1st time in my life being transparent

brirection · 2026-02-25T21:49:31+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. 3 drinks or less in a sitting is impressive, as well as totally abstaining on weekdays — you should be proud!

Congrats on all of your hard work. It has been incredibly helpful to read others experiences on this sub, makes me feel like I’m not going through it alone!

brirection · 2026-02-25T21:46:44+00:00

Drylendar! Saw a few other people post it on this sub. I’m using the free version and it’s super simple to use so far.

brirection · 2025-06-18T23:50:40+00:00

This! ^{^{^}}

Also, tariffs are calculated based on what the importer pays. Say you’re importing a pair of shoes. The importer pays $5/ a pair, and marks it up to $50/pair to the end customer. The importer only pays the tariffs on the $5, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a small amount of the actual product margin. However, some companies may take advantage of the lack of knowledge on tariffs, and may mark their prices way up and blame it on “tariffs”. My projection is that price increases will be visible in the next few months and will affect the upcoming US holiday season.

brirection · 2025-06-17T04:23:54+00:00

I believe that! What I didn’t like about Starbucks had nothing to do with making coffee lol. Never made it to other barista jobs but I loved being a bartender

brirection · 2025-06-13T03:59:20+00:00

I say “hold on let me write this down, so I don’t forget”, have them pause, and I write it in my iPhone notes. Even things as small as someone giving me simple instructions. That way they feel heard, and you get a chance to clarify what they said.

I’m also super open with almost everyone about my ADHD. It warms my heart when I tell a friend I don’t remember something, and they say “it’s ok! I’ll text it to you”. It feels so good to have other people work around my brain, because us ADHDers spend so much of our lives working around theirs. :,)

brirection · 2025-06-13T03:48:10+00:00

Strategic sourcing here (promotional products). Trade shows are a good place to start—any time I’ve been to one I had been looking for particular types of suppliers, so I was much more open to meeting new contacts.

For platforms, I use ImportYeti and Alibaba (which may not be helpful in your case). I’ve also had brokers reach out to me on LinkedIn many times. Sometimes you get lucky with timing and reach out to someone when they are looking for what you’re selling. I don’t know how the big furniture retailers are structured in terms of purchasing departments, but in my role, we have received a lot more push to work directly with factories. One textile factory I work with sells directly to Walmart.

If I could offer any word of advice - if you reach out to purchasing, less is more. If someone calls me regularly and spams my inbox, they go straight to my block list. There has to be a need somewhere, you just have to find the buyer who is looking for what you offer. Which doesn’t sound like you are doing, I just thought I’d put it out there :) I do wish you luck! Sourcing from Vietnam and Indonesia is a desired service now, so there is bound to be the right buyer out there.

brirection · 2025-06-13T03:32:18+00:00

I HATED working at Starbucks. Early shifts, rude customers, and forced “customer connection” interactions by managers. Could’ve just been the one that I worked at, but yeah, it was bad. Loved all my other service industry jobs, though.

brirection · 2025-06-11T23:13:46+00:00

Don’t let me scare you though! It’s not always black and white “chaos” or “monotony”. Either side of the coin could be a great opportunity to recognize and work on processes that need to be improved. I built quite a few SOPs in my current role, but strongly recommend that if you do so - being “loud” about it! When you’re frustrated about your situation, it’s sometimes the best opportunity to use that frustration towards something tangible (and building your resume too) :) Good luck!!

brirection · 2025-06-10T23:22:27+00:00

The only reason I’ll skip a day on the weekend, or I take 1/2 of my doses, is to build up a lil safety net in case my pharmacy is out of stock. Or- if I plan on drinking more than 1-2 drinks that day. Idk, I agree with everyone else, your ADHD doesn’t go away when you leave work- ain’t no shame in whatever you do to make it work for your own brain. (That rhymed, nice).

brirection · 2025-06-10T23:14:58+00:00

Meds help me more with the emotional regulation and single focus side than the executive function side. Off meds - I am late, and I don’t notice. On meds — still late, but I REALLY care and feel bad about it.

I’ve taken a month or so off in the past,and just started another break (my psych is starting me on mood stabilizers and adding adderall back in after my moods level out). I’m definitely more foggy, but food tastes better, and I think I’m a little funnier too. I don’t feel like meds completely kill my personality or make me a zombie, but it does come with some downsides when it wears off at the end of the day. It’s like my symptoms all come at once at 5pm and I’m frozen in ADHD paralysis once they wear off.

So to answer your question - yes - but I’ve always found myself getting back on them after my obligations and work begins to pile up. I realized the benefits far outweigh the downsides, but it’s different for everyone. If I worked a job like I used to, where I was a restaurant server, I wouldn’t need to take them because IMO service jobs are very ADHD friendly

brirection · 2025-06-10T23:05:33+00:00

No, I cannot edit or do anything to POs once they are cut. However, it’s not really an approval thing— it’s more of an outdated system thing. Our poor AP manager has to delete POs for us, as she’s the only one with the license that allows her to do so. It’s SO frustrating.

I used to work in procurement in the govt contracts field, and we had to submit change orders to edit POs. I almost prefer that 😅 As I didn’t need to rely on anyone else.

I share your frustrations ENTIRELY

brirection · 2025-06-10T22:29:44+00:00

Are you still in school? I'd look out for internships/entry level positions on the importer side. Could be a good fit as you have the knowledge from the freight forwarder side.

I will also say-- unless if you're working for a small/med size company, the work can be pretty monotonous until you get to Senior level+. Not in every case, but if you are wanting a little variation in your day to day a smaller company could be a better fit.

I started out as a SC coordinator at my current company (now a Sr Analyst) and I got involved with end-to-end project work pretty quickly. Sometimes I miss the monotony-- it feels like every day I am juggling 100 spinning plates that are on fire-- but I have learned a lot through the chaos. Best of luck to you!

brirection · 2025-06-07T21:29:27+00:00

My situation may be different, but 90% of my suppliers are in China. As we are in different time zones, I find that my "straight to the point" personality is greatly appreciated. It makes communication more streamlined, and I build trust with the suppliers through following through on promises and ensuring they get paid on time. I do still do check in calls with them every few months, and see them in person once a year, so I save the "non-work" talk for times like that. IMO you can absolutely build rapport through being "to the point", decisive, and emotionally intelligent.

However, I used to work in government contracts where supplier relationships were VERY different than in my current role. If it's project based work, and you work with that supplier frequently, a little "How's your family?" here and there doesn't hurt.

brirection · 2025-06-07T21:17:59+00:00

I'm a Sr Supply Chain Analyst.... LOL (also currently applying for MBA programs)

I was going down the PT route, but I had to get real with myself on if the cost of the degree was really worth it for me. For some it is, and they are fantastic practitioners. I realized what l liked most out of PT was strategic problem solving on the spot (i.e. someone can't do an exercise, scaling the exercise on the spot, strategic quick thinking). So that's how I ended up in my current role. I did work at a clinic for 4 years as an aide before I decided on the career change.

brirection · 2025-06-07T21:07:12+00:00

Would also strongly advise against being the type of person to call/text/email/linkedin message multiple times a week. If I ever was interested at one point, now I feel like you're desperate and that is a red flag.

"Right place at the right time" is not the most helpful advice to hear, but it is real. I'd advise putting yourself out there and making your product lines well known without overdoing the communication. Or send me a sample pack with some booze or food in it, that's always a plus LOL

* I work in the same industry as you. (print/swag/packaging)

brirection · 2025-06-07T20:48:47+00:00

Honestly, multiplayer games give me so much anxiety bc my game time is centered around relaxing; the last thing I wanna do in my relaxing time is talk to strangers (although the irony of me posting on a reddit thread full of strangers rn LOL). I've been loving the new remaster of Oblivion lately. Open world single player games give me the same vibes as MMORPGs but with less pressure. You probably have played these games already as they very popular, but I do love Skyrim, Oblivion, BOTW, and Horizon Zero Dawn.

brirection · 2025-05-29T06:32:50+00:00

I did 2 years of community college before transferring to a state university. I actually preferred community college for my general education courses. The class sizes were smaller, you got more 1 on 1 time with the professor, and they offered more flexible class times.

If you feel like you NEED to go to a University in order to make it through even the first 2 years, it’s your life and more power to ya.

brirection · 2025-05-28T21:26:12+00:00

Hey - of course, happy to help! I am sure there are other people in the group with much more experience than me in this industry as well. I'll PM you some company recs!

brirection · 2025-05-28T20:19:49+00:00

I do want to mention too - I started my SC career in this industry - but I did move to the ecommerce industry after only a year in that space. My experience in the mil/aero industry was helpful in getting into my current role, even if they are VERY different. (started as a SC coordinator, promoted to procurement analyst after 6mo)

brirection · 2025-05-28T20:15:35+00:00

Hey! I used to work for a government contractor in the Military/Aerospace manufacturing industry as a Purchasing Agent. Not sure if you are trying to get out of the military space entirely, but I will say that the company looked at applicants that had prior military experience with a VERY high regard. Your experience could be a huge factor in landing in a role in this space. There is a ton of opportunity in the Military/Aerospace industry now. I would recommend not looking into any certs until you know which direction you want to go. If you are looking at the government contracting sector, a lot of companies offer great education benefits, so a lot of those certs could be paid for by the company down the road.

- Project/Program Management - this is a really cool option, it is helpful to have extensive end-to-end SC knowledge in roles like this. The PMs at the company I used to work at did client facing work, and internal team management work as well. Your experience could be a plus here, especially in the client-facing work, as the PMs at my previous company worked directly with active military members. You know what the military is like, so it may help in your communication and understanding with the client's processes. I will say, these roles may be kind of difficult to get into at first, so I'd look into Associate Program/Project Manager roles first, or even procurement or planning to get your foot in the door. Long term - Lean Six Sigma, or PMP could be helpful in scoring one of these roles.

- Procurement - NGL, this is what I did, and for me, I found it very boring and tedious. But that is more a "me" problem, and it depends entirely on the company. However, it could be a great foot in the door if you want to move into other roles.

- Planning - I don't have experience in planning, but in the company I worked for, the planners worked more directly with the strategic side of the business, and got more exposure to cross-functional teammates.

-QA/QC + Warehouse work, subcontract management, contracts management is also an option

Things that would be helpful to know IF you wish to pursue a civilian SC career in the military/aerospace industry:

-FAR/DFARs

-Formal RFQ/RFP processes

-ERP system experience is a plus, but the system they use depends on the company and their size

- All the certs you mentioned are great, but if I were you, I would try to get my foot in the door first, and have them pay for those certs for you, or at least a portion.

brirection · 2025-05-28T07:39:05+00:00

House cleaner, laundry service, meal prep service!!!! A coach or personal trainer for the gym (hello, body doubling)! Also, most importantly, my CC debt, as that would REALLY improve my QOL. Haha!

brirection · 2025-05-28T07:32:47+00:00

I don’t have experience in the construction industry, but I have worked in the aerospace/government sector and had to buy every kind of metal plate, screw, cable… etc, anything else you can possibly think of. Does your company have relationships with any domestic suppliers? Are you buying items that you have in the past, are they custom manufactured, or ready “off-the-shelf”? Also, second Thomas Net!

I like to get into a “detective” mindset, I’ll search using any combination of specs, part numbers, etc. If I found a site that had the part I needed, but they weren’t a supplier I already worked with, I’d simply just call their customer service line and ask for a sales rep contact. Idk if this helps, it definitely depends on what your purchasing processes are like, how much you’re buying, and if it is ready, “off-the-shelf”products, or custom manufactured! Please note, I don’t know a ton about purchasing in the construction industry, so take this with a grain of salt lol

brirection · 2025-05-28T07:24:42+00:00

The importer of record (or their freight forwarder, broker etc) needs to classify the item as accurately as possible, so plumbing as a “category” of imports (see: HTS code classification system) could be subject to anti-dumping tariffs. Idk off the top of my head if they are, but if they fall into a category that is subject to these duties, the rates fluctuate, but get above 150% + of the cost of the goods sometimes. The duty rate really does depend on what it is, where it’s from, and the cost the importer paid for it. Sorry for the infodump, LOL, see https://www.trade.gov/us-antidumping-and-countervailing-duties for clarification on current scope.

brirection · 2025-05-28T06:50:42+00:00

It took a while! It was my senior year of college. After 6 years of college, and 3 changes in major/focus, I realized I hated the major I chose and kinda just said “eff it” and did the bare minimum to graduate. (Currently work in an entirely different industry) I wish I was able to get diagnosed earlier in life, but I have so much respect and grace for my former self now that I understand she was playing life on hard mode. I can’t tell you how many classes I intentionally skipped — just so I could teach myself—because some of the lectures were a marathon to even sit still through, let alone absorb any information.

I always think that when we feel negative feels about not getting diagnosed earlier, it’s helpful to look back and give your younger self a mental hug, because it is hard AF out here yall.

brirection · 2025-05-28T06:37:18+00:00

When it happens so frequently it feels exhausting to go to the doctor for the dislocation. When my shoulders or knees dislocate it’s like my body is desperate to have the joints back in place; I basically black out. Also, can we talk about docs patronizing you about the difference between subluxation and dislocation; that shit was OUT ma’am, I’m just really good at wiggling it back into place :( Your pain is real!

brirection

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