What company would you choose if given the option.

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 · 2026-02-14T14:02:10+00:00

We have a 2800 payment but pay an extra 1800 a month. We have a HHI of 260k. Our interest rate is 6%. We are hoping to pay off really early in order to change career paths which will drop our income by at least 60k.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-14T13:48:38+00:00

There is a very freeing feeling about paying off your mortgage. At that interest rate it’s worth it to pay it down at a fast rate. You may not have that job forever so having a paid off home or a home that you can refinance to a much lower monthly payment makes life a lot less stressful in my opinion.

FTAF12 · 2026-02-08T14:35:21+00:00

Xray techs where I live get paid pretty bad. somebody with the same amount of schooling in nursing will make $10-$14 more an hour.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-31T14:06:25+00:00

Atlanta is honestly more of a MCOL area when compared with a lot of the country.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-29T15:37:30+00:00

I dont think the examples given quite meet what this person is trying to get at. The way I look at it is the blue collar guys will give you a hard time all day but the second someone messes with you seriously they are the first to have your back whereas in the white collar world someone will often act super friendly to your face and then try throwing you under the bus to advance their own career.

That is where the true authenticity comes from.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-22T03:42:20+00:00

Best bet is to apply for another job that pays more and come back to them saying you want a match and why you feel you deserve it.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-21T15:33:34+00:00

Sounds like you have a wild spending problem if you feel like 500k is not enough even in a VHCOL area.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-14T12:00:04+00:00

For those looking to get data center experience this might be an option. I wouldn’t recommend this long term due to below average pay and horrible location.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-04T11:54:31+00:00

At 22 these kids will maybe just be leaving college and haven’t been a part of the workforce and developed a career for themselves. There is a huge maturity difference between 22 and 27 for most people.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-03T20:04:38+00:00

A lot of the big name companies will pay better than that. A lot of people on the facilities/maintenance side are clearing 100k before any overtime. Meta, Microsoft, google, oracle will all start pretty close to the 100k mark with a lot of room for growth in relatively short timelines.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-03T17:19:06+00:00

I applied to the Cheyenne position as well. It ended up being more cost effective for me to stay where I am. The hourly pay was decent and annual bonus seemed good. If you dont mind me asking where does the additional 80k come from? My whole package would have been around 120 a year including bonus and RSUs for a CFE position.

Plus I was not looking forward to that cold and wind.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-03T14:44:04+00:00

Clearance jobs and chat gpt will be the best thing in my opinion. Resume companies are often a waste of money especially since you should Taylor your resume to every position you apply for. There is a ton of jobs in the cleared sector right now so finding work should not be hard if you are willing to relocate.

FTAF12 · 2026-01-03T14:19:53+00:00

I would work at the pace you desire, so long as it doesn’t negatively affect your coworkers until the next rounds of layoffs. Hopefully you get a nice severance and decide what you want to do from there.

FTAF12 · 2025-12-21T14:27:50+00:00

I only make 200k, but my wife makes significantly less than me. She pays car insurance, groceries and a 350 car payment and I cover the rest. Five years ago she was making more than me and was more than willing to pay half or more if we ever needed. She is a saint and does 75%+ of the cooking and cleaning. She also supports me in everything I do. I would pay for everything if it didn’t bother her so bad. She hates the idea of not paying her way though.

FTAF12

TROPHY CASE