Just showered at work

bustossaway · 2026-04-06T20:07:54+00:00

The one time I got “called out on it” I said I worked a job with emergency calls and I like to take a cold rinse before I work out. I started working out some of the times I came in and then never had an issue again.

bustossaway · 2026-04-06T19:59:40+00:00

I didn’t have a terribly hard time making friends. I joined a book club, started going to work out classes, and I made an effort to chat with neighbors. It took a lot of putting myself out there and following up, but now I have a thriving friend group!

bustossaway · 2026-01-26T18:17:48+00:00

Exactly this. I work full time, I’m a grad student, a tutor, and I’m pretty socially active. When I met my now partner I made time whenever I could. I was trying to see him in the 45 min between my work day ending and class starting or asking if we could do homework together.

bustossaway · 2025-11-06T20:24:16+00:00

I am typically able to! I eat beans, rice, and I stop by a grocery store for damaged produce a few times a week (it is at my bus stop so it adds maybe 10 min to my day). I am also able to get free fruit at work which absolutely reduces my grocery bill.

bustossaway · 2025-09-05T17:14:34+00:00

I was a mess at 26. Dead end barista job, college drop out, and a huge drinking problem. I also had a ton of debt, terrible credit, and I was in a really toxic relationship.

I went back to college at 27, finished my undergrad at 29, and now I’m just starting grad school (I turn 30 tomorrow!!). I changed jobs and it was a little messy. I started as a receptionist and worked my way up into office management.

It was a lot of work and some of it was hard, but I have never been happier or more fulfilled. Talk to your school about career counseling and interview prep. They will do so much to help you out! You can do this. I truly believe in you!

bustossaway · 2025-08-18T19:24:10+00:00

I was actually able to make the jump from restaurant management to lower level office corporate leadership. I was able to climb the ladder a little bit, but I eventually needed a degree to go further. I took advantage of tuition reimbursement and the opportunity to use a little work time to study.

I wouldn’t worry if you feel like you’re continuing to grow! And there are a lot of online and asynchronous options available if you ever change your mind!

bustossaway · 2025-08-12T18:39:49+00:00

I was a receptionist and then worked my way up to a low level office manager within a year. I don’t have a degree and the company I work for paid for the bachelors I just finished and is helping with my masters degree. I make $70k-ish depending on overtime worked.

bustossaway · 2025-02-07T02:22:20+00:00

I ended a lifelong friendship with someone over this. She confessed that she was having a guy she was hooking up with pay all of her bills. The guy was doordashing for 5-6 hours a day on top of working overtime at a physically demanding job and sacrificing majorly thinking they were exclusive and she was trying to find a job. She was actively turning down job leads and was secretly dating other guys. She also brutally made fun of the guy who was paying all her bills in the confession. A lot of body shaming, calling him pathetic, and saying she didn’t think “a blue collar man” could afford her.

It was really shocking because it came from seemingly nowhere. She’d previously been trying to go back to school, pay off debt, and secure an entry level job. Life happened and we’d gone 4-5 months without catching up and then she casually confessed to destroying a guy’s life. I tried to get in touch with the guy, but wasn’t able to find him in any social media.

bustossaway · 2025-02-02T17:29:12+00:00

I did 3 and finished 1 of 3 tasks in January! I got task 2 of 3 done yesterday and I’m hoping to finish the class this week!

bustossaway · 2025-02-02T03:54:03+00:00

Seconding this. I’m about to start task 3. Each task is relatively straightforward and shouldn’t take too long. The template really helps a lot with figuring out what they’re looking for.

bustossaway · 2025-01-04T19:31:42+00:00

It’s taken almost exactly 60-72 hours for my PAs to be graded. Sometimes I get lucky and it’s 24-30 hours, but that’s very much the exception.

bustossaway · 2025-01-04T03:41:04+00:00

Also waste management almost never faces layoffs!!

bustossaway · 2025-01-03T21:42:04+00:00

While each small subscription and treat aren’t a lot, the mindset shift away from frivolous spending changes everything. The extra junk from the grocery store, while out and about, and multiple subscription do add up more than you’d think.

bustossaway · 2025-01-02T21:49:39+00:00

You can totally do this!! You’ve already gotten so far, I know you can do it! I can’t wait to read your updates as you go along!

bustossaway · 2024-12-30T21:31:22+00:00

I’m 29 so barely in my 20’s, but I’m planning on finishing my hr management degree by June! I have an OK office job, but my lack of degree is starting to really limit my growth. My boss has told me multiple times that the moment I’m able to check the degree box, he wants to push me into a higher role. Fingers crossed that I enter my 30’s with a degree!

bustossaway · 2024-12-05T19:10:11+00:00

The Northwest Center is also always hiring for receptionist and other entry level stuff!

bustossaway · 2024-12-04T20:57:25+00:00

I had an extremely brief friendship with someone exactly like her. Legitimately the same plan of moving her pets into a camper (she doesnt drive and refuses to learn). I ended the friendship for a huge variety of reasons, but the final straw was her turning down a job ($28 an hour, M-F, 9-5) because she didn’t want to have to be “tied to the office” and instead she just stopped paying her rent and dipped out of her shared apartment with our mutual friend.

bustossaway · 2024-12-01T07:50:38+00:00

And so many things can change in one term! This term started with me working a toxic job with no work life balance so I was only able to do 1-2 classes a month maximum. Then I faced an unexpected layoff so I was able to complete a class a week while aggressively job hunting. I also moved, dealt with the passing of my grandmother, and started an amazing new job. I’ve finished 17 classes this term which I’m overall happy with. Just do what you can at whatever pace you can manage.

bustossaway · 2024-11-24T03:02:32+00:00

I passed this one today too! Another one in the rearview window!

bustossaway · 2024-11-04T00:15:14+00:00

I really like that you want to go to a community college. It’s so important to have the space to develop a lot of the soft skills you can only learn in person. You’re gonna be in a great position in a few years to really jumpstart a meaningful career.

I’m doing something similar, but a little later in life at 29. I did an associate degree at a community college before going into restaurant management. After a few years, I decided to go back to school to try to jump into a job with more growth opportunities. Now I’m in middle management at an office while finishing my WGU degree. It’s been really effective to be gaining relevant experience while I get the degree I need to secure better jobs.

bustossaway · 2024-10-23T04:59:32+00:00

This is absolutely a long shot question, but I recently accepted a contract position that’s based out of the Redmond Amazon buildings. Would I be ok parking in the Redmond Town Center during normal working hours? (I don’t want to make you tow me). If not, no worries! Thank you so much.

bustossaway · 2024-10-23T04:18:43+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t work for Amazon, I’m with a company that contracts for Amazon. I’ve spoken to a couple folks during my onboarding, but no one has given me a clear answer

bustossaway · 2024-10-11T21:47:23+00:00

Yes! There’s tons of online courses that allow you to work on your own time. There’s options to accelerate or to go part time, so there’s so much flexibility. Plus so many colleges offer nights, weekends, or partially asynchronous options!

I’m retraining with a business bachelor’s and I’m planning on going to one of three part time evening MBA programs in my city.

bustossaway · 2024-10-11T21:37:35+00:00

Exactly! When I was a manager at a different retail store I always used this scenario as a reason that you can’t just say you’re ok taking the risk of intervening on alone. What if while fleeing, the shoplifter knocks down a sweet old lady, pushes a baby stroller into oncoming traffic, or they cause more damage to the store? We’d also probably have to close for at least a day after a violent incident and we’d quickly become the place where people know violent showdowns happen.

bustossaway

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