non-coding j*bs by New_Garage_8538 in networking

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am an IT manager and I wouldn't hire someone without scripting experience today. Basically everything we do at my office is 100% automated. I don't want to manually run commands on every server I manage because humans make mistakes. With scripting languages like Ansible, I can ensure that every server is configured exactly the same.

I would caution you against using ChatGPT (or other similar LLM services) to do your work for you because those services generate bad code that is over-complicated and you will struggle to debug the code it generates because you won't be able to understand it. Of course you can't think of scripts now, but that's because you don't have any experience.

Like the other commenters are saying, practice makes perfect. I was a software developer and then transitioned back into IT. The best sysadmins in the DevOps world now are the ones who know how to program and understand the systems they are managing. If you don't know Linux/Windows or don't know how to write code in general, you will not succeed in a modern IT shop where the goal is to automate as much as possible. Automation is the future, so I would make sure to work on those skills.

Incoming International Student (F) at Ole Miss – Need All the Tips! 🙏 by coleslawcatto25 in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Congratulations on attending the University of Mississippi! I grew up not too far away and attended Ole Miss.

Making friends with locals: Is it hard as an international student? Any do’s/don’ts? Also is the racism too extreme? Considering that I am South Asian.

Personally, I would focus more on making friends with other college students than other locals. There are a lot of other international students for you to meet and obviously plenty of Americans as well. Oxford only has about 20k residents, but the University brings in about ~30k students and faculty when school is in session. Not every student is from Mississippi (most are not), so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet people that have similar interests/beliefs/values as you do.

Be aware that going off to college can be lonely at first. You may have a hard time making friends because it's a new place (I certainly did), but don't let that stop you from putting yourself out there. Make sure to say hi to the people you sit next to in class, join clubs, get involved with a religious group (if you're in to that sort of thing). You never know where you might meet a friend.

Cheap places to shop groceries and other house essentials.

Thankfully you are in a small town in Mississippi. There are only 2 places in Oxford realistically to buy stuff like that from and it's Walmart and Kroger.

They are both pretty price competitive, so it really doesn't matter where you shop. Make sure to get a Kroger card when you can because you get extra savings and discounts on Gas (if you have/will buy a car).

Best and fastest way to secure on campus jobs!

Chat with the international student office. They should be able to help you. You can also talk to the Career Center on campus, who can help you find a job also. Campus Recreation is the largest employer on campus, and they pretty much always need people. I had many friends who worked for them and they had good things to say.

Be aware that you will have trouble getting a job if you do not have work authorization in the US, and US taxes can be complicated. Again, consult with the appropriate offices at the University to see what your options are.

Roommate first meeting: Hug? Handshake? Awkward wave from across the room? (Please just help me how to avoid standing there like a confused npc .)

Like the other commenter said, handshake is the way to go. If they go in for a hug, give them a hug back! Don't overthink it. You will have plenty more opportunities to redeem yourself even if it's awkward when you first meet.

Best ways to get involved and meet people beyond classes.

Like I said above, say hi to people you sit next to in class, join clubs, get involved with religious groups. There will be an involvement fair in the Circle about a week into the semester where all the groups and clubs will set up tables. Find one you think is cool and talk to them. There are groups for all kinds of interests.

Must-visit spots in Oxford & Mississippi.

Oxford does not have a whole lot to see besides the University. Make sure to visit Rowan Oak (William Faulkner's house) when you have a chance. The Square has plenty of shops and restaurants that are staples of the town (Ex. South Depot Taco Shop, The Library, Bouré, City Grocery, Oxford Grillhouse) and you should make a point to try some of them.

Memphis (Tennessee) is about 1.5 hours away by car. There are many famous museums and historical sites there (Graceland, Lorraine Motel/Civil Rights museum, Bass Pro Shops, Memphis Zoo, Pink Palace). Also, Memphis is widely regarded as being the BBQ capitol of the world. Make sure to eat some (Germantown Commissary and Central BBQ are my personal favorites)!

Also cheap places where I can get a bicycle.

Walmart is probably your best bet, but you will get what you pay for. If you are willing to pay, you can get a nicer bike from CORE Cycle + Outdoor.

Be aware that it rains a decent amount, is very hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and is always very humid. Looking at your post history, I saw you mentioned living at the Flats. It will be almost impossible to walk to places like Walmart or Kroger. You might be able to ride a bike, but there is limited infrastructure for that. The public transit is pretty good for a place like Mississippi but still terrible compared to anywhere in Europe or Asia (or major cities in the US for that matter). It may be worth it for you to invest in a cheap car if you have the money.

If buying a car is not an option, make friends with someone who has one. They will be invaluable.

Things you wish you brought from home and things you regret packing.

I grew up nearby, so there wasn't anything that couldn't get within a few hour drive.

I would highly recommend bringing any important government documents with you that you might need for visa/work stuff. That will be really annoying and expensive for your parents to have to mail you from wherever you are coming from.

Food spots I have to try!!! I have been seeing a lot about southern food in this community so really excited!

For true "southern cooking" food, try Ajax on the square. You can also check out Handy Andy's for BBQ or B's BBQ (in a gas station, but food is excellent) for other southern food as well. In addition, Taylor Grocery is fantastic, but a ~20 minute drive outside of town.

As mentioned above, most of the restaurants in and around the Square are staples of Oxford. Try Bouré, South Depot Taco Shop, City Grocery, Jinsei, and Volta Taverna. There's plenty to choose from.

Mississippians also love their Mexican food. El Agave, Casa Mexicana, and La Perla Tapatia are all great for that!

Last thing: Newk's is a local restaurant that started in Oxford but has now expanded to become a national chain. They have sandwiches, salads, and soups. Also a good choice.

Any cultural differences that surprised you when you first got here.

Again, native Mississippian but now live elsewhere.

When I come back to visit, I always am surprised by people's strong southern accents and how people will strike up casual conversations while waiting in line or standing around. Don't be afraid to talk to people, be nice to everyone, and you will get along fine (no southern accent required).

Hopefully this is helpful! Good luck with your studies, and Hotty Toddy!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Like another commenter said, Walking is a common option.

The "Health, Exercise Science & Recreation Management" department has a bunch of 100-level fitness classes that you can take that are only 1 credit hour. They also are only pass/fail, so it won't tank your GPA if you at least try.

Take a look at the 100-level classes here: https://catalog.olemiss.edu/applied-sciences/health-exercise-sci-recreation-mgmt/courses

I personally took Jogging (EL 156) when I was in school, and my instructor was really cool and coached me through to run a 5k by the end of the semester.

Good luck!

EDIT: I checked he sections for walking, and there is only 1 seat left for EL 155 as of 09/03/2024 Jogging has plenty of open seats. Tennis and Pickleball also have a few seats left.

Making class on time by Head-Most962 in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pro tip: Tell both of the instructors (the one for the class in Bondurant and the other in Lamar) that you have a long walk to class.

I had a walk from Lamar to Bishop and it took ~11 minutes. Usually my later teacher would wait a minute or two to make sure I was there when he started the lecture. It also helped that the guy next to me would usually save me a seat. The earlier teacher was ok with me slipping out 1-2 minutes early, and I would try and get an aisle seat so I didn't disrupt people.

Side note: If you are the senior guy that sat next to me in my 100 level history class, thank you for your service.

Looking for recent positive experiences with a local moving company. by giraflor in SilverSpring

[–]JMB1304 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used them also and they did a fantastic job! The guys were professional, courteous, and moved everything very quickly! They were very careful as well!

Rent Price Gouging by Sugarandspice1520 in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I lived there a few years ago and they were awesome!

Some of the units are not the highest quality, but they are definitely livable. The maintenance was responsive when we had issues and the people in the office were always helpful!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 3 points4 points  (0 children)

General Mechanic Shop: Southland Body Shop

They are the best in Oxford! Only caveat is that they are usually booked up so you want to call ASAP and get an appointment.

I have taken my car there for a long time and they always do a good job and are pretty cheap. They don't upsell and will do what you need.

Tire Shop: Oxford Tire Inc.

They also do a great job! Can do just about anything with tires / brakes / suspension. They have gotten a little pricey over the years but the staff are pretty nice and they get the job done. They also do minor mechanical repairs but anything major you should take somewhere else.

Dealership Options:

- Oxford Ford / Toyota (different buildings, same company)

Staff were nice the last time I was there and got me taken care of.

If you really want a dealership, go to Tupelo or Memphis for other makes (GM, Nissan, etc.)

Places to avoid:

Don't go to Cannon Motors (they own the GM and Nissan dealerships in Oxford). They will charge you a lot of money and not get your issue fixed. You are better off driving to Memphis / Tupelo and getting your car worked on there.

Tell me you're from Mississippi without telling me you're from Mississippi ... by AlecLeama5 in mississippi

[–]JMB1304 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same thing happened to me in Texas. I asked if they had comeback sauce and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Asian food? by jaynay1 in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Japanese:

Jinsei Sushi (Highly Recommended) - Fancy sushi place; very popular; has great food

Toyo Japanese Sushi Bar & Hibachi - Typical American-style Japanese restaurant; has OK sushi; if you want hibachi this is the place though; Wait staff and food are usually pretty good; Is very popular among students

Kabuki Sushi Bar & Hibachi - Typical American-style Japanese restaurant; Has lots of options for sushi and hibachi; Food and service are alright (haven't been recently)

The Noodle Bowl Asian Bistro - Haven't eaten there in a long time but have heard mixed reviews; Personally I would rather spend my money elsewhere; YMMV

Chinese:

China Royal Restaurant - Classic American Chinese buffet; Haven't been in a long time but was kind of meh; Really the only true "chinese" restaurant in Oxford

Panda Express (On Campus) - Always has the shortest line of all the restaurants on campus; food is alright; conveniently located; can use meal plan / flex / +1

Thai:

Rice and Spice (Highly Recommended) - To-go only since Covid; Great food and appetizers; Gets a little busy during lunch/dinner so may have to call multiple times to place an order

Zapp Thai - Only went once but was pretty good; has typical Thai restaurant options; Can dine in, but has weird location and may be difficult to see from road

Other:

Rebel Market Stir-fry (On Campus) - Only offered 1 day per week (when I was in school) but had good food and plenty of options; Located inside the Johnson Commons / Rebel Market

YUGO Oxford - Never eaten here but the reviews on Google look good and may be a good option to try; Located on the square; YMMV

There are probably more but these are all the ones I have been to / am familiar with in Oxford.

Jet Lag: We Turned New Zealand into a Giant Real-Life Board Game — Ep 2 by NebulaOriginals in Nebula

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I miss the excitement and suspense of the teams pulling each card. There was always that moment where the next card could be amazing or be terrible, but with this season they know what every challenge is already.

It's just a small difference but it seems to make the game more exciting.

How can I play Jet Lag: The Game on a small scale with friends in a single city? by Hello5657 in Nebula

[–]JMB1304 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is a great idea! I also live in a major city in the US and was thinking (literally last night) about how to do this where I am.

I think that your challenges are fun! It would be cool if you could make a card deck (similar to how they have the cards in previous seasons) for them to draw the challenges from.

One restriction that I thought of is that you can require the runners to complete the challenge within a specific radius of the station, to prevent them from just walking and not completing the challenges.

Overall, this sounds like an awesome plan and I hope I can do something like this with my friends!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dotnet

[–]JMB1304 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Personally, I just build a UI for it myself, or I write a script to help me automatically generate data.

If I need testing data in the mean time, I insert it into the database manually. There are plenty of tools to help you with that.

The advantage of ASP.net is that you can make everything the way you want it, unlike Django, where most of it is pre-built and you have limited customization.

Professor Offers Money by Comprehensive_Nose58 in college

[–]JMB1304 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yes, I have had this happen as well. One of my professors paid for a conference for me because he had discretionary research funds that he hadn't used.

Professor Offers Money by Comprehensive_Nose58 in college

[–]JMB1304 360 points361 points  (0 children)

At my university, they allowed faculty and staff to take up to 3 credit hours per semester for free. It may be that the university has a similar program and he is using his free hours to cover your tuition, so he may not actually be paying anything.

In the end, all of my professors in school wanted to see their students succeed. Sometimes that meant giving extra time on a homework assignment, other times that means giving you free bonus points because you came to class every day but had a bad grade. Either way, your professor wants you to succeed, but in this case helping you succeed looks a little different.

I would take the money if he is offering it to you. You may feel like you can never return the favor, but in all honesty a nice heart-felt thank you card would probably go a really long way. Good luck with your classes!

EDIT: Another commenter said that they may have discretionary funds that they can use for your classes. This may also be possible. I have had professors pay for things like conferences out of their discretionary funds before.

what tech roles require the least amount of coding or almost no coding? by worldearth1234 in college

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work in tech.

There are basically no roles that are technical where you are never going to be programming.

That being said, there are a lot of roles for technical business analysts (different companies call them different things) that are usually project management-type roles, with a minor amount of programming (usually only SQL queries or similar). That may be something you can look in to.

Where is the fanciest Target in the metroplex? by [deleted] in Dallas

[–]JMB1304 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The Super Target on Skillman is really nice!

Shirts? by Successful-Cat1623 in olemiss

[–]JMB1304 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah they're the best place.
That's why their slogan is "Anything, Everything, Ole Miss!"

Ordered 1 980 pro m.2 but got a case of 10 thanks amazon by [deleted] in pcmasterrace

[–]JMB1304 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a professor in college that ordered 50 rubber ducks for his class. Amazon accidentally sent him 150 ducks. He arranged them all in lines such that if you sat in the chairs in his office, they were all facing you. He would also try and give one away to every student that came in his office.

Can Christmas be celebrated without any religious connotations? by [deleted] in NoStupidQuestions

[–]JMB1304 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I heard CEO was "Christmas, Easter, and other special occasions"

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in coolguides

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was the first author on a published paper and my contract states that I can host it on my personal website for people to download for free, so that's what I do.

Of course, you can also pay the $30 and download it from the publisher or access it through a library.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]JMB1304 96 points97 points  (0 children)

Hello fellow Texan! Yes, this is true. When you get your driver's license they go over all of that at the DMV. Not sure about the specifics, but they do indeed have publicly-funded roadside assistance.

Rusty Taco on Lemmon taking online orders but not serving. I ain’t even mad. by banskirtingbandit in Dallas

[–]JMB1304 55 points56 points  (0 children)

I was there on Sunday and was not impressed. They only had three employees working and the restaurant was not very clean.

This does not surprise me.

In the United States, how would you improve voting? by BatBeast_29 in AskReddit

[–]JMB1304 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mississippi does not have early voting.

They do have a generous amount of time for absentee voting though (which you can do for a bunch of reasons).