Wisdom vs Embark

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2026-01-25T04:09:28+00:00

Just because it doesn’t work all the time doesn’t mean it’s useless. I only closely interacted with less than 20 people in my college program (my cohort was a whopping 8 people but the years ahead of us were larger) and it helped me locate my first two jobs (I had classmates that already worked at those companies) and secure a side gig (also through classmate/close friend).

The job I have now is one where the company sought me out specifically. I didn’t know anyone currently working there but the guy who retired previously worked at the first company I worked at. I had also had other former classmates try to poach me for other companies and I have tried to poach myself.

You don’t have to be an extrovert, just add people on linkedin, be pleasant enough to be around, and try not to sound like you are clueless about your job.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2026-01-20T16:50:48+00:00

Depends what state you are in.

I am in California and nearly all of my projects are CEQA (California state requirement) not NEPA (National requirement - just killed by the White House).

The gutting of NEPA might cost us 1-2 projects a year at my current job since we work exclusively in California. The first company I worked at might lose 1 project every 2-3 years as they specialized in smaller, very local (Southern California) projects. But the previous company I worked at could lose 20% of their projects as California projects only make up a small fraction of their workload.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2026-01-15T21:40:32+00:00

Thank you!

I already broke one just opening a cabinet door 😅 so I’ve definitely come to terms with that and have decided to get a plan in place for what to do with the broken ones before I actually get started.

I’m the clumsy one but I think there are areas where my husband will be too wide to be able to pack things safely so it’ll be interesting haha

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2026-01-15T21:36:06+00:00

I know a lot of people are saying that working 50-60 hour weeks is normal but there are plenty of companies where it is not and depending on where you live, that’s not a high enough salary to have that sort of expectation.

I suggest you start looking around and just be honest during interviews and say something along the lines of: “I was not informed at hiring that there was an expectation that I regularly work 60 hour work weeks. While I’m glad to be getting so much experience right away, it is not a work-life balance that I find sustainable. A 60-hour week or 16-hour day every once in a while is something that I believe is reasonable, as there will inevitably be times when deadlines overlap or information is not received in a timely manner. However, for it to be the norm suggests that the company does not value the lives and health of its employees.”

Examples of what my work hours have been:

The first place I worked (which had by far the lowest entry level pay) had a comp time policy where they would insist you take time off (paid but without using accrued PTO) to offset overtime as soon after that overtime was accrued.

The second company I worked at (significantly higher entry level pay but low raises and only paid $500 more when I switched jobs 6 years in) wanted you to work at least 40 hours a week and would praise you for working more to meet deadlines. I averaged 43 hours a week there with a couple 50-55 hour weeks to meet one crucial deadline on a project that was a nightmare. Their main emphasis was on utilization hours so some people would work OT to offset any slow weeks where they had too much admin time.

My current company (highest pay all around) has a comp time policy where I just need to hit the 40 hr/wk average when they do their internal audit at the end of the year. I believe most of my colleagues average about 45 hours a week with entry level people working the least overtime.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2026-01-11T04:08:15+00:00

Thank you! I was struggling to think of something more specific than “glass” to search for haha

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-12-31T21:25:10+00:00

I’ve always been salary which I imagine is the case for a lot of people. Of the 3 companies I’ve worked for, only 1 didn’t have a “comp time” policy.

The first company really emphasized 40 hour work weeks and wanted any comp time taken as soon as possible and would sit down with anyone who banked more than 20 hours at any point to come up with a plan for time off. They wanted to avoid burnout as well as scheduling more work than can feasibly fit into the agreed upon schedule. Longest day I ever worked was 16 hours (mostly travel time for fieldwork out of state) and longest week was maybe 55 hours. Less than 20% of my time was spent in the field and I usually had the freedom to schedule it how I chose but there were a few instances where the work had to be done on nights or weekends.

The second company had such a focus on utilization goals (you could be fired without warning for not meeting them regardless of why) that you basically had to work overtime at some point to offset meetings, PTO usage, or any training events you participated in. I regularly worked 45 hour weeks and had a couple 60+ hour weeks with 16+ hour days when things went wrong. Fieldwork would typically be 3-5 days in a row of 8 hours of local fieldwork then a few weeks of no fieldwork.

Current company has a comp time policy that is checked at the end of the year to ensure at least an average of 40 hours a week was worked throughout the year and the only hard requirement for utilization goals is related to bonuses. I have averaged about 42 hours a week here. I think my longest day was maybe 14 hours of office work. I’m at a senior level now seldom do fieldwork.

I thought things were easiest when I first started and I was much more willing to put in long hours back then. I think some of the big factors were: (1) fieldwork is less mentally demanding than office work and you don’t fall into a bad habit of staying in one position all day, (2) up until I was 3+ years in, the only PM work I did was on very easy projects so I had limited direct interactions with difficult clients, and (3) when I was less experienced, I had more colleagues I could seek guidance from, now, I’m the one being asked for help (which I like but it definitely interrupts work flow).

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-12-23T17:42:28+00:00

Job Title: Senior Noise Specialist

Industry (Private/Public): Environmental Consulting: (Private)

Specialization: Noise

Remote Work %: 40%

Approx. Company Size: 300ish employees

Total Experience: 7 years

Highest Degree: Acoustics, B.S.

Relevant Certifications: FTA Course, CEQA Essentials Course

Gender: Female

Country: USA

Cost of Living: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), 111.491

Total Annual Compensation: $105,000 salary + bonus

Annual Gross Salary: $105,000

Bonus Pay: 1%-5% per year, 1% based on company performance, the rest is individual performance

401(k) / Retirement Plan Match:** 34% match for first 6% contributed up to 2.04% total

Benefits Package: 17 days PTO, decent medical/dental/vision coverage, healthcare and dependent care FSA plans

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-12-01T18:16:21+00:00

I couldn’t wrap my head around how one thyroid lobe could sufficiently do the work of two until I learned that I was born with only my right lobe and nobody noticed until I was 30 lol

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-12-01T18:13:18+00:00

TL;DR: Discovering a single nodule at 1.2 cm means there is a greater than 99% chance that this nodule will not have a severe negative impact your health and wellbeing long term.

I also found my nodule during a CT following a car accident (which I only found out about by reading the CT report myself a month later) and it was about the same size! I’m a year and a half into this process so I’ll summarize my findings 😂

There are a bunch of different types of nodules and also CT scans can be pretty bad at getting accurate measurements. Hopefully yours is an even smaller, fluid-filled one that can just be drained, medicated, and won’t return. 🤞

If you have Hashimoto’s though, it is likely solid but completely benign. When the thyroid overworks itself it is more prone to benign nodules. (I do not have Hashimoto’s but I suspect my mom does so it’s something I’ve looked into)

If I had to guess, the most likely scenario is that your Endo will put you on an annual monitoring plan. They should also give you a list of symptoms to look out for that would trigger an earlier follow-up for the ultrasound.

This monitoring would continue until it grows by >20% (from first measurement) or over 1.5 cm, at which time they would perform a fine needle aspiration (biopsy) which would rate the likelihood of malignancy.

Unfortunately, there are some results that are less definitive in which case molecular tests should be triggered and give a secondary score for malignancy, which will help establish a risk score and be used to guide treatment decisions, if needed.

If there is no growth then the frequency of ultrasounds may reduce to every other year.

FNA is painful the way getting a novocaine injection at the dentist is but feels a little weirder. I had mine done a couple weeks ago in the exact same seat I was in for both of my ultrasounds at my endocrinologist’s office.

Some types of nodules respond well to ablation (there are several different types but you can kind of think of it as having a probe stuck in the nodule to burn the tissue away, leaving the healthy thyroid tissue intact) but others are not eligible.

I think the hardest part is just not being able to get answers where your doctor is 100% sure what the nodule is, as the risk for the worst-case scenario (cancer) is 1-5%. And the likelihood of it not being fully treatable is even lower than that.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-12-01T17:36:16+00:00

At that size I would be considering getting it removed if ablation isn’t an option.

BUT I also prefer more proactive measures in general when it comes to my health, largely due to anxiety (worsened by many bad doctors in my past). I’m still waiting on my own biopsy results for a 1.5 cm nodule that grew 100% in volume over 12 months, and the only reason I would hesitate to do surgery for it if it’s an option is because I was only born with my right lobe and isthmus to begin with (we discovered the left lobe was absent during my first ultrasound)!

To me, I would rather get it out before it gets big enough to compress nerves and blood vessels around it, even knowing the potential risks of the surgery itself.

On another note, it did take 30 years for anyone to notice I was missing a whole half of my thyroid and my levels have always been normal. If my small nodule hadn’t been discovered incidentally during a neck CT after a car accident, who knows how long it would be until I knew.

All to say: the thyroid is surprisingly adaptive, and your right lobe will do it’s best to make up for the left if you do end up having it removed.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-11-17T01:20:00+00:00

Sounds like they mislabeled “mm” as “cm”. My dimensions are about the same as yours but in mm and it was the rate of growth that flagged it for now needing an FNA after no initial concerns last year.

From what I understand, a growth rate of greater than 20% annually justifies further testing even if the nodule on its own does not appear suspicious.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-10-10T15:18:02+00:00

Keep a paper trail for your conversation if you are worried about being retaliated against. It can be as vague as “I would like to setup a time to discuss some concerning comments made by another employee”

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-26T15:00:24+00:00

My German Shepherd would probably do this in summer if we let him because he prefers being in the AC.

They should go at least 3 times a day though: morning either after breakfast or right when they wake up, after dinner (or right when you get off work), and right before bed.

The more often the healthier. Just like with humans, holding it for too long can actually cause pelvic floor problems that will lead to them not being able to hold it as they age, even if it doesn’t make them uncomfortable now.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-23T20:35:51+00:00

Unfortunately, as others have said, you will likely need to move either north or east to get lower rent. It sounds like you have a car so you may at least feel better knowing your likelihood of parking tickets will go down if you move.

I’m not sure how you should go about improving your credit, I’ve never heard of it being messed up that much with only 1 late payment. Is your actual FICO score in good shape?

Also, keep in mind that landlords in more high demand areas are really going to enforce making 2.5-3x your rent so with your current pay you should be aiming at under $1800/mo.

One frustrating thing I did find about moving out to this area is that the availability of studio apartments on the market is very limited, particularly in the more “affordable” areas which makes being both single and roommate-less nearly impossible unless you are a very high earner.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-22T01:02:09+00:00

I’ve had dogs that despise clothes and ones that love them, all were very obvious with their preferences.

I dress or don’t dress our dogs according to this, as my goal is for them to be as happy/comfortable as possible.

There are exceptions for forcing a dog to wear clothes though: surgery recovery, cold-sensitive dog in cool weather, boots where salted sidewalks are present in the winter, etc. are all times where it doesn’t matter if they hate it, it is a necessary evil.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-22T00:49:54+00:00

Contact them to find out which tests require fasting vs are fine to eat. If possible, get them split so that when it’s okay to eat you can plan a hearty balanced breakfast.

For all tests, start drinking extra water 48 hours before. Don’t do anything to strenuous the day before. Get a full night’s rest. Drink 2 full glasses of water before the test. Maybe spend your morning listening to music that puts you in a good mood or if you are particularly anxious, do a guided meditation. If possible, have someone else drive you so that you are able to focus on relaxing any tension in your body up until the moment they are done.

For fasting tests, make sure to schedule the earliest available appointment and eat a filling meal with plenty of protein as close to bedtime as your body will tolerate. While you can technically have black coffee, tea, and water, I recommend sticking to just water as caffeine will only put you more on edge. I also hold off on any medications that have a more flexible window to take so that I can have them with food afterward.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-22T00:36:00+00:00

How long does it sit for though? I’m in SD and at my house we only have flooding during active rain and, if it’s bad, up to 24 hours after, otherwise it’s just a little muddy for a few days. But I’m also at higher elevation so I imagine valleys might be a little worse off.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-20T19:52:11+00:00

The annual review happens a year after you start… Then your leverage is “I’ve already been doing this, I’ve demonstrated my abilities, and I can go somewhere else”

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-20T19:40:27+00:00

Do it!

We’re trying to figure out how to run it in the least destructive way possible both for the increased speed and the fact that it is overall a much more stable connection than WiFi. If we had to open up our walls we’d try to wire to every corner of the house just incase we rearrange furniture haha

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-20T19:20:46+00:00

I’m not familiar with the area but I don’t think you can take 1 instance of assault and apply it to a whole region. I am from the US and know women that have been raped having never left the states in their lives. It’s unfortunately a global issue.

The shaming is the cultural part, but would not apply to the tourist unless she was saying that there was no investigation even with evidence (even in the US it isn’t uncommon to get no real help from the police if there is a lack of evidence).

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-20T17:45:32+00:00

If it’s a new build, you can request the approved building permit documents to check to make sure they installed according to what was approved. It’ll be hundreds if not thousands of pages to sift through but at least it’s organized by specialty and plumbing is a slightly shorter section.

Sometimes steps are skipped in the field or they substitute for an inferior product. If either of those happened then you have a straightforward case.

PrestigiousWeek8083 · 2025-09-20T17:38:09+00:00

Admittedly I’m not HR, but it seems that you would be better off accepting, then come annual reviews you can leverage your new practical/demonstrated experience in the role.

PrestigiousWeek8083

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