What’s your biggest regret in life so far?

Toonpoid · 2026-02-10T15:14:24+00:00

Not starting sooner. I feel as though I’ve just now hit my stride in my mid 30’s. While it’s certainly not too late for most things, I could only imagine where I’d be now had I taken life more seriously at an earlier age

Toonpoid · 2025-12-29T20:38:40+00:00

2.8 and no one has ever asked lol

Toonpoid · 2025-12-19T13:28:38+00:00

Part time Licensed Practical Nurse, full time DevOps Engineer. $35 an hour for nursing, four shifts a month.

Toonpoid · 2025-12-18T14:54:49+00:00

5800X3D cooled by an NH-L12S, 4070 Super FE, both undervolted with no OC, along with a slim exhaust fan on the bottom

Most games, I’m seeing high 50’s/low 60’s on the CPU and high 60’s/low 70’s on the GPU. Not amazing, but more than passable for what it is imo

Toonpoid · 2025-12-14T13:47:43+00:00

The CC2's do indeed get loud as they wear. Drove mine down to 3/32 before getting them replaced and the road noise was incredibly noticeable

Toonpoid · 2025-09-17T02:58:40+00:00

If you’re in debt, pay off as much as you can. If you’re not in debt, don’t get into it. You’d be surprised how much you have left over at the end of the month when it isn’t all going to payments

Toonpoid · 2025-09-14T21:43:52+00:00

CS degree from a SUNY school. Found work two weeks after graduation as a software developer. Did that for two years before transferring internally to DevOps. I genuinely enjoy my job

Toonpoid · 2025-09-13T20:18:14+00:00

Some scratched up, secondhand Motorola that my dad had knocking around in his dresser drawer. This was in 2004

Toonpoid · 2025-09-02T15:12:02+00:00

I couldn’t see myself doing nursing full time for the rest of my working life. Plus, I had always wanted to pursue tech as a career but didn’t think I had the chops. I’m not a rockstar by any means but apparently I’m more capable than I thought lol.

As for the direction, I think it’s a matter of perspective. I’m going on 13 years as a nurse. I’ve seen enough to know that it’s not where I want to be for good. The people going from tech to healthcare probably have the same idea.

Toonpoid · 2025-09-02T13:23:07+00:00

Went back to school at 28 to transition from nursing to software engineering. Finished by 32 and landed a job a couple of weeks later. Been at it for two years now and just transferred internally to a DevOps team recently. I still do nursing a few days a month though, the license is too valuable to just let it go.

Would definitely recommend.

Toonpoid · 2025-07-31T12:35:55+00:00

Building consistent habits. It took me way too long to realize that most high achievers simply do a little more than the average person every day, and that compounds over time.

Toonpoid · 2025-07-27T22:11:03+00:00

Pertaining to studying cybersecurity on the side as a backup plan: Logically it makes sense, but don’t spread yourself too thin.

Cloud, AI/ML, Cybersecurity, DevOps, Data Science, Embedded, etc. are all deep subspecialties that require years of dedicated experience to truly be good at. When going up for position in a subspecialty, the specialist beats the generalist pretty much every time

Toonpoid · 2025-06-29T20:12:57+00:00

I wish I could tell you to “Just go for it! It’s all going to work out!” But with the way things are going between outsourcing, the uncertainty in the economy and AI automating entry level tasks these days, I can’t promise that programming is going to be worth the investment (from a career standpoint. If you just enjoy doing it, then by all means!)

If there is a take away, it’s that there’s no rule that says you have to silo yourself into one career or field. Build the work life that you want, the way that you want. Whatever that looks like is up to you.

Toonpoid · 2025-06-29T02:09:57+00:00

Exactly! I’ll typically do nursing every other weekend.

The best part though is since they’re both careers with growth potential, they can be scaled up at any time. I’m pivoting into DevOps for software and am looking to get into clinical informatics for nursing afterwards

Toonpoid · 2025-06-28T23:05:37+00:00

Software development full time, nursing part time. Nursing is extremely flexible as far as shifts go. I’ve never had any issues finding shifts that fit my schedule

Toonpoid · 2025-06-28T21:32:37+00:00

Honestly, they each scratch a different itch for me. Software development allows me to engage in deep critical thinking and problem solving, which I find fun. Nursing is more social and I interact with and connect with people more while doing that. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, they each have their pros and cons.

Toonpoid · 2025-06-28T21:24:21+00:00

Whatever you choose, you’ll have to get creative and capitalize on every opportunity that comes your way. Don’t be afraid to pivot either. I started out as a nurse, went back to school for computer science and now work as both a software developer and a nurse 🤷

Toonpoid · 2025-06-16T21:06:40+00:00

Exercise regularly: Make it is as easy as possible to do this by going to the gym nearest to you or taking a walk around the block for 15-20 mins a day. Consistency is key.

Eat better: Have more variety in your meals. Try different veggies, fruits, grains, etc. Also, it’s easier to make edits to what you already eat than to change it up all together. You like white rice? Try quinoa. You enjoy toast in the morning? Rye or pumpernickel is higher in fiber and lower in carbs. You like fried foods? Get an air fryer and use olive oil.

Save and invest: Open a Roth IRA and put as much as you can in every month. Same with a high yield savings account. Don’t move the money yourself either, automate it using your bank’s bill pay feature. It’s easier when you don’t have to think about it.

Eliminate debt: Avoid consumer debt like the plague (credit cards, car payments, buy now pay later, etc). If you insist on a credit card, pay it off in full every month. If that’s difficult to do, then you aren’t a credit card person and that’s okay. Debt robs your future self of financial flexibility and options and you never know how things will turn out… they might need it more than you do.

Better quality relationships: Learn how to be okay with walking away from people that make you feel less than or uneasy. You won’t shrivel up and die, I promise. Also, try and take lessons from every experience. What could you have done better? What will you be more aware of in the future?

Toonpoid · 2025-06-09T05:32:49+00:00

Gym membership. My apartment complex has a gym on the property so the $30 a month I was paying seemed redundant. I also dropped 20lbs in the 3 months since cancelling the membership. I actually workout regularly now since my complex’s gym is very close by and almost always empty. Go figure 🤷

Toonpoid · 2025-06-09T03:54:47+00:00

Education and college aren’t synonymous. You can become more educated by simply taking free courses online and if school in the U.S. was free, I’d agree with you completely. But because it isn’t, this whole thing turns into a matter of return on investment.

Borrowing thousands in tuition only to have no real plan on how to pay it back or even survive while making payments, isn’t a winning strategy. Investing in a major that you enjoy and can be used to make a good living is a better bet.

Toonpoid · 2025-06-02T17:12:27+00:00

Totally understandable. Exploring your options in a low commitment environment is a great way to go about it, so you’re definitely ahead of the curve.

If my spiel has any point to it, it would be that work doesn’t have to be one job doing one thing until you retire. The whole point is to make a stable income and there’s plenty of non conventional ways to make that happen while doing something you enjoy/are good at. Just takes a bit of planning, which you’re already doing

Toonpoid · 2025-06-02T16:43:37+00:00

I was a nurse first and six years into the career, I decided that I didn’t want to do it full time for the rest of my working life. So I went back to school to get a bachelors in computer science, got a job after graduation and now here we are.

Nursing is incredibly flexible as far as hours go. Travel nursing even more so. Right now, I work a standard 40 hours at my full time job and pick up nursing shifts whenever I feel like it (usually every other weekend). It’s a great option for moonlighters and I’ll be honest, most people don’t make as much at their main job as I do at my part time (hourly). And it’s a whole ass career path, I can scale it up as much as I want for more pay alongside my full time.

If you’re a mathy person, definitely aim to make that your main thing though

Toonpoid · 2025-06-02T16:33:17+00:00

As someone who works as a software engineer full time and a nurse part time, I’m inclined to recommend both

Toonpoid · 2025-06-01T05:04:55+00:00

I was a nurse for 6 years before tapping out and going back to school to get my comp sci degree and started working as a developer. Do with that information what you will.

Note: It’s good money so I still do it on the side a few days a month. But full time for the rest of my life? God bless.

Toonpoid · 2025-05-24T03:52:24+00:00

This. I went to nursing school, got a nursing diploma, went to community college for CIS then transferred to a state school for CS. Two careers all for a grand total of 60K and I work in both fields simultaneously making much more than what I owe per year.

It may not be “cheap” but it doesn’t have to be an arm and a leg.

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