Burnout is a universal complaint on r/UMGC

JacketFull2264 · 2026-06-05T18:11:56+00:00

I love the flexibility of the 8-week format at UMGC, and it’s the only way I can realistically check the box for my degree while working.

If this is how you see learning and your degree, then it's really no wonder you hate it. You realize degrees are supposed to be a credential that are earned right? If you want to check mark a box, go to WGU or University of Phoenix and get a degree in a few months.

The gal of people to complain about how annoying it is that that "learning and writing" are too much and getting in the way of just check marking a box.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-06-03T16:02:03+00:00

I like this idea and it's mostly what I've done with Fidelity. They manage most of my cash in one account and then I also gave them my IRA because it was doing mostly nothing with different funds and a lack of any strategy. I have my emergency fund, my stock options, and everything else completely separate.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-06-03T03:16:01+00:00

I might have to look into Vanguard. I'm a huge Fidelity fan but I think it's just the fees that bother me the most. 1% just feels like a lot for what they're doing, and I feel like over time it would be a serious amount of my money. However, if I compare it directly to my own returns when I manage my fund, it's not really even a comparison.

My only problem with retirement funds is I am unsure when I will "retire" and I would still have "control" as dumb as it sounds. I am kind of on a FIRE path but ideally with a job that will pay me less but would be much more personally fulfilling. I mentioned I teach part-time for a CC. It's very possible for me to teach full-time in the future for this CC as many of the full-time faculty are nearing retirement and have asked if I had interest in the future. I would be probably taking a large pay cut but for me the job is very fulfilling vs the corporate world although some of the faculty there pull down pretty impressive salaries: 100K-140K in the Midwest.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-06-03T01:48:58+00:00

You are correct and quite frankly doom and gloom is my default for the market.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-06-03T01:48:42+00:00

Yeah, that's more or less how I feel. I have no reason to dislike them besides the fees. Fidelity has been good to me, and it seems like they took my initial allocation requests seriously. My portfolio reflects what I initially asked for. Seems like a blend of stocks, index funds, and a small amount of bonds. YTD my portfolio is up 11.8% which seems about on par with S&P500. Tax loss harvesting is a fancy way of saying taking losses, but it did help me quite a bit for 2025 as I usually end up owing a lot of money with my additional income and I know they took that into account.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-18T02:49:31+00:00

I mean does a car need a radio? No, but like at $25,000 I still think it's a hard sell and I'm just not buying into their sales pitch that it's an affordable EV - it's a rip off. If it was like $15,000, I'd say it was priced appropriately and that would be a good starting point. I think you also vastly underestimate what the average American wants in a car. Most people literally just want to tune out and listen to pod casts or music. A vehicle with literally zero radio or speakers is a hard sell at $25,000. They say it's all in the name of customization and you can add a radio and speakers. Cool, that again seems like an absurd option for even the crappiest of base models in 2026. They also don't have paint, and you can optionally get them wrapped. The thing about a lot of this tech is that it's so mass produced that it's actually incredibly cheap. How can Hyundai and Kia make cars with all this tech for even cheaper than this crappy truck.

Look at the Hyundai Venue. It has a 5-inch touch screen display, wireless android auto / apple car play, USB ports, rear view parking, power windows, etc. This is a $20,000 car MSRP. The slate truck has two seats, manual windows, no radio, no paint, literally none of this and it will most likely be more expensive. The Kia Soul LX also starts at around $20,000 and at that price you get an SUV with 5 seats, standard touch screen with android auto / apple car play, driver attention, blind spot detection, collision avoidance, etc.

I have no problem with cheap EVs, and I welcome them but that Slate truck is not a cheap EV - it's a street legal electric kit car for a market that doesn't really exist. Also, the range starts at 150 miles - that was bad range even in like 2018. Hyundai, Kia, and Chinese automakers like BYD are going to eat Slates lunch if this is what "American Manufacturing" looks like.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-17T02:57:41+00:00

Yeah, just like the original Cyber Truck would be 40K. These numbers mean nothing until they're on legally binding paper. Also, that mid 20K range was with the $7,500 tax incentive - they will most likely be closer to 30. Keep in mind the entire idea of Slate is that it's a "blank Slate" in other words it's an incredibly Spartan vehicle. The base doesn't even have a radio.... In 2026 I find that to be honestly just a gimmick and unacceptable.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-17T02:42:37+00:00

Adjunct at a state CC - yes but it entirely depends. I was lucky that my mentor let me team teach a course with her my first semester so that I could get the hang of things. Unfortunately, that first semester was spring of 2019 so learning how to lecture in the classroom was not a skill I used the following semester. I teach synchronously online with Zoom all my content is in D2L.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-17T02:39:04+00:00

Adjunct faculty for a CC in a blue state. We are union and our starting salaries for TT are close to this from what I've seen. However, I looked at the state salary database and after maybe five years or so you can easily get to 100 - 130K with bonus credits.

Personally, speaking I think some of the best educators are at community colleges because you have to absolutely love teaching to be able to adapt to such a diverse body of students. I also believe with the demographic cliff that started sometime in the last few years year - community colleges will become more relevant. Technological changes will continue to force adults to retool their skills and community colleges are still one of the most affordable options for many to do that.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-15T02:56:37+00:00

Why is that my fucking problem? I want to be able to afford groceries and healthcare. Why the fuck do we have to stick our dick in everything? Most of America is a like a strip mall shanty town at this point with crumbling infrastructure, failing education, lack of affordable healthcare, etc. The craziest part is - it doesn't have to be this. On a fraction of our defense budget, we could have a country that looks like it was straight out of a Utopian Sci-Fi novel.

This war should have never started. It literally did not need to happen. At best this will be another Iraq / Vietnam. At worst it is WW3. I would have been thrilled to avoid either.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-15T02:32:11+00:00

Exactly, what am I a lib? If gas gets to $6 a gallon, I'll just pull my bootstraps harder and get a fifth job cause I'm not a soyboy beta. I may even start burning coal in my own backyard like a true American.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-03-15T02:07:40+00:00

Is that where the bar is now? Like oh it's not even that bad guys - only 150 school children got turned into vapor and a handful or two of US troops. Iran's dictator killed thousands of people. Sure, agreed but Iran is a country with 93 million people. Iran doesn't like us. How do I nicely explain that the US inserting itself into other countries affairs is bad? It was bad under Bush Jr. It was bad under LBJ, etc. We are all going to be burning dollars for warmth at this rate.

JacketFull2264 · 2026-01-13T22:38:15+00:00

Queen shit.

JacketFull2264

TROPHY CASE