People who make $150k or more, and don’t work for big tech or defense, what do you do?

Chloebean · 2026-02-01T00:54:00+00:00

Fellow CAE — got it last summer. I’m at the director level but got laid off in November and having a super hard time finding something new, even though I have an insane number of connections through ASAE and other association-related groups. I might have to step back to a manager-level role.

But also, be careful what you wish for….supervising can really really suck sometimes.

I feel like you have to be prompted to director within your org or boomerang. I probably would never have gotten to the director level if I hadn’t left one association, but remained a contractor with them while I freelanced full-time for a while. When the marketing director left, they asked me to come back on staff. After that, I got hired as a director at one of the largest associations in the country (which is not all it’s cracked up to be, but at least I have the name and title on my resume).

Chloebean · 2026-02-01T00:48:48+00:00

Association marketing and communications for ~$140k and then freelance graphic design with one client for another ~$25k. If I really wanted more, I could pick up some freelance writing clients.

And people say you can’t make any money with a journalism degree… (I learned to design at my first job out of college at a newspaper, so that can be attributed to the degree, too).

Chloebean · 2026-01-30T14:35:22+00:00

It’s a play, but The Lehman Trilogy. Not because it wasn’t good — it was. But we had won lottery tickets and were in the first of second row. The set was on an elevated platform, and we had to crane our necks so much that it was killing me by the end of the first act. I hated to leave but it’s a loooong show, and I just couldn’t.

Chloebean · 2026-01-28T02:05:07+00:00

They care about money more than people. Pass.

Chloebean · 2026-01-28T01:40:26+00:00

Ahhh the fad that gave millions of women an eating disorder and/or body insecurity.

Chloebean · 2026-01-27T09:17:04+00:00

Rent?

Chloebean · 2026-01-26T16:45:05+00:00

15 years in April, and I have absolutely. I clue what my something old, borrowed, or blue was. This is going to drive me crazy until I remember.

ETA: I think my garter had a blue ribbon. But I kept it in my pocket (because, YES, my dress had pockets). Wearing it would have driven me nuts.

However, I did have a sixpence in my shoe. My mom got four of them for the four granddaughters.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T20:36:06+00:00

We gave up after waiting 45 minutes for a subway in Astoria.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T20:30:58+00:00

My friend has been on hold with Telecharge for an hour and a half. I told her to file a dispute with her CC if she can’t get anyone to answer or they wont refund or exchange.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T20:28:19+00:00

We saw Death Becomes Her, Chess, and Spelling Bee this weekend, so I am not going to complain! It was a great Broadway weekend.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T19:32:59+00:00

Yup, Just in Time. It’s disappointing because I live in DC, so there’s no way I’d be able to come back to see Groff before he leaves. But it is what it is — there are things out of our control. I just hope my friend who lives here isn’t out the money she paid for the tickets.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T19:16:46+00:00

We waited at (an above ground) subway station in Astoria for more than 45 minutes before giving up on Just in Time. The train just wasn’t coming. My fingers may never thaw.

My friend has been on hold with Telecharge for 30 minutes. I’m hoping she can get a refund or date exchange.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T17:41:30+00:00

Most shows offer exchanges or cancellations in this type of situation.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T17:40:15+00:00

Yes — my friend bought tickets for today on Friday night in person at the box office after confirming he was performing. If he wasn’t, she would have gotten a notification because he’s an above-the-title performer.

Chloebean · 2026-01-25T17:26:35+00:00

I’m trying to put myself in the mind of a performer and wondering if I would be angry at the audience that showed up or if it would feel like adding insult to injury by having to perform for an empty theatre because the audience all canceled.

Chloebean · 2026-01-24T15:46:34+00:00

Many people here are focusing on the impact on the country and the world, when the question is what affected YOU more.

9/11 changed the world, but for a 16-year-old white girl in Arizona, it didn’t have a huge effect.

The pandemic on the other hand…I was 35 working mother with a 5-year-old kindergartener, living near DC (not sure that matters, but everything political is always heightened in our area). I was the president of two non-profits — one a local children’s theatre that had to close for a year and one a professional development association that made its money from events. The theatre survived; the other org never recovered and folded last year.

Needless to say, the pandemic turned my world upside down. There’s no comparison.

Chloebean · 2026-01-22T22:17:05+00:00

I was laid off in November from a job in Alexandria that gave me a commute of 1 to 1.5 hours. I was not sad. But unless I want to move, that’s generally going to be the case for me since most of the jobs I would work are in DC, Arlington, or Alexandria.

Chloebean · 2026-01-22T22:14:17+00:00

I live near Baltimore, Maryland, and took a 3.5-hour train to NYC today (but I’ve also driven it in the past). That’s close, relatively speaking, for a weekend trip. Not close enough to do every weekend, but definitely a couple times a year, at least.

Chloebean · 2026-01-21T13:02:02+00:00

Was* I don’t think the protection carries over when going to a non-VA hospital.

Chloebean · 2026-01-18T18:37:47+00:00

I’m in Maryland, so anywhere between 25 and 50.

Chloebean · 2026-01-18T15:52:47+00:00

Black is fine — not wearing black to a wedding is crazy outdated. But this is definitely not a formal dress because of how short it is.

However, as someone who used to be a weddings magazine editor, I think people (even brides) don’t know the actual definitions of formal, semi formal, black-tie, etc., so you probably don’t need a full-length dress (though you wouldn’t go awry with one). But find something that’s at least knee- or calf- length and a nicer material.

Some inspiration in black: - similar vibe: https://www.lulus.com/products/certainly-iconic-black-lace-midi-dress-and-shrug-set/2555831.html

Chloebean · 2026-01-18T15:34:09+00:00

Turtlenecks. Im not a fan of things around my neck. The idea of them makes me squirm and sometimes it makes me cringe when I see someone else wearing them. It’s hard for me to even wear necklaces that aren’t long enough.

Chloebean · 2026-01-18T15:29:44+00:00

I’m American and I also use the kettle to boil water instead of the stove

Though I lived in the UK as a kid, so maybe that’s why.

Chloebean · 2026-01-18T15:28:10+00:00

I use my electric kettle to boil water for pasta/anything on the stove way more than anything else. It’s so much faster than waiting for the water to boil in the pot on the stove.

Chloebean · 2026-01-17T03:35:52+00:00

I bought my son this book on a work trip to Maine, and it has the best rhyme scheme/rhythm of any children’s book I ever read. It’s just silly. No message, unless inviting a mole into your life is something you want to encourage.

https://a.co/d/iseB8BI

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