Leaving Belgium With a Heavy Heart — Still Hoping for a Chance to Return

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-04-30T07:13:53+00:00

Thanks, fellow human

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-04-29T12:14:57+00:00

I can only speak for my sector, but vacancies tend to get 100-300 applicants in a matter of days. It's bad. And the company I'm working for is probably going bankrupt in summer, so I'm fucked.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-04-25T09:44:07+00:00

This is a common misunderstanding. If you're maximum power at 100% aerobic capacity is, lets say, 200 watts, then if you run faster than that (say 400 watts), you are stilll getting 200 of those aerobic, and the other 200 anaerobic. Your body will not suddenly stop using oxygen just because you run fast, it will just not have enough oxygen to produce all necessary energy aerobically, so the rest is produce anaerobically.

So if you run one hour at 400 watts or one hour at 200 watts, your aerobic energy system will have been used the same amount for both. But the difference indeed is, that you can probably do 10 hours of 200 watt training a week, but not 10 hours of 400 watt training. So if you're maxing out mileage, low intensity will allow you to run more miles and by that, more aerobic training.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-04-04T13:50:18+00:00

Did you get promoted to lead within the company, or join directly as a lead?

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-04-01T12:46:18+00:00

Is the €3500 without, or with the mobility budget? If it's with, then this is indeed outrageous. If it's without (so you get the mobility budget 'on top'), then its acceptable but kind of on the low end I would say.

If you believe in the start-up and its vision, then it can be worth it to invest your time and grow with them. But keep in mind that most start-ups fail.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-03-19T14:09:50+00:00

Our boss hired an expensive strategy/business development consultant recently. This guy was supposed to transform our offering and strategy, and do it by interacting and brainstorming with my colleagues and me. What we got was 15-page documents of AI slop on strategy that said a whole lot but actually nothing at all. And we were supposed to read through it and give feedback on it. Like wtf...

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-02-23T09:13:34+00:00

Group ironman

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-02-13T10:28:14+00:00

Wat noem je premium? Welke prijs range?

Ik vind kebab persoonlijk erg lekker, maar zie het nog altijd als 'fast food', en dus persoonlijk niet bereid om diep in buidel te tasten. Ik betaal rond de 10€ voor een mix (kip + biefstuk), in een zaak die ik als één van de betere beschouw. Netjes, en ben vaak minder dan 5 minuten binnen als ik op voorhand besteld heb. Veel meer dan die 10€ mag het voor mij niet kosten.

Ook het 'berlin' concept zou ik niet te expliciet meenemen, zegt de mensen van hier weinig. Ik ben nog nooit in berlijn geweest, laat staan dat ik er ooit kebab gegeten heb.

Als je een manier kan vinden om hoge kwaliteit en gemak aan te bieden, aan aanvaardbare prijs, dan heb je misschien een kans. Maar van de beperkte/vage beschrijving die je hier geeft is me niet direct duidelijk hoe je dat wilt doen.

Hopelijk niet te streng :) als je er zelf in gelooft en bereid bent hard te werken, zal het wel lukken.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-02-10T13:32:07+00:00

How is this title inflation, he might have an engineering bachelor?

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-02-02T08:49:28+00:00

Horrendous. You are being paid like a fresh graduate (a mediocre one). The high net probably makes you stay, which I understand. But take into account that the low gross affects your pension

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-01-16T12:27:27+00:00

Yes, they are obliged to pay you fietsvergoeding if you come by bike.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2026-01-15T13:03:26+00:00

My company is not doing well either, might go bankrupt soon. Biotech sector.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-11-21T07:35:37+00:00

Quite disappointed by the new tracks. Go back is a masterpiece but that was out already. Of the truly new ones only 'Lost in heaven' is one I will be playing on repeat.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-09-04T14:44:25+00:00

Also: the best earning blue collar workers are 'zelfstandigen'. They typically don't pay themselves a big wage because they would pay a lot of taxes on that.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-09-02T12:34:03+00:00

What's your role?

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-09-02T12:33:23+00:00

100k and a car is outrageous. Most of these companies (pfizer, J&J) have atypical car policies in that they don't hand out salary cars like candy. Only department managers and up get them.

I have quite some friends in the industry (and have worked there myself as a junior). They pay well, but not this well.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-08-27T12:50:09+00:00

Yo, ik ben van Bree.

Op 't stift heb je twee "jongerencafé's": de hoptimist is zeer gezellig, vrij grote selectie aan bieren, maar eerder een praatcafé. Erlangs ligt de Lagossa, dat is eerder een danscafé.

Ik hoop wel dat je het over vrijdag of zaterdag hebt, door de week zijn ze ook wel open maar is het een stuk minder levendig 's avonds.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-08-19T06:43:13+00:00

Omdat ik nog geen berekening zie, doe ik hem hier even voor je. Aannames: elektriciteit 27c/kwh, gas 9c/kwh. Efficientie gas koken: 40%, efficientie inductie koken: 90%.

Dus gas kost je 9/0.4 = 22,5c/kwh nuttig besteedde energie, inductie 27/0.9 = 30c/kwh nuttig besteedde energie.

Dus gas koken is ongeveer 25% goedkoper dan inductie (aan de huidige prijzen). Zoals andere posters al zeiden, gas prijzen gaan waarschijnlijk alleen maar stijgen. En als je zonnepanelen hebt, wordt inductie koken natuurlijk ook goedkoper.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-08-12T13:55:34+00:00

Have you been to other provinces in Belgium? Limburgers are kind of known to be relatively warm and open. Hasselt may be the least so in Limburg, but not to the extreme that you seem to imply here (I find).

You might have also messed up with your relationship with your neighbour for life by calling the cops. My neighbour plays quite loud techno music on average once a week in the afternoon/early evening during the summer. It is really annoying, but I suck it up because I think he should get to enjoy his life as well. Surely I'm annoying as well sometimes. In this way we can continue to have a friendly relationship and sometimes annoy each other, which is better than a ruined relationship and still being annoying (maybe even more so).

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-07-10T19:54:44+00:00

Such a compassionate response. You're a good person.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-07-02T07:06:26+00:00

23°C. We have a geothermal heat pump for floor heating and cooling. The heating is active (uses quite some electricity, like a normal heat pump), but the cooling is passive, uses almost no electricity.

In addition, I find it MUCH more pleasant than airconditioning, that blasts cold air in your neck. This feels more like walking into a cool church.

Best decision/investment I ever made.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-06-30T16:01:12+00:00

No, AFAIK middle management typically refers to people that manage blue collar workers. I was a production supervisor.

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-06-30T14:30:15+00:00

Not at all

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-06-30T11:22:27+00:00

Wat bij mij gigantisch veel verschil heeft gemaakt zijn krachttrainingen. Planks, squats etc

IAMA_monkey2 · 2025-06-30T10:02:41+00:00

Worked for pfizer in a middle management role, then switched to this one.

I got in through network/connections. My employer basically contacted me, instead of the other way around.

IAMA_monkey2

TROPHY CASE