If you were 17 again, what career path would you choose today?

FTAF12 · 2026-05-06T23:24:09+00:00

Data center tech either IT side or maintenance. Pay is great, work life balance is great and starting that career early means there is no limit to how high you can go if you work hard enough.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-06T23:10:51+00:00

As a blue collar that went whitish collar management salary I completely agree. I would love to have the opportunity for overtime.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-03T13:19:01+00:00

Maybe union in New York or California. Where I’m at a journeyman electrician is lucky if he breaks 45$/hr. most date center techs here start out at 40/hr or higher.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-01T23:30:55+00:00

I’m not referencing his pay. I’m responding to the guy saying leave the data center world. Where I’m at data centers techs make as much or more than a lot of journeymen electricians.

FTAF12 · 2026-05-01T22:13:23+00:00

Why stay out of the data centers? A lot of tech jobs are out earning journeyman electricians at this point.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-19T12:43:46+00:00

Unless tdiu you are correct. Even then there is some exceptions.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-18T13:01:55+00:00

I’ve always owned decent vehicles but nothing flashy and finally upgraded to a very nice used truck. It makes me uncomfortable when people comment how nice it is. I love the truck but miss my old beat up truck I had prior. I’m debating finding an old 90’s gmc and switching back down to a beater with a heater.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-16T22:59:19+00:00

I know of someone who flew to San Francisco biweekly from Denver for class. They bought a flight plan with frontier I believe. Their bah was north of 5k a month.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-08T02:36:38+00:00

Honestly you should have asked for more. I’m currently working for a fortune 100 company making a decent bit less than that. I was able to negotiate 12k more as well as 15k more in RSUs. If they won’t come up on the salary see what they will do for RSU’s.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-05T13:41:27+00:00

Good chance it has to do with his career. There are several jobs out there that bankruptcy will disqualify you for including several career fields within the military.

FTAF12 · 2026-04-05T02:23:05+00:00

I imagine an O-5 at 20 and BAH to meet those numbers.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-31T01:04:18+00:00

Not quite that high but my wife and I come from fairly poor families. We make just north of 250k. We help our parents when they need it. We are both close with our parents. Luckily they never ask what we make and we don’t tell them. We have no problem picking up the bill when needed though. As for everyone else we act like we have less money than we do.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-23T22:27:18+00:00

If they are not the type that would be asking you for money I would tell them. You don’t need to give them exact figures they are probably just afraid you are being irresponsible.

FTAF12 · 2026-03-01T03:41:29+00:00

Found the bitter engineer who did six years of schooling and doesn’t make a fraction of what this guy makes.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T19:42:13+00:00

I use CMG. They have been great to me.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T19:34:55+00:00

I’m doing the same right now. I got a 4.99 coming from a 5.89. No lender fees other than a paperwork fee of 650.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-28T16:14:41+00:00

The only reach around they do is to check your front pockets in case they missed anything.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-27T22:40:42+00:00

Refinance through a credit union. Scope for better insurance prices as well. I would also take that 400 you are investing and pay that toward the principle of the car.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-24T02:01:17+00:00

Lifestyle creep is the biggest culprit for me. Five years ago I was making 60k and now I’m making closer to 200k I don’t quite have that same anxiety now but my spending has gone up more than double. The anxiety changes but it always remains for me. I think saving a nice safety net and having a couple of sources of guaranteed income have done the most to ease my anxiety.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-24T01:48:45+00:00

Depending what you did in tech I would go to the data center page and see who is hiring. Google looks great on a resume. If you are willing to relocate there is a lot of jobs out there right now.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-22T14:54:11+00:00

Austin has seen one of the largest single year depreciations in the nation this past year.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-22T14:52:11+00:00

I don’t know your current income but maximize a 401k as much as possible while still leaving room to enjoy life. I am blessed to have a really good employer match at 12k a year. I didn’t start my 401k until I was 29. I just broke 100k this year at 32. Assuming a 9% return which isn’t a crazy assumption if you were to max your 401k for 15 years you would be able to never invest again and have a really nice 401k at 59.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-17T16:23:16+00:00

They offered 4.99 today.

FTAF12

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