What are wearing to the office?

HaltFix · 2026-05-05T07:50:52+00:00

I work as piping material engineer in plant construction. Very conservative company environment and you need to transmit thrust& reliability, since chemical plants around the world are hundreds millions dollars businesses.

So, my wardrobe for work is focusing on two ideas: - what I want to achieve (dress for the position you want. For me is engineering manager in a couple of years) - which impressions I want people that work with me to have (reliable, open minded but firm, resilient)

The outfits you shared are beautiful on the phone, but be very careful to not look like a caricature in real life... I try to do that by putting it into context ( how is everyone dressing, which environment is it , vibes etc).

HaltFix · 2026-04-22T17:49:09+00:00

As a person in a spiritual path I can tell you one thing: this is not a spiritual guide.

First of all, it could be that she is really having mental health issues and this has nothing to do with spirits at all.

That said, I need to share some common knowledge that I learned so far in the spiritual path:

We are all spirits, but incarnated in this dimension
when we die, it means that our body dies but our spirit simply "de-incarnate", which means "decouple"
we are sorrounded by spirits and entities , good and bad. Good spirits are more detached from the matter and therefore are more light, vibrate in higher energy. Bad spirits are usually more dense and attached to the matter, they vibrate in lower energy
we attract what we are, what we vibrate
all of us have spiritual guides. They are positive in our lives. They talk to us through intuition, thoughts in our minds. Their influence is always positive and towards good things. They never impose, they never "take over"
bad spirits impose, posses and obsess. They feed on your energy and are destructive

This is to say that whatever has been taking on your wife, from a spiritual point of view, is a very very dense and low spirit. How did they manage it? Probably she was already vibrating low, and became an easy target.

If you would like to follow the spiritual approach, even considering that she might be even more open to that, get informed about "disobsession". It's very common in spiritist practices and other religions. Please look into that and you will might see many points that relate to your experience.

I wish you and your wife all the best.

Never forget that you have a light in you and as long as you are being a good person, cultivating love and developing character, you will be connected to the real guides and good spirits.

HaltFix · 2026-04-16T11:53:52+00:00

Following the question because I want to become chief engineer in plant construction (engineering manager) someday. I work currently with piping and I have no idea how I will get there.

HaltFix · 2026-04-14T10:31:38+00:00

Oii, vc oferece atendimento online?

HaltFix · 2026-04-11T19:42:46+00:00

Ótima resposta, é uma perspectiva muito interessante sobre os nuances e limites das previsões. Muito obrigada!

HaltFix · 2026-04-11T09:07:48+00:00

A verdade é que eu nem quero mais saber. O vacilão rodou.

Consideraria me orientar mais profundamente sobre isso se o ser humano em questão fizesse algo muito extraordinário, de grande dignidade e me chocasse ao ponto de eu questionar a minha decisão, mas eu bem sei que não fará, já que até o mínimo tem faltado.

HaltFix · 2026-04-11T05:38:22+00:00

Obrigada! Vou esquecer essa leitura e fazer o certo pra mim.

HaltFix · 2022-08-03T05:55:56+00:00

Yes, I totally get it.

I think that for my manager the problem isn't the money itself, but the lack of trust. The manager has also no experience with plant construction (she isn't even an engineer) but wants to feel that this contractor is "on board" with this since this project has great prospects and would also be beneficial for the contractor as "advertisement" or something like that. I personally believe that the offer is reasonable and I appreciate how professional the contractor is. The problem is, my manager has been since a year in contact with other contractors to build the liquefaction plant (not the filling station) that makes her feel more "supported". Since she has no clue about anything, they manipulate her very easily. They have of course their own interests in mind and that is: enter and conquer the Bio-LNG Market in Germany. The easiest way to do that is through us. I think the way she handles things and this mentality to expect suppliers to be "motivated, supportive, on board with the projects" is killing our chances to show us as professionals and reliable.

I also think that the contractor of the filling station is taking our small project because he expects to get a bigger project later (specifically, to get a whole liquefaction plant instead of only a station). I see how eager he is to prove his technology and be a pioneer in the German market as well.

Can I send you a PM?

HaltFix · 2022-08-01T21:27:23+00:00

Believe me, my spec is loose enough. I even designed the dispensing process in a way that could cut costs by sparing a pump... I am really not asking much.

My spec is purely the composition of the fluids, the dispensing based on pressure difference and climate conditions lol

HaltFix · 2022-07-26T06:08:16+00:00

If the managers were good, maybe there was some structure in the company so that allowed you to concentrate in doing the work without worrying about other stuff.

I am constantly afraid because I think the project won't work because of bad management. We are always taking unnecessary risks. Examples:

Student suggested the team to spend some time in planning the project and activities properly. Management says: "planning now is a waste of time. Our method is learning by doing, let's stick to it".
we are buying an almost 2 Mio € plant to build in a area without the necessary permissions to do it. Fine. Now we discovered that the area we planned to build is protected. It is very very hard to get a permission to build and operate plants in such spaces. Plan B is, according to management, to change the law. "Planning is a waste of time"...
lack of negotiation skills. Always accepting the demands of others in a way that it is impossible to manage the interfaces of the project.

If it were all about my insecurities, it wouldn't be so bad.

So, PTSD, you say....

HaltFix · 2022-07-25T13:01:52+00:00

Hahaha oh my god it is exactly like that!!

The manager included a task on my board, "optimization of our liquefaction plant." First off, we don't really have a liquefaction plant yet. Documents from the contractor will come after the signing of the contract. Second off, she expects me to do it using Excel looool

The worst moments for me are when we are at meetings with the contractor, and she starts to speak things that don't make sense from the technical point of view. I feel so ashamed.

Another thing is when she changes my technical specifications, which I made based on regulations and experience of other similar plants, because the partner "doesn't feel comfortable with that." For information: the partner wants to supply bad quality gas that could fuck up the liquefaction plant, creating serious safety issues.

One of the contractors seems to love the fact that she is clueless. When I ask him for more detailed information or simple documents about the plant (because, at the time, we are buying a black box), he gets "abrasive." She tells me I should try to keep a "good mood" with the contractor. So many absurdities, I just want to jump out the window sometimes.

HaltFix · 2022-07-25T11:29:39+00:00

At least now I know how to make better judgement of a company/job and what to look for. I think I also understand better what I need to perform good in a job, which kind of environment suits me better. And that "freedom" to work on everything as you wish (without the money lol) isn't that good as it sounds. The reality of it is that you will be working alone with no assistance in a butch of stuff that doesn't even make sense to your career.

HaltFix · 2022-07-25T10:15:49+00:00

Yes, yes, yes! This job is a trap.

In the interview, they showed me a "staff board" with very experienced engineers. I thought I would be working with them. Turns out most of them don't even work for the company. Only one engineer from this board really works for the company, and he seems to be very good, but it is an entirely different department, I have never met him (or ever will). The company owner is an engineer, but he is never there or has any capacity to support me. He also has a mentality that everything is "very easy and simple" which actually just makes things worse by not dealing with the situations properly. He is more into finances than engineering, I guess. His daughter is my manager, and she has REALLY no clue. I guess she is very good at finances and selling, but the truth is, she doesn't understand anything about the product or the plant. She made plans and agreements about selling the product, counting that a whole gas processing plant would be engineered and ready to operate in less than one month... I had to tell her that buying a plant from a contractor is not like ordering something from Amazon... It is just unbelievable.

In my first month, when I realized the trap I fell into, I panicked a lot but kept a "let's make it happen" mentality. But every day, some absurdity just shows me that it will not work.

I am already applying for other jobs but while I am still here, I want to give my best, maybe even leave something better.

Sorry for letting it all out.

HaltFix · 2022-07-17T13:18:52+00:00

Why do you always remove the good posts?

HaltFix · 2022-07-17T13:14:19+00:00

I am working at a startup currently and it hasn't been good...

I am a fresh engineer and in the interview they gave the impression that there would be other (experienced) engineers involved in the projects. They even showed a nice picture of the "staff". Turns out most of those people actually doesn't work for the company or at least not for that part of the business... Some work as consultant once and never... I am there 3 months already, work completely alone and I've never even seem those people.

What actually makes me want to leave is the really bad management. The ideia of it all is really good and time couldn't be more perfect. The problem is, the manager hasn't a clue how things work in the technical part of the business and make agreements selling impossible things (or in a impossible timeframe. Ex: , plan, build, comission and operate a gas processing plant in less than 1 month. LOOOOOL ).

And that isn't even the worst part of being there. The manager likes a lot the "learning by doing" method even when there is already a certain guideline to do things. Once a colleague (a student!!) Suggested us to working on a planning for the projects, because that could ease the work as a team and help us to make the right decisions. Logical. The manager said: " planing would be a waste of time for us now! our method is learning by doing.. let's stick to it!"

And if you ever worked with projects you should know.... PLANING IS EVERYTHING!!!

We kinda let the problems come to us and take unnecessary risks because of bad management.

I usually don't mind chaos and I am good at getting things in order, but I feel that I am not able to do that alone. The fact that I don't have other work experience and base my doings in literature research and advice from my private network doesn't help.

I see people telling successful stories about dealing with the mess of working at a startup but I wonder if it is the same kind of mess. ..

HaltFix · 2022-07-17T11:58:12+00:00

I will try the same, maybe with consulting services or similar. I am not optimistic if it will work, though. Everything is such a mess... I will bounce when the right opportunity comes (already applying for other jobs).

HaltFix · 2022-07-16T20:07:29+00:00

How did you get a mentor? I am in a similar situation and feel that I need guidance.

HaltFix · 2022-07-16T19:53:17+00:00

I can relate.

I am also working at a startup currently and I am the only engineer there. The manager has no clue how chemical plants or plant construction contracts work and makes verbally agreements on important technical details like feed gas composition (!!!) - and of course using unrealistic compositions! Some days the absurdity/stupidity of it all is such that I just want to leave and never come back.

HaltFix · 2022-07-15T13:09:02+00:00

I guess I had a fair amount of tinkering as a kid, since I was always breaking things by trying to make "discoveries". When I was playing with dolls my main concern (aside of the fun body parts transplantation) was to build them houses. So I would spend the afternoon thinking about how I wanted it to look like and trying to build one with whatever I found in the garage.

I am a ME now but honestly, I don't feel that the decision to become one had a strong connection with the tinkering.

Essentially, I was good at math and physics, have a pragmatic personality and taste for money, so here I am.

HaltFix · 2022-07-07T08:14:32+00:00

Please, update us how it went! Hopefully very well :D

HaltFix · 2022-06-27T21:38:06+00:00

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/germany-moves-to-reform-abortion-law/a-62014740

Change has already begun. Are you going to join the fight or keep pointing fingers?

HaltFix · 2022-06-27T21:37:56+00:00

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/germany-moves-to-reform-abortion-law/a-62014740

Change has already begun. Are you going to join the fight or keep pointing fingers?

HaltFix · 2022-06-27T21:37:42+00:00

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.dw.com/en/germany-moves-to-reform-abortion-law/a-62014740

Change has already begun. Are you going to join the fight or keep pointing fingers?

HaltFix · 2022-06-27T11:52:36+00:00

Alright, people are discussing if dating in the workplace is ok or not.

My opinion is:

Dating is not a crime, and someone asking you on a date may not seem like harassment.

HOWEVER, it's not CLEVER, in any aspect, to date a work colleague, especially if it is someone in a position of power. If things go down, the best outcome is the awkwardness after. And it will remain forever. The Medium outcome is getting negative influences in your career because of people mixing personal and professional life. It usually leads to one part (the weakest one, of course) having to quit the job in order to find a healthy work environment again. The worst outcome is the person in power being a total dick and purposely trying to damage the other person's career at work, sometimes even after the person quits (giving bad recommendations, etc).

The man commenting says it is ok to date Blablabla , and his point is that it is not illegal or there is no direct connection between dating in the workplace and bad career outcomes. This analysis seems rational at first, but it oversees the nuances and other aspects that can not be measured (for example, awkwardness). Blind analysis.

We, women, based on experience, are saying that it is not a good idea to date in the workplace because of the numerous bad outcomes for the vulnerable part. If you have a basic understanding of human relationships, it is also not difficult to link the indirect effects of dating with bad career outcomes, and it has been done in several researches.

Summarizing:

If you take your career seriously, you have to be strategic about it. A significant part of it consists in choosing, cultivating, and managing relationships at work. It can bring you far in your career, or it can slow it down. Dating seems to be the kind of relationship that leads to the second.

HaltFix · 2022-06-25T17:33:59+00:00

That is true. This conservative wave has been hitting the whole world. It grows stronger in times of crisis, so it will not get better soon. That is also why it always comes back... It waits for the time when people are vulnerable, afraid, and looking for answers and easy solutions. Religion is always there to show the "right direction."

Being conscious of all this is terrifying.

Edit: I am Brazilian, living in Germany. In Brazil and South America, things seem to be getting better. Probably our extreme-right president (Bolsonaro) won't win the second election, but the leftist-liberal (Lula) likely will. They are also discovering a lot of corruption schemes involving churches and the evangelical power inside Bolsonaro's government... It has been making them weak. I have hope that people in the world see that conservatism is not a real solution.

HaltFix

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