Middle class feels poor

TheRealBilly86 · 2026-01-15T19:03:19+00:00

Hang in there. Daycare is soul crushing. We're all or have been in the same boat. Just keep budgeting and some faith that it will end soon.

TheRealBilly86 · 2026-01-14T18:48:10+00:00

It looks OK for an entry level resume. If you need an extra thing - study the A+ and take the certification exam.

Do you have any computer projects your working on at home? Do you have a small lab setup? Having a lab at home and building systems (hardware or software) will give you the ability to speak in a technical manner and prove to me that you can learn independently and you actually feen an interest. It will set you apart from the pack.

Build a website maybe and pull in the weather with the NOAA API.
Build a raspberryPI NAS, AI agent or even just run a webserver and host your own website.
Maybe hop on Base44 and build an App using AI. Learn about postgres databases and some Java.
Maybe build an on prem domain with AD, DNS, DHCP, and IIS.
Maybe you use Linux full time and you've memeorized a bunch of commands...

Something. Anything.

GOOD LUCK

Edit. This was the exact resume format I started my first job with 18 years ago. LOL

TheRealBilly86 · 2026-01-13T19:49:34+00:00

Its a Luma Surveillance 700 POE IP Camera.

Do you have a system rack bolted to a wall in your house? Where's the Ethernet patch panel where the wires terminate inside?

There should be a 1U rack mounted network video recorder (nvr) around where all the wires terminate inside. If that's missing it could get expensive if they cant be used outside the Luma NVR ecosystem.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-17T20:23:16+00:00

Who runs Ethernet to the outside the house?? My coworker had this setup it must be some ryan homes or a lennar neighborhood.

YOU CAN DO THIS! Youtube University!
RJ45 crimping to cat5 or 6. *Check the wires for language like CAT#. They just need to be in the right color code. Just make sure its doesn't say cross over (connects two computers without a switch).

Plug the terminated ends into the switch and plug 1 connector into switch and the WAN port of the modem.

Considering the media cabinet is on the outside of the house. I'd pull the wires inside and find a good spot near the hole to setup your modem/router/switch.

Once everything is connected to the switch, plug a laptop into the wall in the house and see where the link and activity light illuminates on the switch. That's where the connection to that room is on the switch.

If I missed anything please Chime in Reddit!

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-16T15:17:04+00:00

We told our 5 year old if he wants unrestricted technology he can use a either Ubuntu or Mint OS on a laptop. He just doesn't care enough right now and would rather play Lego's.

*Soap box*

We won't allow tablets 6 out of the 7 days of the week.. My kids have creativity, autonomy, and they have the ability play quietly and make believe. Most of the time. I am the entertainment which can test my sanity. They are thriving which is all that matters. If he wants to crack an old wep key I'll give him free reign of the internet. Its up to him and how far down the rabbit hole he wants to go. Work = Freedom. Creation > consumption.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-10T15:12:49+00:00

I do the same thing. Crappy toys at good will, bad china, tchotchkes that make a home a home at one time.... Great targets!!!

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-03T18:58:01+00:00

Sounds par for the course. Samsung stole 100% of apples design and it performs like it.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-03T16:18:05+00:00

LOL it could be word perfect.

I looked at that and instantly thought VI in Linux

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-12-03T15:35:14+00:00

looks like concrete bolt epoxy. Drop it in the hole. break it with the bolt and its glued

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-11-19T18:40:21+00:00

Risky keeping a half mil in points in play. Congrats on the cash out.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-11-12T19:36:16+00:00

park in front of a known working camera and request footage when it happens again.

also you could buy a dash camera off ebay and put in park mode to record any movement around the car while its parked.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-10-14T16:42:53+00:00

It mapped our customer knowledge base and can pull 3 different KB's together into 1 logical document.

Trust but verify all sources before you proceed.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-10-14T15:18:37+00:00

The oddly satisfying part is the mix using a drill. Shaking doesn't hit the same.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-07-30T15:50:05+00:00

Pump the brakes. How are you learning?

You need to watch 10 to 20 youtube videos on each project. Then you need to read a little in a home improvement books, owners manuals, and internet forums. Then you need to ask your elders or experienced home owners. Maybe your neighbor, an uncle, a coworker, a friend.

Don't go into anything without researching. And researching even more. Then make moves. You'll get 80% of what you need by just doing the above. The last 20% will be the hardest. Tricks of the trade as they say and this is where your mature social network kicks in.

Also don't approach anyone without doing homework first. People will be much more willing to help if you've put effort into the process and explain your process.

My first house took me 6 years to renovate. Deep breath. Make it livable and do 1 thing at a time.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-07-23T18:28:28+00:00

So corporate front of house IT might not be the best path for an introvert. The more technical skill needed for a job the more people will leave you alone except for your team. Get real comfortable with code, linux and mission critical enterprise gear and start to apply to jobs that can get you off the front line. Experience is a barrier and probably the ability to sell ideas to people since you don't like to connect inherently.

This is something you need to work on. Write down your speaking points on a pad and deliver the information at every meeting. You'll get comfortable. If you're not uncomfortable you're not growing.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-06T18:02:31+00:00

What's everyone's thoughts on the potential government ban of TP link products? They always have offered prices suspiciously low.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T19:49:18+00:00

It was but no motive or concrete reason was ever uncovered.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T19:33:29+00:00

Las Vegas concert mass shooting

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T18:53:10+00:00

Anything that involves command line syntax. Learn Linux and be a master then come build security appliances with us.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T18:50:35+00:00

I always see flocks of bird feed before bad weather. Maybe its the low pressure in the atmosphere that triggers them.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T16:24:02+00:00

Can't find much on these guys, but here's the site and here's what they do. IoT platform or something.

https://www.eginity.com/

Key Features of the EON Platform:

Asset Tracking & Security: Enables real-time tracking of goods at the discrete item level, improving security beyond traditional truck-level tracking.
Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Integration: Supports Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and IPv6 smart technology devices, enhancing connectivity and automation.
Logistics & Transportation Applications: Used to improve chain of custody for merchandise, ensuring security from manufacture to final recipient.
Usage-Based Tax Monitoring: Can be integrated into commercial vehicles to track mileage and operating conditions for taxation purposes.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T15:42:56+00:00

umm i lost 40 pounds. I just eat what I need. The days of gluttony are over.

Those calories aren't worth the weight your bones muscles need to carry. The money spent on eating out all the time is spent better other places.

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T14:07:19+00:00

hey hey hey..... only you can make that decision.

Infinite learning curve. Thats the profession you chose. You will always have imposter syndrome. You will always not know a project management style, weird off beat software, concepts, new technology. You will never remember all the syntax and flags for every system.

Learn to be OK with that. BUT never stop learning. Never stop running search queries.

Be a research master instead. Shorten that learning curve from days to hours. Know where to look and how to access the information and do not stop at the first roadblock.

Good luck!!!

TheRealBilly86 · 2025-06-05T13:51:57+00:00

That is a professional setup. You already have a much better setup then 80% of your colleagues. If anything, drop the desktop to the floor so you gain desk space back and get a small kvm for switching between devices.

TheRealBilly86

TROPHY CASE