Finance
-
-
hell try breaking into programming without a bachelors degree. it's possible but way harder than it has to be to get past the HR gauntlet.
Wasn't too difficult for me. When I was taking come college courses, I got a job at a place that liked to hire college students (they saved money on payroll that way). I ended up fixing a few task flow issues for them before I had got sat down by the owner about the way I used my unpaid time off (didn't have any PTO) as sick days instead of vacation days. That got my foot in the door, but didn't help much finding more work since it was a VB6 shop in the early 2000s.
Next I ran a business which i used to teach myself C# and build up my resume. I only got a couple contracts, but it was enough to keep things going for a couple years while my wife worked. That's what landed me my current job.
It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't hell either.
-
It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't hell either.
you were one of the lucky ones. it took me to my senior year of college before i found a company that even gave me a second look, and i'd been looking since freshman year.
all of my classmates have told me their experiences were either similar or worse.
-
Location, location, location!
-
You have the A of the A/B test... where's the B?
-
Location, location, location!
what? we started talking about land deals all of a sudden?
yeah i know location is a problem, but when i'm looking for work from Nova Scotia to Boston to Toronto and no one will even give me a call back, and the emails i get are all the canned rejection for failure to meet minimum qualifications.....
/me starts growling and baring her fangs at the memory
-
It's also about who you know. I managed my current job because the father of an old college roommate worked at the company and passed my resume around. Going through HR almost never works, because those chumps can only say no, so they do.
-
It's also about who you know. I managed my current job because the father of an old college roommate worked at the company and passed my resume around. Going through HR almost never works, because those chumps can only say no, so they do.
this is true. in both of my tech jobs i got in my bypassing HR.
The first one because there was no HR staff in the office i would be working at so the office manager took the job of filtering applicants instead of HR. a former dev he gave me a change.
for the current job i went through a recruiter because.... well i could have gone it alone but having been in the field only three years at that point my network of contacts wasn't quite good enough to get me a job in the time i had before my savings ran out.
-
Every job I've had has been because I knew someone who knew someone. Except for one case, I have never even heard back from other companies I sent my resume to.
-
You have the A of the A/B test... where's the B?
You seem to have misunderstood, probably because I didn't really think through my previous post. I should have said that I don't have a college degree, and the arrangement is working for me.
-
Oh. Working for me too.
But better than for you, because I make more money than you do.
-
I make more money than you do.
Uh-huh. And you would know how? Seeing as I've not mentioned how much I make.
-
Uh-huh. And you would know how? Seeing as I've not mentioned how much I make.
i was about to say that!
i would have gotten there first if i didn't stop to make sure i hadn't missed it upthread.
-
Why is it that nobody considers becoming a tradesperson any longer?
I misread this as "trans-person" at first. I thought, "it seems more common than ever."
Of course I'm reading this on my cellphone, and Discourse doesn't support zoom on mobile. It does, however, seem to support randomly scrolling the thread and shuffling the UI erratically while I type.
-
Oh I had you mixed-up with Weng.
But whatever, point is I'm awesome.
-
Uh-huh. And you would know how? Seeing as I've not mentioned how much I make.
you know you missed an excellent opportunity to have a good yell about shoulder aliens there.
-
you know you missed an excellent opportunity to have a good yell about shoulder aliens there.
Sorry. Not really my thing.
Next time, I'll wait an extra 5 minutes, just so you have a chance. But no longer than that!
-
Next time, I'll wait an extra 5 minutes, just so you have a chance. But no longer than that!
hey, if you wanted to yell about shoulder aliens go ahead. that be your privilege, not mine.
now when the shoulder alien puts words about me in a certain someone's mouth then i'll be able to yell about them.
-
I enjoy personal finance.
This reminds me to read today's Moronic Monday reddit post.
-
It is oddly pleasing to certain parts of my brain. Which is hilarious given the way I actually deal with my finances is "just do it and assume the numbers will line up in the end". I basically precisely nailed an annual budget by the seat of my pants.
-
But whatever, point is I work in a very expensive part of the country and don't get paid nearly enough more to make up for it.
In case you weren't aware.
-
In case you weren't aware.
a very good point. there's a big difference between making, and i'm going to pull a number out of my "hat", 100k in the Seatle Area, compared to making that same dollar figure in New Hampshire.
one of those places is a lot cheaper to live in. has better weather for most of the year too!
-
one of those places is a lot cheaper to live in. has better weather for most of the year too!
Less hipsters and malevolent assholes also.
-
Less hipsters and malevolent assholes also.
and closer to the good ski mountains.
filed under: This topic is clearly important to you – you've posted more than 21% of the replies here.
-
Yes, but the risk free rate is currently negative. So your advice is pretty pointless.
-
Yes, but the risk free rate is currently negative. So your advice is pretty pointless.
At the moment, this has some sense to it, as paying down debt aggressively is a zero-risk move.
-
Not quite zero-risk. There's liquidity risk to consider. And deflation risk.
But among options, it is a good one. The next most sensible is probably entrepreneurship (i.e., doing business instead of investing), but that requires certain skills and time the inmate population here probably doesn't have.
-
The only risk is possible opportunity cost. I almost always weigh debt risk higher than opportunity cost though.
-
I work in Pennsylvania Amish country. The road outside is paved in horse poop. The sets for Amish Mafia are right down the road (it's all fake btw).
Our market rates are only 3k or so below Seattle due to scarcity. I'm working well below market because I'm fucking dumb. If a 30k raise isn't forthcoming at review time, I'm walking.
The way I arrived at my pittance of a salary was this. Once upon a time I was young and dumb and a contractor. My dad made 33k, and got along just fine. 19 bucks an hour (about 38k) sounded great for a brand new freshly minted software developer with no corporate experience.
Then one day, in the middle of a 90 hour work week, I was offered a full time salary conversion. They'd pay 55k! Hell yes! That's like 1 percenter money isn't it?
A year later, everyone was quitting. If become essential. I was making disgruntled noises. Here, take 75k! Wow, that would be really comfortable.
And then I became even more vital. And got involved in the politics (I'm the firebrand hothead that speaks truth to power). And crucially, figured out that I can ask Google how much I should be paid.
-
If a 30k raise isn't forthcoming at review time, I'm walking.
Easy to say, harder to do.
But good on you.
-
The next most sensible is probably entrepreneurship (i.e., doing business instead of investing), but that requires certain skills and time the inmate population here probably doesn't have.
If the general population had more of those skills, we would be in a hell of a lot better shape.
-
Easy. I did it.
Ditto. Highest academic qualification I have is A levels (the ones you get at age 18 for non-UKians.)
Got current job purely through previous experience.
-
The really shitty thing is that so many people go to school, to get the job, to get the experience, to advance themselves. Yet, 5+ years out of school it does not matter anymore. By the time you are 30, no one care what school you went to, or what degrees you hold. The only thing that matters is prior experience and who you know. But you are likely still paying for the degree. ;)
-
I have an AVCE in IT which I think is a C. Other A levels are D and below.
-
By the time you are 30, no one care what school you went to, or what degrees you hold.
In being a programmer yeah, but if you are an engineer it does (at least for licensing). Need 4 years of working under someone licensed if you came out of an accredited school and 8 if unaccredited before you can do more tests to get your license (at least that is what I remember from my friends who are engineers).
-
But you are likely still paying for the degree.
I started a degree before realising it wasn't right for me. I got the full means-tested student loan. I didn't complete it and I'm still paying the fucker off. It's only been the last 5 years I've earned enough to pay some of it off and only the last 2ish I've been making big dents in it. Should be done this year ish.
-
I work in Pennsylvania Amish country.
Our market rates are only 3k or so below Seattle due to scarcity.
Wouldn't there also be a scarcity of job opportunities, lowering market rates?
-
but if you are an engineer it does (at least for licensing)
Same can be said for doctor, lawyer, architect, etc. It does not matter if you are outside of those professions. If you have a degree in IT, or business, or etc., once you are 30 the degree means fuck-all. A large portion of people end up in fields entirely unrelated to their degree. And, if you follow the path of entrepreneurship, it matters even less. No contract negotiation has educational requirements as a part of the process (outside of medical, engineering, etc.).
-
By the time you are 30, no one care what school you went to, or what degrees you hold.
Not entirely true, at least in engineering. Even with 20+ years of experience, I get paid less than some coworkers because they have MS and I only have a BS. Edit: Note this is engineering for companies like Intel or (former) Chips and Technologies, not something like civil engineering where a license matters.
-
Should be done this year ish.
Keep up the good work man. I did not always have the outlook that I do now, and when I paid my debts off it felt amazing.
-
Wouldn't there also be a scarcity of job opportunities, lowering market rates?
Uhmmmmm, you cannot have a scarcity of supply and demand. When you do, it is just called "normality".
-
Speaking of licensed professions, I need to get working on that actuary exam again. Models for Financial Engineering isn't going to be easy. Plus the freely-available study materials are pretty sparse.
I'll rock it, though.
-
I don't know if this is how it works over the pond but here the student loan payments are taken out automatically of your pay before you even get it (and before tax, IIRC) once you earn over a certain amount. It's not really been optional, but now I just want it out of the way.
I know what you mean though - I built up a pile of other debts when I was more financially idiotic, completely trashed my credit rating and when I finally got past all that 2ish years ago and it felt great.
-
I don't know if this is how it works over the pond but here the student loan payments are taken out automatically of your pay before you even get it (and before tax, IIRC) once you earn over a certain amount. It's not really been optional, but now I just want it out of the way.
Now that the Feds have taken over all student loans, this may be our future.
-
Oddly enough, no. Lancaster is a bit of a hot spot for some reason. And it's drawing on the same labor as Harrisburg, Allentown, Baltimore and Philadelphia commuters.
-
Uhmmmmm, you cannot have a scarcity of supply and demand. When you do, it is just called "normality".
That's what I meant - skilled workers may be scare, but if jobs are too, then wouldn't they balance out?
Oddly enough, no. Lancaster is a bit of a hot spot for some reason. And it's drawing on the same labor as Harrisburg, Allentown, Baltimore and Philadelphia commuters.
Stupid economics textbook!
-
Now that the Feds have taken over all student loans
Not so sure about this. Most of my student loans were federal, but when Obama said something about student loan forgiveness they panicked and sold all mine to private banks where federal loan forgiveness wouldn't have an effect.
-
Well, I have no clue then. I thought they took them all over.
-
They might have taken over new ones. I've been out of college for nearly 5 years now.
-
They actually sold them? I know they sell the management duties (the management company gets paid out of the interest and fees) but I was under the impression that they literally weren't allowed to sell the actual debt.
All my federal loans are managed by randomassed companies. The government got out of directly managing loans about a year and a half ago, but still own the debt.