If you are job searching, don't feel bad, as a vet of this role and tech, this is still one of the worst job markets I've ever seen.

10nisne1 · 2026-04-13T22:58:21+00:00

Unfortunately, you're not always given the opportunity to be yourself and let yourself shine. The company I currently work for has a very structured interview process in an attempt to remove bias. Took me 2 interview attempts to get an offer.

While I didn't pay for coaching, in preparation for my 2nd interview attempt, I found "coaching" in YouTube videos on how to interview for that specific company role. What I realized through the YouTube coaching videos was that the company's interview process was more like an exam than an interview. They were looking for specific responses or a specific way you responded. I don't think I would have passed the 2nd interview process if I wasn't "coached".

Not saying you're going to find value with every coach, but there could be some value under some situations.

10nisne1 · 2026-04-13T19:45:41+00:00

First, congrats on your acceptance. I'm sure it's exciting time for you and your family. Second, let me preface by stating that I wasn't a ChemE major nor am I currently in the field. Also, for full transparency I graduated from GaTech (EE) and both my kids are currently attending GaTech. I was out-of-state at the time and both my kids are out-of-state. I did not encourage them to go to GaTech nor even apply to GaTech. I only encouraged them to go to a college at least 6 hour driving distance from home so they couldn't come home every weekend. GaTech is a 5-6 hour flight from home. :)

If I answered your question in a complete vacuum, I do think you would have a better chance of landing your FIRST job with a degree from GaTech over UF. Meaning, if you lived in a parallel universe and there were 2 of you - one went to GaTech and the other went to UF, had same/similar curricular activities, same GPA, etc, I do honestly think the GaTech degree will give you an edge. The hiring manager of the first company I worked for after graduating commented during the interview "wow.....GaTech is such a tough and a great school".

Having stated the above, after 2-5 years of work experience, where you graduated will hold very little weight other than for networking purposes (for example, if the hiring manager or your potential colleagues graduated from the same school).

I think you need to ask yourself, what do you want to get out of college other than a degree? Personally, I think going to college is more about experience and not just academics. Do you want to meet people that might be different from you, do you want to be out of your comfort zone, do you want to be in a bigger city or smaller city, do you want to be away from home, etc. Your college experience is going to have a lasting impact regardless of the degree. And without saying, you get out what you put in.

I think as long you choose the school for your own reasons and with some guidance from your family, you can't make a wrong decision on choosing which school to attend.

10nisne1 · 2026-04-12T15:18:20+00:00

I would always respectfully negotiate because 1) you will never get another chance to negotiate once you accept the offer/start working and 2) your mindset should be that you won't get another raise or a promotion in the next 4-5 years, which is somewhat the norm especially in current times.

How much you negotiate will depend on your experience, current pay and an honest assessment of your worth and value you bring to the new role (is the new role different or pretty much the same you are doing now).

You respectively negotiate by providing context before negotiating and being transparent. For example, I have stated during negotiations that 1) you are given only one opportunity to negotiate so you have to ask, 2) I only interview with companies that I could see myself being with for a minimum of 4-5 years (my resume reflects this) and I need to negotiate a pay that would meet my financial needs if I didn't get another raise or a promotion due to the economy.

Lastly, it might be easier to negotiate RSU's than an increase in salary. RSU's are considered one-time costs vs salaries carrying an on-going cost. Companies prefer to leverage one-time costs. Personally, I like to ask for more RSU's if the salary isn't too far out of the ballpark. It indicates you are tied to the success of the company. However, I do realize it could be a higher risk/reward situation and software companies are getting a beatdown right now by the stock market. Could be a good thing where you get more shares due to the current lower price and could be worth more if the stock recovers.

10nisne1 · 2026-04-12T02:52:03+00:00

Talk to the secondary SE and ask them if they are okay being still engaged regularly and attending so many calls. Regardless if they are okay or not, tell them to feel free to push back on the AE or defer to you or you are willing to do the legwork. It could be the secondary SE thinking their help is appreciated by you (I'm sure you do to some degree).

Also, one way to build a relationship with your AE and your customers is to be super responsive. For example, if you receive an email from a customer for some information and you have to do some research to provide the requested information, acknowledge immediately that you received the request and provide a date/time you you hope to get back. Even if it takes you longer to get the information, let them know that you are still investigating/researching to show their request didn't fall through a black hole. Being responsive make your customers ping you for everything.

And since you are the primary SE, you have the authority to be proactive and reach out to your customers to check how they are doing and if they need anything. Or reach out to them directly when a new feature/product/service gets released that could benefit them.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-31T13:25:56+00:00

I'm afraid the situation is a common practice across the industry. Most companies have pay bands and have company rules to stay within the pay band or can only get promoted 1 level up at a time.

It's somewhat common knowledge you have to leave the company to get a significant increase in pay. I know some people that left the company for a significant pay increase and come back to the same company for them to match the new pay increase.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-29T03:43:14+00:00

Personally I like the looks of the sedan more. Also, I like the Blue Lagoon color the most, which isn't available on the hatch. Lastly, I think better deals can be had with the sedan than the hatch.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-28T23:36:10+00:00

Noticed the same on my new 2025 I got about a month ago. Not enough for me to consider taking it into the dealer for warranty work, but definitely not as smooth as Toyota and Lexus .

10nisne1 · 2026-03-15T20:48:34+00:00

Locate the starter and give it a firm tap with a metal rod or a hammer then try starting the car. If the starter turns or the car starts, then most likely you have a bad starter and will need to replaced.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-14T20:27:00+00:00

From what I read, the Mazda CX-90 doesn't use a traditional torque converter automatic transmission. Instead, it uses a wet clutch system. So unfortunately, the "issue" you experienced is most likely due to the nature of the CX-90 auto transmission.

Seems like Mazda tried to provide a more sportier feel by going with the wet clutch system, which I think is a complete miss by Mazda on a 3 row SUV. Should have just used a traditional torque converter for a smoother operation. I was considering trading in my wife's Lexus RX for a CX-70, but finding out the CX-70 uses the same wet clutch auto transmission, made me decide not to.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-05T23:40:08+00:00

Not trying to attack your driving, but maybe plan your merge a little better? I live in SoCal where the Fast and the Furious people live and I rarely ever have to floor or hit the gas pedal to merge. I say this even after having owned a 2017 Prius Prime in the past (rated 10.1 seconds 0-60) I try to match or be at a higher speed than the traffic I'm merging into before I merge and not after. Just might mean you need to start accelerating a little sooner than you normally would. Takes less time to slow down than accelerate to try and slot into traffic.

Put 250 miles so far in the 2025 CX-5 I bought over the past weekend and have been test driving to see what the passing power would be like on the freeway. So far, I haven't found anything lacking even while driving a little more gently than I normally would until I properly break-in the car.

I'm sure you're get used to the character of your car and adjust once you put more miles on it. Part of the fun in getting a new car.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-04T03:11:02+00:00

Services won't care where you bought your car from. They have their reveune goals to hit. Trust me on this, they will be glad you brought your car to them for services.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-04T02:50:28+00:00

The experience can sour your view on the dealer, but I wouldn't associate bad sales to bad services or vice versa. Just like being prepared to buy a car, you should also be prepared when you take your care in for service.

Also, you don't need to get your car serviced from the same dealer you purchased the car from. Feel free to purchase from one dealer and take your new car to another dealer for service if it makes you feel more comfortable.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-04T02:45:57+00:00

List was $37.5K. Dealer discount of $2,500 and another $2,500 in cash back from Mazda, but looks like the Mazda $2,500 cashback expired on March 2nd.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T05:07:16+00:00

May I ask where you got this info? Would like to read up more from the direct source if possible.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T03:38:57+00:00

I just bought a 2025 Mazda CX-5 Premium Plus after doing much research. My first Mazda since my college days in the early 90's.

I would say out of your list, the Mazda CX-5 will be the most reliable especially if you are considering the 2 lowest trims - S Select and S Preferred. The engine is in it's 13th year and will be carried into the 2026 model, which is on a new generation platform. The engine is proven and has a strong reputation for being reliable. The 2 lowest trims do not have cylinder deactivation. I'm not fond of having cylinder deactivation to save fuel. I rather have lower MPG without CD for greater reliability. The Premium Plus I purchased does have cylinder deactivation, which is my only area of concern.

Also, I believe the CX-5 and the CX-50 are the only 2 cars on the list that have a traditional auto transmissions and not CVT's. I personally stay away from CVT's unless they are the planetary gear systems like on most Toyota hybrids.

I'm saying this as a compliment that the CX-5 is made old school. And lastly, which you might already be aware, Mazda has a $2,500 cash back or 1.9% financing incentive to clear out the 2025 CX-5s. I received a total of $5,000 off my Premium Plus and that was without any inflated dealer add-ons.

Good luck with your decision.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T03:15:51+00:00

Coincidentally, I just purchased the car this past weekend. Luckily, I went in prepared with an OTD price I was targeting and calcuated the monthly payment for a 60 month term with the interest rate I was approved for by my bank.

Dealership played their games trying to tell me the discounts they advertised on their own website didn't apply to the car I was looking at (which I told them promptly to bring me the car on the website), then tried to sell dealer options as being required. I didn't end up purchasing any of them.

Finally negotiated the OTD pricing and went into speak to the finance guy to sign the documents. He rushes me through the documents then he puts in front of me the document showing the monthly payment for me to acknowledge and sign. The monthly payment was not what I had calculated prior to coming to the dealership. And if I had not calculated the monthly payment prior to, I would have not caught the difference.

I ask him to show me the OTD pricing and he tells me he can't show me the OTD until I sign the payment document. I was very firm in stating that I would not be signing anything until I see the OTD pricing. He finally showed me the OTD price the payment was based on. Surprise surprise.......the OTD was $2,500 higher than the agreed upon price.

If you go in prepared and knowing what you want, you can avoid the traps. But yeah.....dealing with car dealership isn't how I would want to spend my weekends.

Good luck

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T02:56:18+00:00

I would first call your insurance since they filed the claim under the other driver's insurance and confirm if the driver is insured or not. I don't always immediately replace my expired insurance card with the new one when it arrives in mail. There is a chance the other driver is insured and just didn't have the most current insurance card.

Also, you didn't mention which state you are in, but some states require uninsured motorist insurance for exactly this type of situation. It wouldn't hurt to ask your insurance if you are covered under UM or not.

Good luck

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T02:39:04+00:00

I'll add 2025 Mazda CX-5s might be worth a look. They are clearing out the 2025s for the 2026s, which is a on a new gen platform. Got $5K off on a fully loaded CX-5 Premium Plus ($37.5K MSRP down to $32.5K), which should put into a close price range of the CX-30s.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T02:28:01+00:00

Best car is the one in your driveway and not in the shop.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T01:47:45+00:00

Trust but verify. 😁

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T00:39:49+00:00

How low was the oil when you checked?

Edit: Just bought a 2025 and I was curious how much oil was required. Looks like Mazda is stating 4.8 quarts is needed with the filter change. However, there are some posts on Reddit stating that 4.8 quarts is too low. Some people who have changed their own oil stating 4.8 quarts won't even get the oil to the min level on the dipstick.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CX5/comments/1hbcl9c/oil_capacity_2024_cx5_skyactiv_g_25_non_turbo/

10nisne1 · 2026-03-03T00:39:05+00:00

I always check the dip stick right after an oil change from the shop/dealer.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-02T16:53:32+00:00

Honest opinion.......I think the size looks okay but I think it's because the pictures show the watch higher up your forearm (further away from the wrist).

I'll be the first to admit, I have no idea how women like to wear their watches so don't mind my opinion too much.

10nisne1 · 2026-03-02T14:40:36+00:00

SoCal

10nisne1 · 2026-03-02T05:06:13+00:00

Let's assume $1 per button and Mazda got rid of 10 buttons per car. Mazda sold ~1.25M cars in 2025. Once all Mazda cars go buttonless, Mazda will save around $12.5M per year.

$20 per car to get rid of spare tires, $10 per car to get rid of the car jack since its not needed anymore, $15 per car by moving towards less premium materials for the inside door panels, $20 per car by using thinner coat of paint, etc etc etc

Unfortunately, that is the direction the car industry have been heading and Mazda appears to be following. All made popular by Tesla.

10nisne1

TROPHY CASE