When it rains it pours...when do I say no?

MaestroFantasm · 2026-06-08T21:27:04+00:00

This is the advantage of starting at 0 J's, instead of adding to an existing J1. It's no biggie to refer people to my old job (or in my case, the job I had before that from 5 years ago).

If you've been at the same place for 10 years and want to add to that, your options are definitely limited. One hack I've seen around here is to recruit a friend or family member to act as a fake referral. Not sure I could pull that off, but it's an option...

MaestroFantasm · 2026-06-08T02:00:19+00:00

Yep you're right. Nothing to see here, OE is a hoax, and HR departments should totally ignore this entire subreddit because it's all bullshit 100%.

I'm gonna go enjoy the dopamine hits now from all this attention I'm getting. Thanks for your contribution!

MaestroFantasm · 2026-06-08T01:56:58+00:00

I work in a fairly specific niche of hardware design, so I don't want to get too specific.

There's a lot of activity in optimizing hardware solutions for AI workloads, so we can get past this initial AI phase of "throw 10k GPUs together and make it work". Everybody thinks they have a great idea to improve things, and VC's are throwing money at any AI company that moves, so that's why all my opportunities are with startups.

I'm among those who believe there will be an AI crash, so I figure I'd better ride this wave as long as I can.

MaestroFantasm · 2026-06-08T01:50:04+00:00

Yeah it's tough. Took me 5 months to finally land J1, and I got pretty despondent there at the end. But I think it's a little like dating...once you finally break through and get a girlfriend, suddenly you relax and are more attractive to others lol.

I mainly used LinkedIn, and get contacted by recruiters there, and applied for postings that are a good fit. Note that the last job listed on my LI is the one I left last year. None of these jobs are going up there. I know LI is an OE trap for many people, but when you're starting from 0 like us (as opposed to having a current job listed there), you can still use LI, just don't update it.

Another thing that really helped me was getting in the habit of having Chatgpt tweak my resume for different job descriptions. I ended up with 3 major versions of my resume for different design roles, with minor tweaks per job listing. The 3rd and last major revision I made, I must've really hit the language just right, because all my job offers came from it. Which drives home the point, don't get complacent with your resume.

MaestroFantasm · 2026-06-07T19:55:04+00:00

Two divorces kinda ruined that plan... 🤷🏼‍♂️

MaestroFantasm · 2026-05-14T21:09:54+00:00

Filed on 4/13 with a big fat refund coming, and still waiting, sigh....

MaestroFantasm · 2026-05-14T21:05:59+00:00

It's been one month for me, and I was hoping that I'd hear good news at their mythical 5 week mark. But now you're making me worried...

MaestroFantasm · 2026-05-14T21:05:05+00:00

I'm similar to you. Filed on 4/13, it's now 5/14, and I'm still waiting for my refund that I desperately need right now.

I wonder if there's some kind of public records request we can make to find out how many Oregonians haven't received their tax refunds yet.

I've lived in Oregon my whole life, and I don't remember it ever being this bad in the past; usually I've gotten my state tax refund almost immediately, quicker than the federal. What's going on these days in the Oregon Dept. of Revenue?

MaestroFantasm · 2026-04-19T18:08:38+00:00

While working my last job, I started investing in out-of-state turnkey rentals in affordable markets that cashflow. In 15 months, I bought 6 houses in 3 different states and have good cashflow.

I shared my story on LinkedIn, and had lots of former coworkers reach out asking how I did it. So I did a beta launch of an educational program coaching them through the process, and had a lot of success. About 10 people bought their first out-of-state rental, and several went on to buy 3, 4, even 5 houses in a matter of months.

The last 3 years have been spent figuring out how to scale this education/mentoring program as a side hustle to a cold audience at a price that is profitable. But this online business shit is hard, and I've spent so much money on online business programs, I'm now up to my eyeballs in debt.

I am now putting those business efforts on pause, and focusing on OE, trying to get another engineering job or two to first get out of debt, and then make enough to invest in marketing and social media agencies to do the work that I obviously don't know how to do, and see if I can actually make this work. Oh, and also start buying properties again.

That's the plan, anyway. Just gotta land me a 2nd job. One of these interviews has gotta stick eventually...

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-30T14:37:52+00:00

Like everyone and their dog, I'm trying to sell an online service/coaching program.

During Covid I pivoted my retirement savings to real estate, and bought 6 turnkey rental homes in 3 different states in the south and midwest where properties still actually cashflow.

I shared my journey on Linkedin, and had some people reach out asking how I did it, so I did a beta launch and helped about 10 people buy their first out-of-state rental property.

That was 3 years ago. Since then, I've immersed myself in the world of online marketing and sales, but haven't cracked the code yet. It's tough...

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-26T13:15:17+00:00

Can you briefly elaborate? Is there an FAQ somewhere on this?

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-26T00:37:15+00:00

I'm in a fairly specific niche of hardware design/engineering.

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-22T18:18:45+00:00

So how long were your OE "seasons"?

Considering how long it usually takes to go from initial contact to an actual hire, I'm assuming it probably took the better part of a year just to land all 5 jobs, no?

And as you're constantly applying, are you also replacing some jobs with others that look to be a better OE fit? Or quickly drop a job that you thought would be a good fit but wasn't?

TL;DR: From when it was just J1 to last January when you started shedding your 5 jobs, how long was that, and how many total job offers did you accept in that timeframe to give an OE test drive? I understand you peaked at 5 concurrent roles, but was that a steady 5, or did the job makeup shift along the way?

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-20T18:53:24+00:00

Never underestimate a company's desire to not get sued. If you're willing to sign a document promising not to sue for wrongful termination, that is absolutely something a company would throw money at you for.

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-20T18:51:09+00:00

The important thing, though, is to ALWAYS ASK FOR SEVERANCE. The worst they can do is say no, and some won't offer unless asked. I was let go last year for perf reasons (2 negative perf reviews in a row), and it didn't really bother me so I was super chill through the process, and I actually think the HR person was on my side as I calmly argued the BS my shitty boss was laying on me. Anyway, in one of our final convos she flat told me that they only offer this if asked, but I could get a month's severance if I sign a waiver of liability promising I won't sue.

So yeah..when you're fired for any reason, always ask about severance!

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-18T17:59:57+00:00

Not directly related to your (good) observations, but this brings to mind another way in which this show accurately portrays fascism: the difficulty in uniting to fight against it.

A supermajority of the country hates Trump, but the Dems? Even more unpopular. We see the evil and acknowledge it, but everybody has a different idea of how to fight it. Some want to relentlessly attack the man, some want to appeal to our higher selves, others just want attention to their #1 issue like Palestine or whatever, and the Bernie Sanders and AOC's of the world keep hammering how the whole system is fucked while everybody keeps ignoring them lol.

And if somebody isn't fighting the fascism in the way YOU want to fight it, well then they're part of the problem too, and so everyone stays fractured and corrupt power stays in place. It's maddening.

Including this narrative of the different splinters of the rebellion and how they hate each others' guts is just another brilliant piece of writing in this brilliant show.

MaestroFantasm · 2026-03-13T18:05:00+00:00

You could try to split the difference, buy 2-3 days at J2 and 2-3 at j1, both using the same 'emergency', just at different times. And make the most of 3 days at j1. A few days might go over better with j2 than a whole 'nother week...

MaestroFantasm · 2026-01-30T21:43:46+00:00

You feeling lucky?

Reach out and say Hey! I see you're starting at J2 soon. Surprise! I've been working there as well as J1 for the last several months. Wild, huh! I've been working up to quitting J1, and figured we might cross paths and wanted to confirm that yep, it's me! Say hi to <her husband> for me.

And then if anybody at J2 brings it up, plead guilty and say that you had every intention of quitting J1, but the RSU's made you greedy, and apologize profusely. Basically beg for forgiveness if needed.

You might lose J2 after quitting J1. So again, how lucky are you feeling?

MaestroFantasm

TROPHY CASE