about 9 hours/day during those months, but gets paid 1/12 of her annual salary per month, I don't understand why that doesn't make her a 12 month employee, but it works. Her Union keeps the Admin pretty honest and any time she's required to work more than her contract hours at a specific time/location (conferences, meetings, etc) gets an hourly rate which is annual salary divided by contract hours, and the same hourly rate for teaching summer school, it works out really, really well. Her department gets a pretty healthy budget every year for supplies that covers everything they need, plus a bit extra for their personal preferences in shit like pens and wireless mice. She also qualifies for lifetime benefits at 20 years in.

This lines up with my experience in this area. I am surrounded by friends and family members that are teachers, and they all make a good salary when compared to other professions/industries, and their benefits are usually better. Now, whether that salary is worth the crap they deal with seems to vary by individual.

 

[StiHacka]

You'd think if its an intracompany move they wouldn't bat an eye, maybe even encourage it.

We've got buildings all over NA, Europe and Asia - people shuffle around all the time and some of it seems to be encouraged and expected. Gets ideas and whatnot to spread out through the company. A lot of the times someone will move to a completely different product group for a year or two and then come back - they come back with a different views, thoughts and ideas from working with different processes and whatnot.

Yeah, sensible companies operate that way. Apparently, mine is a shithole that cares more about power and politics than actual business outcomes. Work for a large company they said, stable job you'll have they said.

 

[Toshi]

This lines up with my experience in this area. I am surrounded by friends and family members that are teachers, and they all make a good salary when compared to other professions/industries, and their benefits are usually better. Now, whether that salary is worth the crap they deal with seems to vary by individual.

here's DPS. So 5 years experience and a Masters would get you $60k. which is not a lot at all. they bumped things up by 8.x% for this year per a new agreement, I read, but still the same landscape.

meanwhile my wife, with her Music Education undergrad and Clarinet Performance Masters, is making ~2/3 that as an "SSP" (a teacher's aide basically) at the elder kids' school. better than not working, I guess.

 

[Jm_]

View attachment 182004

here's DPS. So 5 years experience and a Masters would get you $60k. which is not a lot at all. they bumped things up by 8.x% for this year per a new agreement, I read, but still the same landscape.

meanwhile my wife, with her Music Education undergrad and Clarinet Performance Masters, is making ~2/3 that as an "SSP" (a teacher's aide basically) at the elder kids' school. better than not working, I guess.

That is crap pay for what they do.

That's where they (politicians that appropriate the money) are living on another fucking planet as far as housing and cost of living.

 

[Poops McDougal]

View attachment 182004

here's DPS. So 5 years experience and a Masters would get you $60k. which is not a lot at all. they bumped things up by 8.x% for this year per a new agreement, I read, but still the same landscape.

meanwhile my wife, with her Music Education undergrad and Clarinet Performance Masters, is making ~2/3 that as an "SSP" (a teacher's aide basically) at the elder kids' school. better than not working, I guess.

Yeah, that's not great. My BIL who does not have a doctorate makes more than $102,851. I don't know what "steps" are in this context, but he has been teaching for awhile.

 

[jimmydean]

That is crap pay for what they do.

That's where they (politicians that appropriate the money) are living on another fucking planet as far as housing and cost of living.

That's why companies like Intel have teacher subsidized housing because nobody wants to pay a million dollars for a house near San Jose and send their kids to crap schools.

You aren't living near San Jose for $60k a year.

 

[6thElement]

You aren't living many places happily for only $60k a year with the BS teachers have to deal with.

FTFY

 

[canadmos]

Yeah, that's not great. My BIL who does not have a doctorate makes more than $102,851. I don't know what "steps" are in this context, but he has been teaching for awhile.

Similar to a friend of mine. He teaches kindergarten and has a salary of north of 100k. Full pension.

He has a degree in something, but it isn't related to chasing around kids with diarrhea.

 

[Jm_]

That's why companies like Intel have teacher subsidized housing because nobody wants to pay a million dollars for a house near San Jose and send their kids to crap schools.

You aren't living near San Jose for $60k a year.

Does it make up for not being able to have a property investment?

 

[Westy]

That's why companies like Intel have teacher subsidized housing because nobody wants to pay a million dollars for a house near San Jose and send their kids to crap schools.

You aren't living near San Jose for $60k a year.

Some friends of mine in San Jose lived in free housing for 5 years, the wife was a teacher at a private school. Both came from wealthy families, the husband was pulling in mad money from his job. They complained about not having a dishwasher. I wanted to punch them in their priviledged little faces. They eventually bought their own $2,000,000 place once their stock options matured. Just the system helping out those who don't really need the help.

 

[StiHacka]

People who live in San Jose choose to live in San Jose.

 

[Jm_]

Our agency has rolling remote location jobs for San Jose (live somewhere else) because they can't find anyone that can afford to live there. So you have to fly there a couple times a month or something from wherever, which costs huge money.

 

[TreeSaw]

I tell all of Haley's teachers that if they need anything for class, to let me know. If I can facilitate it, they will have it. There is zero reason they need to pay for things when they get paid as little as they do.

As a parent, I always send in an extra set of the required supplies because, as a teacher I know how much it's appreciated.

 

[TreeSaw]

I seemed to fall ass over backwards into a decent career with a decent company where I generally like my coworkers and most of the bosses I've had. I like the work, they trust me to do the work I think I should do, and I'm 100% remote so I spend my time in places that let me hike to views like this one from last weekend:

Spoiler

View attachment 181925

I feel pretty lucky. If shit goes south, I live well below my means and could afford to take my time finding another gig.

But I think living below your means (if possible) is key to a good work/life balance. If you can afford to tell your boss to eff off, it's a lot easier to treat your job as transactional; you don't need the raise or the title, so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get them.

This, 100%. We have nice things, but we do live mostly below our means and have a decent savings built up so I was able to tell my last job buh-bye and didn't have something lined up.

 

[scrublover]

Been in the ICU now for 20+ years. Still enjoy it, stressful as it can be.

What has helped is that I DO NOT do extra shifts. Dont want to, don't need to. Very much appreciate the fact that if something happened with Mrs. Scrub's job, it would be easy enough to though We don't have any kids, so manage OK.

 

[eric strt6]

So I just got back from working 3 hours and getting paid for 8. CEO dropped by to print me off some insurance documentation for the vehicle inspections I was about to do with the insurance company whose clients we transport. He made the comment that I make things so much easier for him. If he puts something on my plate to take care of he doesn't have to think about it after that because he trusts that I will successfully take care of it. I'm taking off on a 4 day vacation and he is applying my comp days to cover it leaving my vacation days intact.

 

[jdcamb]

You're probably not going to sit around and do nothing all day. You will still have commitments and stuff to do. Work commitments still get you paid. Maybe you can sit around all day and do nothing. Watch TV or whatever. I can't. keeping on top of your health is a pretty hearty endeavor. Eating well. Exercise. It all adds up.

 

[Avy]

That's why companies like Intel have teacher subsidized housing because nobody wants to pay a million dollars for a house near San Jose and send their kids to crap schools.

You aren't living near San Jose for $60k a year.

So are we talking about Teachers in the Bay Area CA Private,Public or both?

We have Serious problem‘s with Teachers here and Pay,Public I speak of. Class Size,Shootings,it is a real nightmare. They are Fighting for better pay,fucking Book‘s and basic supplies lacking. Not to mention cutbacks and closing. 100K sounds High.

Avy

 

[Jm_]

We have Serious problem‘s with Teachers here and Pay,Public I speak of. Class Size,Shootings,it is a real nightmare. They are Fighting for better pay,fucking Book‘s and basic supplies lacking. Not to mention cutbacks and closing. 100K sounds High.

M-pressive.

 

[rideit]

Been in the ICU now for 20+ years. Still enjoy it, stressful as it can be.

What has helped is that I DO NOT do extra shifts. Dont want to, don't need to. Very much appreciate the fact that if something happened with Mrs. Scrub's job, it would be easy enough to though We don't have any kids, so manage OK.

You should get free health care for life, the way some ski resorts grant lifetime passes to 20 year employees.

 

[HardtailHack]

My old apprentice has decided that the mines are for him, at the start of next year he'll be on $19/h more than me.
Lots of travelling, lots of inductions, lots of waiting and lots of people telling you how much down time costs, fuck that!
I'll stay working five mins from home at a job that the boss does his best to keep you from working outside in shitty conditions.

 

[jimmydean]

What sounds like it could be cool and actually really sucks.

https://jalopnik.com/working-in-a-tesla-factory-sounds-like-a-nightmare-1849564044