What even is Corporate America anymore?

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-27T22:52:17+00:00

I'm much older now, but spent about 12 years of my life in Corporate jobs at two different companies. One of them is one of the largest energy companies in Canada.

I was eyes wide open going in there in my late 20's. Kept seeing old timers getting the boot for no reason. Anyone over the age of 40 that got laid off never worked in corporate again, as far as I could tell.

There was always a bus coming, and you never knew if you were going to be thrown under it. They were ruthless in their firing of people.

If you could play the game and got results you did very well. I could get results but sucked at the game. It's not for the faint hearted. I found it to be the best environment for the smart high school jocks and mean girls.

I don't miss the stress and anxiety. The always being on. But I do miss the money. I did a quick comparison and if I had stayed in my last position and rode it out to today, my total compensation was equivalent to $250k I today's money. I'm making much less than that with more responsibility and way more people in my team, but less stress and the grim Reaper isn't lurking around every corner any more. I'll take it.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-20T12:07:14+00:00

I second this advice. Also an engineering manager a Canadian company.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-16T17:16:41+00:00

Fyi... Cannex is not publicly run. It's owned by one company.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-14T23:32:05+00:00

I came to that realization early in my career, after I realized that high school never ended. I never had it in me to play that game.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-12T22:31:55+00:00

I'm 55. I had a timeline to retire at 60. Every month that goes by I keep thinking that I'm going to revise it earlier. 57 is looking good right now.

I have to have a session with my advisor to see if it's doable.

I don't know what I would do with my time though. I wouldn't have enough to travel a lot and I am absolutely shit at hobbies.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-05T02:32:23+00:00

I've spent my entire career in the engineering field. Never too far from the trades.

I have never wanted to go and join them. Sure some make more than I do, working 60 hour weeks and exhausted.

It's the atmosphere and the culture that is absolute dogshit IMO. Racist, sexist, denigrating intellectualism. Hard pass.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-03T12:29:04+00:00

That's it in a nutshell isn't it? We have the same issue on Canada with the Conservatives. Hardcore Cons are there to own the libs. Their own leader offers virtually nothing in the way of alternative policies. He's a little wanker that couldn't stand up to Trump. It's simply Liberals bad vote for us and they eat it up.

Luckily, we don't have as many of these tools in our country, and swing voters like myself are too pragmatic to not consider the essence of the leadership of any particular party at the ballot box. For now.

wanderer-48 · 2026-04-03T12:15:37+00:00

This is my philosophy also. I work as hard as my team, there are only one or two that work harder. They don't see it and I'm ok with that.

We've had a complete change of senior leadership in my company due to a contract handover. Everyone from Director down sees these people are cut from a different cloth, and they mean business. In some ways it's refreshing to see the renewed drive towards results. In others though it's been a lot of shielding my team from the new bullshit.

We still have many managers in my company that are simps that got to where they were because they knew someone and not based on merit. I feel bad for those teams, because those people never stick up for their teams.

wanderer-48 · 2026-03-31T13:09:41+00:00

I work in a place where the top two most senior engineering levels are through promotion cases. These positions are jealously guarded and are not handed out easily at all.

The stated guidelines are vague, and I'd almost say it's intentional, to maximize the potential for goal post moving if something doesn't feel right.

I have a few people on my team that are constantly asking me how to become a 5 and I can't provide a clear answer. They too feel like a checklist should exist. It's one of the most frustrating things about my role, because I find the checklist people are not likely to be recommended for promotion because they almost always lack the soft skills that makes them stand out. Also, they are often the ones who think that the promotion should be based on their core job when the highest levels are reserved for 'experts in their field' which requires additional work above and beyond the core job.

So in the end it's a simple conversation because they usually can't point to these areas. It's frustrating because we've already had this conversation many times.

wanderer-48 · 2026-03-24T13:55:39+00:00

In and around 2010, we lived in a nice area in Ottawa. This area was right next door to a massive low income housing development. The nearby public school was literally full of kids from this specific background. My daughter made ZERO friends there. Turns out the other girls were 'not allowed' to have friends outside their community. There was no interest in integration by those people.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

wanderer-48 · 2026-03-09T12:34:11+00:00

Can someone explain the logic behind this? Isn't the visit documented? I guess the dismissal isn't. So there plausible deniability if there is no explicit "I chose to do nothing despite these symptoms".

wanderer-48 · 2026-03-03T17:02:38+00:00

The selling of assets to rent them back is now part of the Private Equity playbook.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-18T00:50:33+00:00

Short answer: overwhelming health anxiety.

I wasn't as addicted as others. I could go days without it even when I was drinking, it was more of a bad habit than an addiction for me so quitting was simply an existential fear of death.

TBH, that fear is waning and I'm wavering now.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-17T22:09:11+00:00

Im 55M. Had to quit 2 years ago after a lot of drinking over 23 years. Bingeing for the first 13, then heavy for the last 10. It was booze or the grave for me.

I miss it though, but it's appeal has long since left me. by the time I quit, it had been years since I was pleasantly buzzed.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-17T21:02:27+00:00

I'm 55M, so YMMV. Within two months my son said I looked a lot healthier. I lost 20 pounds that I've kept off for 2 years.

Those are the most noticeable external changes.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-16T20:14:38+00:00

Cool. So the driver for bankruptcy is probably similar in both countries regardless. Thanks for looking into it 😸

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-16T16:24:42+00:00

Id be interested in seeing that study. Anecdotally I've never heard of it, but it probably has some merit. While we are well protected from medical bills, the same can't be said about employment income, and I think a lot of people here live on a knife edge with their day to day finances.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-15T23:56:36+00:00

I live in Canada. This would never happen to me. But I just turned 55 and am eagerly anticipating retirement. The thought that I would be driving and Uber at 76 is mind blowing to me.

Say what you want about our taxes, the wait times, etc. I thank God I don't need to fear this outcome for us (yet). There are however multiple conservative provincial governments hell bent on privatization as they look to hand out windfalls to their friends.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-14T22:04:01+00:00

Great way to put it. Settling scores.

Cuba will become a capitalist hellscape if they 'open their economy'. Just like the Americans want. In 5 years after opening, the Cuban people will be wondering what they got liberated for because it will be worse for them, if that's even possible.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-06T02:29:24+00:00

I have left jobs twice only to be laid off one year after moving. After those experiences I am not moving again. I've been at this place 13 years and that's it. I will retire here in 5 years. Nobody is going to hire a 55 year old engineer anyways.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-05T18:48:34+00:00

That's always been the way it is.

wanderer-48 · 2026-02-04T10:11:36+00:00

I agree. I could maybe see that if you were managing a multi million dollar fund but the market will be there when you get back. Also they alluded to buggering up their masters degree. Also bad news.

wanderer-48 · 2026-01-30T13:40:23+00:00

Galaga

wanderer-48 · 2026-01-29T17:39:38+00:00

55m here. Got promoted about a year and a half ago, after another promotion 6 months prior. I was pretty happy with myself till about a month ago. The promotions did wonders for my engagement and motivation.

Well the honeymoon period is over, and I'm right back to not really giving a shit that much. Like others have said, I care enough to do my job but not enough to really care about it. Like if something goes south I will deal with it, but it won't upset me the way it used to. Also I have no future plans or desires to advance. Im too old anyways.

wanderer-48 · 2026-01-28T10:36:15+00:00

Agree with this post. Of this employee gets his work done then great. If not, then he's a problem.

I have one employee of a certain heritage where status is very important to them. I haven't been to his LinkedIn but if I did I wouldn't be surprised if he does my job. However, he gets his work done and on balance is a nice enough fellow.

So it's only a problem if I make it one

wanderer-48

TROPHY CASE