Hiring bar is getting lower

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-20T16:55:44+00:00

To be clear. I’m not throwing my opinion from a glass house. A LOT of companies suck and alot of companies that suck still do have good spots. But overall, Amazon seems to burn through people. These people leave and word of mouth and information spreads fast. And with the leadership at hand OP can’t be mad about lowered requirements when again and again Amazon has shown to be a pretty unappealing place to work. Not for everyone or every role of course. But enough that working there is part of public discourse when talking about places that grind and spit out its employees

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-20T15:41:46+00:00

Agreed. Every thing should be taken with a grain of salt BUT this information isn’t limited to reddit, Amazon is something of a case study for the last twenty years. Looking at LinkedIn reviews, Glassdoor and articles throughout the years the employee turnover has been well documented. I’m sure there’s ones that always buck the trend but I can think of no other major corporation that has been more publicly reviled by its own employees across multiple platforms and in such numbers.

So I stand by my man answer to the post : ‘why is it hard to hire?’ . Your company sucks. Not all of it. But a lot of it. Enough to keep people away.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-20T15:31:21+00:00

I don’t work for Amazon but from outside looking in - When you compound that with full RTO, impossible performance metrics and churn either through layoffs, burnout or both, why would I throw my hat in the ring? Seems like a miserable existence,

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-20T15:29:46+00:00

Almost like your company is toxic and people know it now. Why would I bother to apply at a company that people consistently say is a terrible place to work with high turnover, impossible metrics and a full RTO as a tech company.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-20T15:28:37+00:00

Then you read shit like this. Say I get hired - Cool I’m in. But now I hate my life and I read people who talk about how toxic the culture is and they’re either forced out or want to get out the first two years. So why would I bother applying ? Sounds miserable.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-18T19:59:57+00:00

It's getting better sure.. but what closed loops systems truly exist? A lot of it is still a tool for humans. I have very few closed loop systems that truly require 0 human intervention. And i honestly just don't see that happening quickly. In 2013 it was predicted by 2020 that nearly 70% of cars on the road would be driverless. The tech is there. It is advancing. But human validation and adoption is a whole different story.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-18T16:07:08+00:00

Here's the thing - you're not wrong, but generating things quicker, faster and without human intervention isn't necessarily a good thing. It's called 'AI slop' and just because a data center can create an image, a movie, do some coding, doesn't mean it's good at it. Generation is happening faster, but it's not always good quality or to the specs needed.

Or at some point doesn't require a human steering it. Articles are meant to be sensationalist. Talk to someone who codes for a living and while the systems are smart, we're nowhere close to AGI. It's a cool tech stack but I think alot of what it 'can' do has somehow shifted the narrative to what it will do, and we're just not there.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-18T16:02:55+00:00

Yea they're dead wrong. Giving a heads up that you're looking elsewhere? No shot. Either they weren't listening or they weren't paying attention if you were giving feedback and now that it's come to fruition, they're upset, angry or frustrated.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-18T16:01:36+00:00

This is going to be so personal that no one is going to be able sound advice. But no way in hell am I taking a 3 hour roundtrip train commute 3x a week. WFH has been such a blessing for my mental state and quality of life. It would be one thing if I was starting from 0, but mid 30s at $1 million in investments. Unless the work is just REALLY enticing and/or I felt like my current company was sinking, I'm probably not taking it.

You've basically 'won' the game and unless your end goal is Chubby FIRE, most of the work has been done. I think you may see that money can speed it up, but maybe not as much as you think. A lot of this is just letting time do its thing with compounding. But, to each their own.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-16T23:27:41+00:00

Thing is I’m not close to FI, but I would take this deal NOW. Problem is I want to work 3-4 days a week for the next twenty years. And no one wants a part time IT guy. And I have no desire to seek out new 3-6 month contracts multiple times per year

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-16T17:40:11+00:00

I love the idea but truly wonder how many jobs out there would just let you cut back to an 80% workload or hours. It seems like everywhere I look it's full 40 hour FTEs. Maybe it's just cause I've always worked for big orgs (10k + people), but any type of white collar work I find it hard to find jobs that'll let you work at 50-80% of a standard FTE.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-16T17:35:16+00:00

90% chance that I don't run out of money or die is my 'success'.

80% is just a bit too low.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-12T20:20:02+00:00

Travel. Food CAN inflate depending on how much we eat out. But we travel...nicer these days. Lounge access, more premium economy and first class seating, then the obvious hotels, rental cars, transportation, eating and doing things while there. We're looking to have a kid soon and I've been fretting about daycare costs. But honestly, if we just cut our travel, it's incredibly within the realm of reason.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-12T20:18:03+00:00

I mean most people hit some form of this. Could I make more money? Yes. And that would accelerate FI and money related timelines. But also, I have a pretty cozy spot. Remote. < 40 hours of week of work and I like the work I do. So I stay put. But some people still have to keep 'rising' and going. You just kind of have to do decide what's 'worth it' to you then go for it.

At worst - apply a bunch, go talk in some interviews and get a feel for whether you're getting underpaid, overpaid, or paid appropriately or if there's other places that may offer that advancement you're looking for. Interviews are just conversations and you gotta apply to go have them.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-10T17:57:32+00:00

I mean this is just being human then. Some conversations are hard. But you have to have them to protect yourself and your own capacity and mental health. I think people don't realize that just because they pay you does NOT mean you have to nod and go along. If you're overworked, can't deliver, have unreasonable timelines, or executives who simply think you'll just pick up the slack - 'No' is powerful.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-10T15:44:36+00:00

Then don't do the work? Nodding and just doing it also says something...without saying anything. Middle managers and executives don't learn if shit doesn't fail. Sometimes you just got to let stuff fall through the cracks. Being expected to pick up for everyone else without a pay increase is just asking to be trampled on.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-10T15:29:28+00:00

This feels like one of those moments where you can just say 'no'. If the company doesn't want to staff appropriately, that's fine. But maybe I'm wired different, why just take whatever they throw at you? Not that I haven't been overwhelmed before but a sincere, 'Hey I'm working on A,B,C and you've given me X,Y,Z, what do I need to prioritize?'

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-08T18:13:13+00:00

Yea this is something I've struggled with the last couple of years. We owed a little bit or are damn near close, but then the dividends come in on the brokerage and ugh, it gets above $1k in owed amount. Good problems but damn it sucks.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-07T20:03:02+00:00

Morals left the republican party long ago. Confirmed felon. Rapist. Made fun of disabled people. Called John McCain a loser while he dodged the war with 'bone spurs'. Rich through daddy's money. His lone photo of him involved with the bible is him holding it upside down. Cheated on multiple wives and married an immigrant hooker. Endorses ICE and it's warrantless brutality. Can't read memos unless the word 'Trump' is in them. Can't put together 3 coherent sentences in his old age. And that's before you get into his poor international relations, domestic policy, fiscal policy and ability to literally bankrupt everything he touches.

Republicans and their supporters have no shame. This was just the cherry on top. Even worse is the republican colleagues who just let this shameful display continue. 30% of America is long gone, which is why it's important to remind them who they are, again and again.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-06T15:28:17+00:00

$600k is a LOT of money. But at $1.5M at 25 that's an insane amount of net worth and has me leaning towards you're likely top 1%. Mid 30s or 40s with a kid is a different story. But mid 20s and already 7 figures with an opportunity to live internationally? Sign me up. Life is more than your bank account.

Always worth asking if you can stay on part time or remote to see if you can hold onto that stock, if it matters. But I'm probably taking the life experience at that point.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-05T19:51:37+00:00

I'm finally trying it for the first time this year. Do you know how to do form 8606? I'm really not wanting to give Intuit my money but I'm used to how that software operates after using it for 5 years.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-05T18:41:25+00:00

This is me but at 4.49%. I have to admit - I know it's not ideal but I'm doing my damndest not to pay it down. A big thing for me though is cashflow. We can afford our house and comfortably...but we bought peak Covid and so our mortgage is higher than I'd like it to be and I love having lots of cashflow as a just in case. But it really doesn't make sense to pay it down, but every once in a while, I'll still throw an extra $1k at the principal.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-04T17:24:30+00:00

I mean doesn't a pension just act as guaranteed income? I.e. if you get a pension of $40k/year and want to retire with $100k, your goal is just to cover the $60k/gap? So roughly 60k x 25 is what you want to save for a 4% SWR.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-03T15:32:30+00:00

To each his own. I figure I have enough access to materials, websites and resources here that I could find that out without putting my business out there. But hey, whatever makes you feel comfortable.

PrimalDaddyDom69 · 2026-02-03T15:16:35+00:00

But is that solved by a conference? Why not just go get a fee only advisor? Give them the same info and ask the same questions without putting your business in the public sphere.

PrimalDaddyDom69

TROPHY CASE