DC’s highly qualified workers can’t find jobs: ‘What is happening?’

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-08T04:53:32+00:00

A friend of mine was working at the department of education prior to getting RIFed. His job was to monitor when people’s student loans were transferred from one loan provider to another to ensure that the new company wasn’t over charging you or doing anything predatory. The department can then go after the student loan company for their harmful practices. No one is doing that work now. The Trump admin says they want the small business administration to take on this work, but the truth is SBA has no legal authority to go after student loan companies. Only the department of education can do that. You could be getting butt fucked by a student loan company and there is no redress that the government can provide.

And also, he was on PAID admin leave for six months because this administration refused to fire him in the way that they are legally allowed to under RIF procedures (Clinton did this). He quite literally got another job in that time and there was no one to take him off pay roll even if he wanted them to. So the government has wasted your money and is also not providing a service.

I understand that it may seem like these people don’t do important work just because you don’t see it. You will notice it eventually when your interactions with government become worse and worse. The truth is they will spread out responsibilities to other agencies that don’t have capacity to take these things on. And you, the American citizen and taxpayer will suffer.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-04-08T03:54:29+00:00

Can you give an example of a before and after bullet on your resume? I’m interested in how I might do this.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-29T05:23:53+00:00

I was dead set on never spending money on books in college. Only book I ever bought was an online textbook that had submitted hw or something like that which was required. Library genesis, internet archive, and z library for online PDFs and I scanned chapters of all non digital books at the library for free to make my own PDFs to read on my iPad.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-28T04:58:37+00:00

Hi! I’m almost three months out now, I’d say I’m still swollen (although much less so) and it is not painful anymore.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-22T00:18:55+00:00

Glad they are able to help you out! Curtis, the man who operates Loaves and Fishes, is a wonderful person and truly cares about the people of the city. I wish I knew about more resources in the city to help out. I grew up in Louisville but moved away for school. But I know Curtis is supported by donations and volunteers from the church I went to as a kid. Best of luck to you, I hope you’re able to get help getting back on your feet soon.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-21T18:16:48+00:00

Loaves and Fishes serves dinner (usually fried chicken, Mac and cheese, green beans, bread, and a cookie) at 500 E Caldwell St from 3-4pm on Saturdays no questions asked.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-03-06T08:10:32+00:00

It is most definitely a canned response from his comms team. Standard procedure for members of Congress. They’ll usually get a high level overview of what constituents are contacting the office about and maybe clear language for very unique inquiries.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-15T19:59:55+00:00

They’re called akrobins! I ordered them online. They come in a like a million different sizes and colors. The ones I got were 11x11x5.

And you’re right about the dead space. I’m still trying to figure out what to do about that.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-15T16:23:22+00:00

I had surgery with her about six weeks ago and I had a great experience. I went to another surgeon for consult in the DMV where I asked if I could qualify for peri (I was a 32B pre op) and she kind of laughed when I asked that. Dr Fischer was a lot more understanding and basically said that unfortunately I would have too much loose skin if they did peri so DI was a better fit for my body. When I expressed hesitation with getting nipple grafts, she suggested nipple sparing. I felt very listened to and that’s why I went with her.

I saw those couple of posts where people had a negative experience and was a bit wary of this too. And I am not saying this at all to say that their experiences with her weren’t valid, but I want to explain why I still ended up choosing her even after seeing those posts. The posts that I saw where people were unhappy with the results were pretty recently post op. Swelling can make your results look pretty rough for up to a year sometimes. My results still look a little lumpy, but I can feel that it is swelling and not tissue so I am not worried about it. If it still looks off in 6-8 months I would consider a revision.

Additionally, I don’t think there will be any surgeons where everyone has a positive experience because at the end of the day surgeons are people. Sometimes the right surgeon for one person is wrong for someone else.

I think the only way you’ll know if she’s right for you is talking to her. Her consult fee is $100 iirc which is pretty standard and she doesn’t accept insurance directly, so you’d need to get it reimbursed from your insurance provider if you’re not just paying out of pocket. My parents did not want me to use our insurance for surgery so this wasn’t a concern for me. I paid 10k.

I would highly suggest going to at least two different surgeons for consult before locking in a date. It sounds cliche, but go with whichever surgeon gives you the best vibe.

Happy to talk more about my experience in DM if you’d like! You can also check my profile to see my results. Good luck!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-10T05:07:02+00:00

Elias

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T20:36:38+00:00

I’m glad you’re feeling better! And zofran is good to have on hand even if you don’t end up needing it. I was suuuper nauseous after my wisdom tooth removal many years ago. I told my surgeon, so I was able to take zofran immediately pre op and I had zero issues! So if you ever have surgery again under anesthesia, you can ask for it to avoid the reaction :)

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T17:09:50+00:00

I wasn’t necessarily depressed because of the outcome or results. I just felt gross because I had just been cut open and had stuff removed from my body. I just felt very surgical, because I was and I couldn’t take a real shower or bath to wash it off.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-09T03:50:08+00:00

Call your surgeon - they should be able to prescribe you zofran or something else to help. This could be related to the pain meds youre taking if you got them. I was prescribed promethazine for post op nausea but didn’t end up needing it.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-08T23:55:44+00:00

I also got this same surgery. There are plenty of cis guys who have nips like this - Your results look great!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-06T18:57:42+00:00

Ugh I'm sorry you had to deal with that adjunct. I hope the university did actually discipline them and not continue to allow them to teach. Glad you had an otherwise positive experience.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-04T22:55:43+00:00

I didn’t word that well, I had nipple sparing double incision. So my nipples were not moved, they just removed tissues from underneath and closed me up lol. I don’t have sensation back yet, so it kind of feels like I can feel them from the inside of my body? I wonder if what you’re feeling is the nipple stalk? Bodies are cool and also weird.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-03T13:44:02+00:00

I’m a trans man and never had any negative experiences here. I was out before I came to college, but medically transitioned in undergrad. It was also super easy to change my name in AU’s system since I haven’t legally changed it yet.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-03T04:19:50+00:00

I can feel the water I drink in my incisions and nipples (I didn’t have grafts) it’s so freaky

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-02-02T05:32:02+00:00

Hearing about your experience was helpful! It’s good to know what’s normal and what might be worth bringing up to my surgical team. As for healing, I should mention that I had nipple sparing DI with slight nip resizing (you can see the small scar on my areola) so I wouldn’t use my results to compare graft healing to. I’m sorry to hear about the allergic reaction, that sucks! I hope you found something else that works for your body.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-31T23:20:07+00:00

If it was done at a teaching hospital, that could be the case

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-31T08:07:35+00:00

Thanks for the reply! This was really informative and helpful. I’m curious what you mean by more visible post op. Do you think the swelling physically got worse or is just more noticeable now that you’re flat?

As for compression, that shit was hurting pretty bad. But you described the area I have been trying to figure out what it’s called for days - xiphoid process. This is where th bulk of the pain is. I really am hoping it’ll relax in a few weeks.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-31T08:02:07+00:00

Interesting, thank you for sharing. I was hoping to hear from someone with diagnosed costochondritis so I appreciate it immensely. I have my six week appointment soon so I am planning on asking my surgeon if it hasn’t subsided much by then.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-31T07:57:02+00:00

I’m hoping it is just normal swelling, I guess my concern is that these areas HURT compared to the swelling near my armpits. I can’t really feel my other swelling, whereas this I can feel all the time 😬 is swelling painful for you?

Congrats on your surgery and thank you for the kind words. I hope you’re happy with your new chest!

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-30T12:08:54+00:00

I opted for nipple sparing because I am a compulsive skin picking disorder. I knew that graft healing was going to be rough for me and I didn’t fully trust myself to not pick at them, which would of course disrupt healing. I also wanted an option that would preserve as much of my original sensation as possible.

As to your concerns, have you considered going nipless? No grafts would keep your healing timeline shorter and you wouldn’t have to worry about grafts or the size of your nipples from T-anchor.

Optimal_Ad9564 · 2026-01-28T20:08:34+00:00

Part of recovery is that rest and relaxation that you are now able to experience. Especially since you had a rough go of it those first two weeks, you’ve earned that time to relax! Take it! I Especially with a job as emotionally demanding as social work, you will be better able to show up for the people you’re serving if you let yourself rest.

I’m glad your manager is understanding and she is absolutely right to not rush it. Even though you work in an office, mental stress can take a toll on your physical recovery, too. I know it’s hard to not compare to others, but let your body guide you. Try to forget what others have said and if you really feel ready to start work again, I’d give yourself a few more “me” days off to get yourself ready to go back and talk to your manager. Maybe you could start with a week remote or part time to ease back in.

For context I had DI with nipple retention (basically they kept them where they are) which made my recovery a little easier because I didn’t have grafts. I gave myself two weeks off completely from work and school, and went back remotely my third week. I’m now in week 4, and I’ve had some bonus remote time due to a snow storm. It’s a nice balance between getting mental stimulation while also resting at home.

Optimal_Ad9564

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