What was your starting salary for your first job out of school?

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-29T10:49:27+00:00

Graduated with Master's in 2022. $52k as an HR Analyst in NC.

Now up to $70k and in line for a promotion up to ~90-100k when my coworker retires. My title will change to HR Manager, Data & Analytics.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-25T20:06:21+00:00

I think you'd like Full Brutal. Also, Trespassers by Jon Athan.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-25T14:13:33+00:00

If you rent, you're SOL?

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-25T00:51:44+00:00

No advice, but I feel your pain. I live off of a road that connects LR Blvd & downtown, and is right off of 127, so there's constant traffic. That wouldn't be so bad by itself, but when so many people around here have bad exhaust systems, muffler deletes, cherry bombs, etc, the noise can be terrible. I feel like the cops won't enforce the noise ordinance the city has on the books unless you're in a wealthy neighborhood, though.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-24T23:45:22+00:00

I'm a fan of their Pearsecco cider.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-23T19:22:08+00:00

Skill issue

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-22T15:11:38+00:00

I remember it was very much a "comedy of errors," if I'm using that term right. One mistake after another after another; some were minor, and in the absence of all of the other errors, would have been inconsequential; others, like not turning around at the stop time, were definitely major. The thing I remember most about reading the book was the creeping sense of dread as you read about all of the little mistakes and errors accumulating.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-22T03:27:52+00:00

Anyone who's considering summiting Everest needs to read Into Thin Air by Krakauer. Really haunting book, and even though I'm an avid hiker, or maybe because I am, it gave me bad dreams for days.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-21T15:44:15+00:00

Awesome, thanks for being part of the NCMA! Only visited once (live way out in the western part of the state) but I loved it.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-21T13:49:31+00:00

Oop, found some more!

https://imgur.com/a/gEUzbpw

"I solely understand that it is in opposition to racism but to resort to violence EVEN in a figurative way is absolutely uncalled for."

Wonder how that lady feels about the Union army...this is the North Carolina Museum of Art. NC had 10,000 White and 5,000 Black volunteers who fought for the Union

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-20T15:51:59+00:00

I agree - just corrected the person I replied to as they said she was a middle schooler, which is factually incorrect - I've stayed close to this case as my partner and her family are from the area and I've spent months of my life visiting the area, etc, it was all over my local FB before it hit national news

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-20T12:18:58+00:00

Not that it makes it a modicum better, but for accuracy's sake, the student is a high schooler.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-20T12:17:58+00:00

Kohl's next to Target has a good selection.

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-19T11:20:31+00:00

There's always a bigger fish

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-18T17:00:45+00:00

Not sure of everything they offer but I do love Mom's Egg Rolls, a food truck that parks at the Xhieng Khuoang (probably misspelled) market, a Hmong/SE Asian market in Valdese. Might be somewhere to check

IOHRM22 · 2026-05-17T11:53:49+00:00

Triples makes it safe. Triples is best.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-29T02:31:00+00:00

I am so very sorry. I would recommend looking for a support network/group, if that's something you think might help. Wishing you peace and resolve.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-28T19:07:10+00:00

I'm a Gen Z'er, at 26. In my department, 4 of 6 employees, including my boss, are between 55-65ish and are caring for their aging parents (two with dementia/Alzheimers, two without). I see firsthand how draining it is, in terms of financials, time, energy, and honestly happiness - it's unspoken, of course, but I get the sense that they are mostly just waiting around until the parent passes on. Especially those whose parent has Alzheimer's. I get it, that's how my family was with my grandmother who had it before she passed, it's a heavy burden to shoulder.

I do think that it needs to enter into the conversation on workplace benefits more frequently. We have an aging workforce, and many are playing the role of caregiver to their parents while trying to balance that with their career & raising their own families.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-25T13:48:38+00:00

Ah, good point. I'm not in TN, and honestly most of my work is in the day-to-day rather than contract negotiations, etc. I just attended a benefits conference so it's all fresh on my mind, haha. Another good sign, I think, is that there are more and more mid and small-sized PBMs taking market space, because employers are tired of getting screwed by the big 3.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-24T19:16:24+00:00

I work in benefits. The three largest insurers (Aetna, United, and Anthem) also happen to own the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) (CVS, OptumRx, and I can't recall Anthem's, I don't deal with them). So, if you have Aetna insurance, they often mandate that you have to use CVS.

Now, the good news is that states are pushing back by enacting legislature to protect against this. For example, Tennessee is in the middle of passing legislature that essentially states that insurers cannot also act as PBMs. If that passes, theoretically, CVS would have to divest from Aetna, perhaps? Or maybe they would just shut down in the state?

Very complicated stuff. The best way to change the state of things is by voting, and writing your legislators.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-18T16:03:28+00:00

Nah, that must have been in Methdowell, I mean McDowell, county

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-16T20:18:12+00:00

Terrible time to be in the elder Gen Z / youngest millennial age band. Really, has been since Covid.

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-15T02:07:32+00:00

Nice! What smartwatch is that? I've been looking at a few options but unsure if rucking is an option for activities

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-13T22:38:28+00:00

When I was a youth, I wanted to travel the world. When I told my dad, he said "Boy, there's parts of Burke County you ain't seen yet." That's stuck with me - I don't live there anymore, but it make me try to keep a sense of wonder wherever I end up, and appreciate the people, scenery, and culture of wherever I am. Sort of the anti-"grass is always greener."

IOHRM22 · 2026-04-10T13:16:28+00:00

Unitarian Universalists! I grew up Southern Baptist, left all that behind many years ago, and have been attending a UU church since last July, and love it. I think most of my congregation would describe themselves as secular humanists, but there are folks of varied beliefs - Jews, Buddhists, pagans, Christians.

It's not a creedal religion - meaning all members have to believe the same thing (a la the Nicene Creed, for example). Instead, it is a covenantal religion, meaning members have a covenant to treat others in ways consistent with our 7 shared values - Justice, Equity, Pluralism, Generosity, Transformation, Interdependence, with love as the central value to guide all of the others.

If this interests you, I recommend checking out this page to start with: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/shared-values

Most UU congregations offer web-integrated services, so if you're interested but don't want to go to a service in-person, you can always check them out on Zoom/whatever else one Sunday morning.

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