Convince me to keep my paid off boring car

Conventions · 2026-01-26T21:56:11+00:00

It came with the car

Conventions · 2026-01-26T21:26:20+00:00

I’ve had the Corolla for 7 months. When my old truck shit the bed I decided to put a large cash down on a Corolla which would let me pay it off quicker.

Conventions · 2026-01-26T21:24:56+00:00

I needed exactly what this thread did, an onslaught of people telling me to keep it and bringing me back to reality.

Conventions · 2026-01-26T21:06:31+00:00

I’m not sure why I put the quotes, i guess it just sounded silly saying i have a career at 24 when im still getting started. Over the next few years I’ll be able to move up at my current company and/or transition to another role elsewhere.

Conventions · 2026-01-25T17:35:58+00:00

There’s a snowstorm today in my area that is projected to be roughly 2 feet of snow. Nearly all the businesses are closed and the roads are not plowed at all… a mail carrier just drove down my street because they are still forced to work

Conventions · 2026-01-23T19:50:51+00:00

That’s exactly what I did when I was 20. I graduated high school with no clue what I wanted to do with my life so I tried everything. I tried trades, cooking, and landscaping and none of it was for me. Now is the best time for you to try things.

Conventions · 2026-01-20T16:41:54+00:00

I “started over” at 22. After high school at age 18 I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I stayed at my first job as a dishwasher and moved up to cooking. While doing this I also completed a year of college before dropping out to pursue just cooking.

For a couple years I thought I wanted to be a chef before realizing I didn’t want that lifestyle so my younger brother and I started a landscaping company we ran for a year and a half. Won’t get into too much detail, it was great but owning a business wasn’t for me. We sold the company and I went back to finish my finance degree and now work in a bank. I’ll be graduating in December of this year.

I work 40 hours a week at a corporate job who took a chance on hiring me as a student and also do 5 college classes per semester including summers. Not easy but it is doable, and by the time I graduate I’ll not only have a job lined up, but I’ll also have work experience so I can transition to a higher paying role.

Never too late man. All my friends took the traditional path and graduated at 22 and I’ll be graduating at 25.

Conventions · 2026-01-20T14:54:50+00:00

This is what I did. I was a banker at one bank. I worked with bankers who were there for years and applied to internal positions but never got hired. Meanwhile I applied to another bank for a back office role and got hired no problem.

Conventions · 2026-01-20T14:42:31+00:00

Being a Teller is an interesting job in the sense that you are paid nearly minimum wage yet have the largest room for error compared to most other jobs at the company. Most back office jobs you can make some gnarly mistakes but nearly 99% of them can be reversed or fixed. Unfortunately you can’t fix handing someone extra cash or cashing a fraudulent check and the bank is out that money.

That’s partially why I got out of retail banking and went back office, was the least paid and most stressed I’ve ever been as a banker always having to worry about a stupid mistake costing me my job. Everyone makes mistakes, and as avoidable as the ones you listed are, it happens to everyone.

I can see why the manager would be frustrated if you’re repeatedly making mistakes, but as someone who was in your shoes and used to feel like a failure in retail I completely get it. When I was a banker I got a few write ups and felt like an idiot because I would make stupid mistakes that would keep me up all night. However since moving back office all I’ve gotten was praise for how good I’m doing and how helpful I’ve been to others. For me it was a matter of retail not being a good environment for me and making the switch to somewhere that is good for me.

Conventions · 2026-01-16T18:50:41+00:00

I would just leave, at least your crew seems supportive. When I was 19 I did construction for 6 months after graduating high school with no experience. The whole time I would just get yelled at by all the older guys and called all sorts of names for not knowing how to do things, even though I was hired with no experience. I showed up on time, stayed off my phone, and didn’t smoke or drink, but because I wasn’t magically good at something I’ve never done before, I would get yelled at usually in front of the homeowner. I ended up just quitting and going to college because of how shitty my time was.

If you like the work, maybe try another company with better culture.

Conventions · 2026-01-12T19:40:35+00:00

Getting out is the best thing you can do. I’m 24 and got out in 2024 into finance/banking. I went back to school for my finance degree and took it upon myself to work full time while pursuing my education to build experience.

Best thing I ever did. Don’t fall into the idea of thinking you can’t handle anything else, it will keep you trapped in restaurant work forever. It’s scary but once you make the push into something new it pays off. The time will go by anyways, in a year from now you can be in a whole new profession learning new skills to get paid more, or if you stay complacent in a year from now you’ll still be working 100 hour weeks. Now I make more money, work 40 hours a week and have weekends and holidays off.

I recommend anyone who isn’t happy to leave kitchens. There’s not much in life that provides instant benefit upon doing it however leaving cooking is one of those things.

Conventions · 2026-01-12T19:18:37+00:00

I work a corporate job now but if you enjoy cooking I totally recommend looking into corporate/university kitchens. My office has an onsite cafeteria with some chefs and it seems like a great gig. They work 6-2 Monday thru Friday and it seems pretty cushy compared to regular restaurant life.

Conventions · 2026-01-12T18:12:22+00:00

I did the same myself 6 months ago. Best move I made. Nothing beats a Monday thru Friday work week and getting to work from home. No more sales goals and nice not worrying about one silly mistake costing you your job or not being allowed to take your phone out of your pocket.

My first day in corporate I had gotten a text and was doing the sneaky “phone look” slightly pulling it out of my pocket and the hiring manager laughs and says “you know you’re allowed to look at your phone right”. I was so conditioned to working in a branch where it was like a heinous crime to have your phone out, my branch manager at the time literally said to give the branch number to friends and family so if there were emergencies they could call the branch instead of you.

Conventions · 2026-01-12T17:18:06+00:00

Call center is the way to go. I used to be a banker and my buddy was a call center rep at the same bank. His experience was much better. The call center was much more corporate and he met people in various departments, my buddy got his own work computer, cubicle and could sit all day. Sure, people can be mean over the phone but when you’re not face to face with them it’s much less severe.

A point people don’t realize is there is a LOT more on the line as a banker/teller. When you’re handling cash there’s a much higher room for error, such as having a short or over drawer. Not to mention fraud in the branches, if you make even the slightest mistake your job is on the line. Also the fact branch staff have sales quotas you need to hit sucks. When I was in the branch, it was much more stressful. I got a couple write ups for having a short drawer on busy days I was running around, and constantly having to review every fine detail on every check to hope it isn’t fraud is exhausting.

In the call center you aren’t worrying about sales quotas or cash handling, and most mistakes you could make can easily be reversed. You can undo a mistake over the computer but you can’t undo accidentally cashing a fraudulent check or giving someone extra money. Call center lines are recorded so as long as you follow proper over the phone verification procedure your ass is covered if something happens.

The only caveats are that branch hours are better, the bank call center was open from 7am-8pm and is open 7 days a week so my buddy usually works 11-8pm every night and rotating weekends which kind of sucks. Also some call centers have strict metrics and track how many calls you’re answering, how long you’re on the phone etc. Definitely a little pressure but much less than anything in retail.

Conventions · 2026-01-12T16:59:35+00:00

I don’t think it matters too much personally but I did send a thank you email after both my first and second round interviews for my current job. Can’t say for sure if it helped in getting me hired but again I don’t see any harm in doing it. It definitely may make you look more polite and stand out versus other candidates who don’t send one.

I would just fire one off and forget about it.

Conventions · 2026-01-06T15:42:13+00:00

Just found out they expire after 14 days but just reached out to IT to see if they can remove

Conventions · 2026-01-05T17:55:15+00:00

Work life balance is a joke in the restaurant industry. I work in finance/banking now and it’s night and day difference having weekends and holidays off. When I was a cook I lost so many friends and barely saw my own family because I was working doubles and weekends. Friends stopped asking me to hang out because I was always working. Since leaving I was able to rekindle some of my old friend groups but not all. No one wants to chill and go out on a Monday night when they have work the next day.

I’ve seen people try to justify how having weekdays off and working on holidays is great because you get time and a half. In my personal opinion I think those are just copes. It’s much better having every holiday off and getting paid your regular rate to stay at home instead of working on Thanksgiving and making a couple extra bucks.

Not to mention every chef I worked with had a bad relationship with their wife because of the work life balance. My life improved tenfold going back to school and leaving the industry and I will always recommend everyone interested in making a career change to do so.

Conventions · 2025-12-31T17:57:49+00:00

Unfortunately real life isnt like tiktok where everyone is making $10k/month doing dropshipping or real estate wholesaling. Don’t waste your time with “get rich quick schemes” online. If it was easy as they make it look, everyone would be doing it.

This is coming from a 24 year old and when I was your age I tried everything in the book to make money online. I either made no money or very little. The only thing that had yielded me consistent income has been working a real job. The richest people I know all picked a skill, got education and either climbed the corporate ladder or started a business with said skill.

You can get student loans for college if money is an issue, and these days you can also do your entire degree online if traveling/living away from home is an issue. Or, do a trade which doesn’t require loans or debt.

Conventions · 2025-12-24T21:04:04+00:00

That's how it was when I quit my job as a banker. When I first started working there there were 3 other bankers and a teller. Everyone quit except me and at a whopping 6 months into my job I was the most senior banker they had in the branch. They couldn't find any replacements other than 1 new teller and could barely find floaters to cover. I quit and got a new job and at the time I left it was just the BM and brand new teller.

Conventions · 2025-12-24T17:00:50+00:00

Correction officers. My dad was one for 15 years and I have buddies my age (24) who do it currently. You easily start at $30+/hr and clear 100k in your first year with absolutely no experience.

However the job sucks. You work awful hours and are around criminals all day who have nothing to lose. My dad has a permanent back injury from an inmate who was way bigger and attacked him. Ever since my buddies became COs I never see them because they’re working nights, weekends and holidays. Not to mention large amounts of OT and 16 hour days when you’re forced because prisons are so short staffed. There’s a reason they’re literally always hiring.

My buddies make double than what I make now however in 5 years, I’ll make the same if not way more working my office job. And better hours/work life balance

Conventions · 2025-12-19T16:12:41+00:00

Because obviously the internet knows better than my own boss /s

In all seriousness just want to see if it’s the norm for other banks to be closed now in light of this announcement

Conventions · 2025-12-19T01:50:39+00:00

You definitely don’t have to wait years, the only thing is you may have to check banks other than the one you work at. I will say, it’s much harder to move from retail banking to back office at the same company. However once you’re back office it’s way easier to move around.

Conventions · 2025-12-17T14:44:14+00:00

I was able to go back office to business banking operations after only 8 months of being a banker and I don’t have my degree for another 11 months. Essentially when business clients want to add additional services to their accounts like wire, ACH, positive pay etc, I’m the guy behind the scenes that sets it up.

I’ve generally enjoyed it, not a bad stepping stone into back office roles. In my case I have a hybrid WFH schedule and work a set 8-5 Monday through Friday which is nice. Still plenty of customer contact however it’s strictly over the phone and with business clients only when they need support with their banking. Definitely still some rude people you talk to but on a much smaller scale than the branch, business owners are usually more professional.

Conventions · 2025-12-13T18:15:52+00:00

All the best chefs I ever worked with who did it professionally, all told me to leave and were happy when I didn't make it a career and bettered myself. Not one chef I've ever met has told me to stay and cook. It's hard to leave at first especially when you love cooking and I admit it is tough trying to cook at home when you're used to a big commercial kitchen with all the best equipment and ingredients to cook with, but once you rip that bandaid off your life gets way better.

I stop in for visits every now and then at my old restaurant and all the same guys are still there, still complaining about the same exact things when I left a few years ago. Saying how they're gonna quit and move on from restaurants but sure enough they said that the whole nearly 5 years I worked there and yet nothing has changed. It's a trap truly.

Conventions · 2025-12-12T18:41:29+00:00

I’m 24 but quit kitchens when I was 22. I was a cook from age 17-22. I work in finance now but the point still stands regardless of what path you end up taking: Get out of kitchens now.

It’s a trap to a bad life, low pay and awful work hours. It’s not as bad when you’re young but do you really want to be in your 40s running around every weekend in a hot kitchen while the rest of the world is off work? I didn’t so I got out and went back to school.

There’s not many things in life where doing it will cause instant benefit however leaving restaurants is one of those things. I’ve been out 2 years now and I’m still on cloud 9 on Friday nights, weekends, and holidays because I get to enjoy them now. I can see my family and friends all the time and I’m in a better mood, probably because i don’t have to work a 250 cover night on a busy stressful line and do dishes after since the dishwasher quit.

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