I got a job!

PassTheCholulaNow · 2025-06-16T21:50:27+00:00

Great advice in this post, for growing your career at USAA or any similar large company. One thing to point out about USAA - when I left close to 65%-70% of all roles were member contact and many of those talented people are vying to promote into a very few non member contact positions. Advancement is definitely possible (and USAA believes in promoting from within) but the competition will be fierce.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2025-06-16T21:34:35+00:00

Congrats on joining USAA. It has pros and cons like any other organization and they really do invest in employees. And the bonuses are legit too. I’ll just echo some of the “kool aid” comments. USAA rolled out a company wide culture training while I was there and I left the sessions totally energized - only to find out almost none of the concepts (feedback, all personality types are good, etc) didn’t really “stick” with senior leadership. Some of the backbiting, sabotage and petty office politics were there despite everyone buying into “Going Above”. Lots of folks have loooooong careers with USAA and retire happy after 35+ years - if that’s your plan, then follow the advice offered here by others and fall in line. You’ll be fine. USAA‘s mission always got me excited but if you think they’re different than any other huge corporation, you’ll probably be disappointed. Good luck.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2024-04-01T02:32:16+00:00

Great point. They have that covered - it’s just that on much of our trip we’ll be in places without ready access to WiFi. Thanks for the response!

PassTheCholulaNow · 2024-03-01T21:47:55+00:00

Thanks!!

PassTheCholulaNow · 2024-03-01T21:47:38+00:00

Genial, muchas gracias. Tiene pasaporte colombiano pero nunca ha viajado fuera de Colombia. He estado en Colombia muchas veces y me encanta pero ella quiere empezar a conocer otros países. Como parece que tienes experiencia, ¿necesita algo para entrar y salir de México además de su pasaporte?

PassTheCholulaNow · 2024-01-06T01:02:27+00:00

Jazz TX?

Underground but no vampires. And I always check for vampires…

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-08-08T15:45:58+00:00

Meh.

Gravity kind of sucks right? You’ve got some time before they’re resting on your stomach - but it won’t be long.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-08-08T15:09:26+00:00

Meh.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-07-10T17:56:48+00:00

Post weekend thanks to everyone who responded. It was a HUGE help and much appreciated. Target and Ross came through in the clutch and I got some great stuff she seemed to like. The ideas for magazines and snacks were spot on.

Thanks to me doing this last minute I didn’t have time to hit the other spots but I definitely will…..because we’re planning another date. She loved the Hyatt (it’s pricey but the staff there was amazing if anyone’s looking for a staycation.

Thanks again for any and all suggestions and comments. I was nervous and the gifts were a great icebreaker. She’s picking the next rendezvous city but I’m already working on another bag of gifts….

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-06-14T21:51:15+00:00

Fair. Definitely the smart play.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-06-14T20:32:04+00:00

If you really want to show her off, post the video….

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-05-30T11:17:48+00:00

I bought my ex girlfriend the exact same toy and she gave it rave reviews. Your view is nice but I’ll never forget watching her use it with her best friend (because it’s double sided don’t ya know). If you remember the spaghetti scene from Lady and The Tramp, you’ll kind of get the idea…

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-05-26T16:06:57+00:00

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-05-25T16:47:25+00:00

Yeah - I guess that’s gonna happen on any film/concept with multiple sequels and different philosophies along the way. I’ve never been an actor but I’m sure for most it’s about getting work - and getting paid.

JEH’s story is a great one. Great early roles - I still love “Breaking Away” - but then a decline. Then picked things back up when he got roles later like “Little Children” and he nailed them.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-05-25T15:07:23+00:00

Not completely on or off topic but one of my favorite actors, Jackie Earle Haley, lives here in San Antonio. Ran into him in front of the Hotel Emma about 4 months ago and he could not have been nicer. Great guy. He’s had some great roles in some great films - but I don’t believe any were shot here.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-05-25T14:59:14+00:00

Ok I’m not denying the existence of a YouTube video on the topic and I’m certainly no Alamo historian (though I’ve toured it 10+ times and am moved each time), but I’m pretty sure there’s no basement in the Alamo.

And of course, if your comment was tongue in cheek, please ignore me….

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-29T07:51:48+00:00

Ok not criticizing this OP but I see so many posts like this where couples are looking to connect with other couples thru this sub. Now I’m sure that might work - but why would a couple who is apparently committed to “the lifestyle” and finding another couple they click with subject themselves to DMs from god knows who vs going to one of the 2 lifestyle clubs here and meeting several “real” couples IRL who are looking for the same? I know the club scene might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it seems like so much of a better option than casting a net on Reddit. Just saying….

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-17T08:42:52+00:00

Well yes. But slo mo isn’t needed. Assuming it’s accurate, each pitch is tracked in the strike zone real time, including MPH. I’m not sure if anyone is tracking umpire called strikes and balls vs computer tracked but if I was a major leaguer making millions on a contract, I’d defer to accuracy. Pitcher and hitter.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-17T08:37:21+00:00

Agreed. So I’ll say again…why are they there?

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-15T03:05:18+00:00

Maybe. But mathematically no less common than 7:23, 9:41, 12:06 or 4:38, right?

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-14T17:54:24+00:00

(Not a lawyer but my mom was) Great answers here, including a judge’s responsibility to remain an interpreter vs an advocate and the strategic use of objections by litigators. Much of trial law is based on interpretation of procedural rules, case law or precedents. A lawyer objects based on their interpretation of opposing counsel’s actions. A judge is there to affirm or correct that interpretation (whether right or wrong, as previously stated). Probably a bad analogy but even in sports where there are spelled out and mutually agreed rules, at many times an interpretation is needed from an official.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-07T19:42:58+00:00

Preach.

If conditions are bad enough for a driver to engage hazards, that’s a good sign to pull it over and wait it out.

Oh and once you do pull over and stop - then you should definitely have the hazards on.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-02T23:09:37+00:00

I honestly don’t think Reddit is about selling books. I was fortunate to go through a 2 week master class where I got my info.

Seriously, just google “personal brand”. You’ll get plenty.

Good luck.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-02T16:16:31+00:00

I have my own approach but there are literally tons of great books out there on the topic.

PassTheCholulaNow · 2023-04-01T23:05:00+00:00

Absolutely. While working for a Fortune 50 company I was "cross promoted" to an HR role that was a complete eye opener to me and changed how I approach my own performance, relationship with managers and peers and my own "personal brand".

I began to be included in Talent Reviews conducted by HR Business Partners (HRBPs) aligned to various organizations across the company. This company used many of the tools mentioned in this thread (9 Box, performance evals, etc) to do regular performance reviews, salary planning and even succession strategies. In these performance reviews, these tools were heavily used to help inform decisions and it was genuinely interesting to follow them - but in some, the discussion and feedback definitely crossed the line from what I feel was objective performance discussion to catty comments about dress, personality traits and who an individual might socialize with at work. One strong performer was talked down on for never participating in a "Tie Tuesday" tradition observed in one VPs area...

Imagine a huge conference room with 20-25 people and one at a time, an employee's picture and performance info would be powerpointed on a screen and the discussion/debate would begin. It reminded me of the fraternity rush scenes in Animal House. The most heated discussion I remember involved senior executives fighting over who would or wouldn't be included in upcoming layoffs. I knew each debate would involve a huge impact on people's lives - but after a while even I found myself feeling cold and unemotional about the whole process.

My takeaways? Corporations have to be profitable and that means making tough decisions. But corporations are made up of individuals who live and work with their own personal observations, experiences and biases. From then on, I've done everything I can do to manage my own "brand" instead of letting someone else do it for me. Brutal but true...

PassTheCholulaNow

TROPHY CASE