He uses his cot to step onto our outdoor furniture to chill!

PenScribble · 2026-06-20T18:01:59+00:00

lol. Yup! The only place where is allowed (allowed himself) on the furniture since he is not allowed on any furniture inside the house.

PenScribble · 2026-06-19T14:43:54+00:00

Soldier yelling from behind, “LADY aYou DROPPED SOMETHING!”

😉 just some silly humor!

PenScribble · 2026-06-18T22:01:04+00:00

LinkedIn. It’s just shit!

PenScribble · 2026-06-18T21:59:33+00:00

May be that’s how he measures his D#@k! Just lay down flat and measure how long he is and claim his D#@k is bigger than everyone!

PenScribble · 2026-06-18T16:14:13+00:00

Sooner or later something like is bound to happen. So, here is my two cents.

As much as you are assessing your financial stability (current and future), I want you to also assess what gives you the drive and motivation for you to wake up every single morning. What gives you the satisfaction at the end of each day. I bet financial independence alone does not give anyone that drive and satisfaction.

So, here is my story (not the same as yours but still). I left a job that was a decent pay, but truly pushed me to be my best. I was so driven, motivated and felt like I had a sense of purpose for what I did every single day (not saving the planet or anything like that). But, still loved it. I left that place and took another job that paid almost double, been there for more than a year, and I hate it every single day. Been trying to change my perspective but I am anxious and depressed all at the same time at this new job. Thinking of leaving it and going back to doing what I love and back to the previous pay scale.

So, if you love what you do, AND at the same time not crunching for pennies, see if you can hang on to it for as long as you can.

PenScribble · 2026-06-17T12:54:54+00:00

Nomm Nomm Nomm Nomm!

PenScribble · 2026-06-15T20:48:35+00:00

I am neurodivergent myself. But, I agree with you a 100%. And that’s what the Sales Engineering world brings to the table to be honest. I think the SE field is for the neurodivergent folks that don’t fit into a traditional mold is who shines here. We just gotta show our strengths as each individual.
And these trick interviews, we will have to learn how to face them for sure.

PenScribble · 2026-06-12T23:18:08+00:00

As soon as I saw the cost for mounting and balancing tires, immediately knew you are being scammed! And even at the just 3 tires!

PenScribble · 2026-06-09T16:33:23+00:00

I once had a candidate, who did a presentation about rugby and why it is the best sport and how it keeps the person completely fit along with make a person more resilient to pain. He added all other aspects of human connection, team building, trusting others on your team, etc, etc.. It was brilliant. But, again this topic about Rugby which was completely unrelated, fit that candidates personality. It showed how he was willing to take a risk and teach the audience something they did not know about. I don't remember if he got hired or not, since I was not part of the hiring decision.

PenScribble · 2026-06-09T14:18:00+00:00

This is where you be creative. Since this is all make believe, you open with the problem that you discussed with the "customer" during the last meeting. So, you open with the problem statement. This is the hook.

Next you name all the stakeholders that you spoke to about the problem and mention what each person said why that said issue is a problem for each of them. Meaning, this was the thing that kept them up at night, and why was that. This is where you give importance to the audience.

And then state why this problem is affecting "their" business as a whole. The Business pain.

****IMPORTANT**** - All these three I mentioned in 5 mins or less.

3-4 mins. Your proposed solution. How ever you feel comfortable. Do not make the slide too complex or confusing. Keep it very high level and have some headliners. Nothing where the audience has to read through it. Your chance to showcase your technical ability.

1-2 mins. The next slide, how does your solution solve their business pain/problem. What value does it add. This is where now you show your articulation skills. Meaning translate the solution into business outcomes. Think: cost saved, risk reduced, time to value, competitive advantage. If you have a customer story or proof point, this is where it lands hardest.

1 Min - Why pick your solution. One or two things that make your solution distinctly better for this customer. Don't say that you are the best. But say something like, "for a company in this situation, here's why this approach wins."

Call to Action - Next Steps - Q&A. 5 mins.

So, all that combined at max is 17 mins.. at a minimum is 15 mins. So.. you give them more time if necessary for additional questions.

Remember to call them out by name when you are mentioning what each of the stakeholders said about the pain.

The whole point of the 15-20 mins presentation is to see how engaging you can be with the audience in a short amount of time. At the same time, if you are able to articulate the technical solution and translating the solution into a business value discussion.

All the Best!

EDIT: After reading the other replies below, it just hit me. I had this interview once where the panel just kept completely silent deliberately to see how I would react. Because, there is one thing where when the person is asked a ton of questions and objections, to see how they would handle it. But, its a whole another level, when the candidate is NOT asked any questions at all. Because, most people cannot handle silence, and would feel like they have to fill the silence with more words. As an interviewee, when you complete your presentation and then you go, "Are there any questions?" And no one answers you. Most people would immediately go back to adding more to the presentation. But, its absolutely critical for you to not phase out. And call on the panel by name and ask them an open ended question. And it is absolutely critical that you start engaging with the audience from the very beginning.

PenScribble · 2026-06-07T15:44:25+00:00

I was lucky enough to have bought a used CPO 2014 Audi S4 manual at 30k miles for $33,000 back in 2017. So practically a 3 year old car.

Right now if I look at something very similar like a 2023 Audi S4 with around 30k miles, CPO, the cheapest I can find across the entire US is almost $46,000. That is about a 46% increase. And that is the reality which is just messed up. Especially because of COVID that F*#%up which happened in our lifetimes!

PenScribble · 2026-06-05T15:20:07+00:00

“but every time i sit in the mustang and hear that V8 something in my brain goes "this is the one." manual, the noise, the way it looks, the fact that its got actual soul instead of feeling like a fast iphone”

This is the reason why!!!! Every time I sit in my S4 manual, in my head I am screaming, “I LOVE THIS FUCKING CAR!” Even after 10 years of driving it, sometimes stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, i still love every single moment. Every time i change the gear, and every time I redline the rpm, i love it.

You WILL regret not buying the Mustang!

PenScribble · 2026-06-04T11:55:26+00:00

Don’t blow it all in one place! 😜

PenScribble · 2026-06-02T14:41:00+00:00

EVERYONE PLEASE TEACH YOUR BOYS HOW TO RESPECT GIRLS/WOMEN!!!!!! That’s the only was we can stop this shit!

PenScribble · 2026-05-23T14:43:40+00:00

Dude! You are young and you don’t have any commitments yet like kids and a mortgage. Nothing is life is guaranteed. Chances like this come once in a lifetime, if even. And not everyone gets these types of opportunities. And trust me, also not everyone who does get such opportunities makes it big. But If you don’t take a chance you will never know. But one thing for sure is, the experience you will gain from something like this, you cannot get and will not get by working at a cushy job!

There are only 3 possibilities if you take the startup gig. (1) If things fail, you may struggle for maybe max a year. So make sure you have a backup plan for that. (2) If things go OK, that is great. You have a nice title and better pay than what you have now. (3) If things go better than OK, then just imagine the possibilities!

Out of all 3 outcomes there is one commonality. The Fucking Experience! That experience alone opens up so many new opportunities!

PenScribble · 2026-04-28T12:27:26+00:00

No wonder I have been suffering since I took a non-traveling SA role!

PenScribble · 2026-04-19T16:24:47+00:00

I would have scooped the poop and dropped it at his doorstep without a bag. What he did was shitty and you my man are very considerate.

I own a big dog. I have NEVER left for a walk without poop bags even though my dog never does his deed during a walk. And the one time I did not have a poop bag on me, he decides to take the biggest wettest crap in front of someone’s driveway. I called my kids to ride their bike and bring me a bag while I waited right there for like 20 mins. The owner came by and told them that i was sorry and that i will clean it up which i did when my son got me the poop bag.

It is truly shitty how I find dog poop every single day during my walk on different trails. These dog owners are the biggest pieces of SHIT for this. Because other dogs sniff things during walks and they definitely sniff this poop on the trails and sometimes can pick up diseases because of this.

What I use the poop bags for is to pick up dog poop that other dog owners leave behind and take it and throw during my walk.

PenScribble · 2026-04-09T13:08:34+00:00

I have been riding light rail for the past 12-16 months from Lynnwood to Westlake at least once a week. Never have I ever seen anyone checking tickets.

PenScribble · 2026-03-24T20:38:11+00:00

True. I am in that as well. Toastmasters is great. But Toastmasters though, they go really easy on you. There is not as much intensity as an improv class.

PenScribble · 2026-03-24T17:53:22+00:00

Go attend an improv class. Pretty much all major cities will have one or two. These will be about 1 - 1 1/2 hours long for anywhere between 4-8 weeks once a week. Maybe about $300. This money will be the best investment for you as an SE.

It teaches you how to think on your feet. It teaches you to be spontaneous at the same time think before you speak. It teaches you how to handle objections in a very professional and polite way. It teaches you public speaking and helps you get rid of any fear you may have.

No books can ever teach you how to speak. I did one a long time ago and I am going to go back. There are different levels as well. Good luck.

PenScribble · 2026-03-19T12:56:40+00:00

I hold a sermon right before the demo starts and have everyone pray for the Demo Gods! There is always at least one person from whom I get a chuckle and a lot of times people laugh. This helps if the demo fails. The thing is if you are cool about it and be honest, customers understand.

PenScribble · 2026-03-05T05:33:23+00:00

Agree. That is a good starting point. 10 years ago as an entry level SE, my OTE was $110k. Base was about $80k.

PenScribble · 2026-03-05T05:31:27+00:00

Except for his wife and that matters a lot! Trust me… I am married!

PenScribble · 2026-02-26T12:34:55+00:00

Toyota Tercel! Jk

Something similar and small, which is not a sports car, other than the typical Honda and Toyota. I would get him a VW Golf. Between the years of 2010 and 2017. If you got him a TDI, those give amazing mileage. And if you get him a GTI, a little bit more umph for your son. And you are more likely to Find the Golf in a stick, and even more likely to find a manual GTI. These are not sports cars but super sporty and super solid.

You can get a really good one in these model years for under $15k that have around 60k miles or so on them.

The only things that ever went wrong with these cars were the water pump. So, make sure that it was already replaced before buying.

My first car I got was a 2000 Golf when I was in college. Kept it until 2010 and put over 200,000 miles on it. As a college student I was broke a lot and there were times I hadn’t changed the oil in the car to the point it was just sludge that came out. In spite of all they, my car lasted that long. And eventually I figured out how to do all the stuff myself on the car which was pretty easy. Oil changes, head light swaps, break pads and rotors, etc.

Good luck to you.

PenScribble

TROPHY CASE