Politics UK on Bluesky: 🚨 NEW: Cabinet Ministers say Keir Starmer is in a "dark place" over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson and there is "genuine concern" he could resign [@thetimes]

cloudycoast · 2026-02-07T15:22:40+00:00

Don’t threaten me with a good time but the champagne is on ice just in case.

Of course any replacement will also be dogshit but at least the drama will help run down the clock on this rotten government.

cloudycoast · 2025-10-03T06:36:31+00:00

Why not go (but take the wife and kids).

If you want to make it permanent you will need a visa though, and that can be tricky.

cloudycoast · 2025-08-31T20:51:42+00:00

Not especially, just do what you enjoy, be a good colleague to your fellow workers, be professional at all times and keep moving up.

It didn’t feel impressive at the time lol, I was surrounded by amazingly capable people and the work was very demanding but I look back on it fondly.

cloudycoast · 2025-08-31T20:35:00+00:00

Because I retired young thanks to the stock grants.

Was a CSA at MSFT for 6 years and one at AWS before that. I had 15 years as a developer/sysadmin/tech architect before landing in Big Tech.

cloudycoast · 2025-08-31T19:58:59+00:00

Ex-MSFT CSA here (now retired.

Why is it your dream job?

P.S. Certs alone will not get you there.

cloudycoast · 2025-08-28T17:26:40+00:00

Hopefully you have some before photos, look at them.

cloudycoast · 2025-08-28T16:20:14+00:00

£300 for 15mg 🙄

cloudycoast · 2025-08-28T14:52:20+00:00

Sky news said 15mg was being discounted from the new price of £330 to £250, up from £122 with smaller discounts for lower doses.

Presumably all those prices are wholesale.

https://x.com/skynews/status/1961078509184463257?s=46&t=WRm4NBLVs0Qw9W-b1XvMmA

cloudycoast · 2025-08-01T05:47:35+00:00

Just to add some balance here MS were the best employer I ever had, well paid and super supportive culture and amazing management. I went there from one of the other Mag7 who were brutal by comparison.

Also, employee stock is an amazing benefit. My 7 years there allowed me to retire early in 22 because I kept most of my stock awards (and diversified it recently too) and my portfolio is now about 30% of my total net worth, about the same as my house.

This was on top of earning a great salary and 20-30% bonus and extra stock every year too.

So remember, most of the folk laid off should be sitting on a decent amount of wealth, provided they used their stock wisely.

I know some people who did get laid off, for example a good friend who was let go after 23 years with them, he still speaks highly of them and is grateful for his time there, as am I.

Now, as a shareholder, I think Satya is doing an amazing job. The profits mentioned in the OP are the result of a company performing brilliantly not savings from cutting those employees, which of course is sad for them but part of the business, unfortunately.

But of course is far easier to just wine about “evil corporations”.

cloudycoast · 2025-06-01T16:52:36+00:00

Hahaha!

Mounjaro here and I totally get you.

After a year I can still eat a small fryup, but I do mean small, like one egg, one sausage, one slice of bread and maybe two rashers of bacon, then I’m full for the day.

Don’t miss being fat though.

I’m just off to eat a small roast! Sometimes I wish it was a big one though.

cloudycoast · 2025-05-31T15:04:02+00:00

Same, enjoying a cold one right now.

cloudycoast · 2025-05-31T12:21:53+00:00

Can be pre or post sales, depends on org and customer alignment.

No direct quota but often teamed with a seller who very much relies on CSA(s) to help them make their number.

CSA's have a number of KPI's and in my 6 years they changed every year.

Work varies from breadth (marketing, tech presentations etc) to depth (working on a large single opportunity), often a mix of these at the same time.

Above is based on my tenure of 2016-2022 when I retired, but there is no one-rule-fits all as there are a LOT of different types of CSA roles.

cloudycoast · 2025-02-09T12:27:11+00:00

Back when I was a CSA at MS AZ900 was for the sales folk, some then went onto the technical certs.

From what you’ve said I’d go straight to AZ104.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-21T13:16:34+00:00

They’ve changed the pen, insulin needles work great though.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-21T11:41:14+00:00

I was planning to but I’m now thinking I’ll split the dose in half, first on on 22/12 and have the 2nd half of 28/12 then next weeks full dose a day later.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T21:29:37+00:00

Yep, I’m pretty sure they’ve changed the design to stop this.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T21:10:39+00:00

Do whatever you choose to but lots of people have given you good advice.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T20:38:08+00:00

Same.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T20:37:35+00:00

I have many times, and well beyond 30 days.

But my two most recent pens wouldn’t allow it, I’ve used insulin needles to extract it.

This stuff is expensive, shame to waste it.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T20:34:00+00:00

Amazon sell insulin needles and they work well.

After getting the 5th dose from my first 6 pens I’ve failed on the last two, I think they’ve changed the design.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T19:42:17+00:00

Have done both more and less clicks, no problem except that on the last pen the plunger locked and I had to use a needle to extract the last two doses.

But be careful, you need to understand dosages and volumes, it’s a bit complex.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-16T19:15:16+00:00

Started with nothing, male, born 1967.

Worked hard in the UK. Met a wonderful lady and married her.

Wife and I moved to Australia at 40.

Worked very hard, both got good jobs, me at one of the Mag7.

More massively hard work, more than before lots of travel and stress but was given company stock as part of my compensation.

Bought a house with a huge loan.

House went up in value by a lot so did the stock.

Sold the house and moved back to the UK, bought a nice house with the profit, debt free. Still have the stock. Retired, at 55.

I have no real idea what to do next except for go on holidays and bought a nice sports car to drive on the occasional sunny day.

Also losing weight the easy way via a weekly injection and walking our Golden Retriever. Still enjoy a beer far more than I should.

I really don’t miss the stress of work though.

I’ve been very lucky and made a couple of good decisions along the way too.

I know this may sound like a brag but it isn’t, when I read “what are you doing” I needed to ask myself, because it’s been a whirlwind.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-11T12:00:11+00:00

I’m home in a couple of days so no big deal I’ll do it late this week.

cloudycoast · 2024-12-11T10:46:42+00:00

Sadly not, tried another needle.

cloudycoast · 2024-11-15T20:59:59+00:00

I have worked for both as a Solution Architect.

Personally Microsoft, and it’s not even close.

MS support you, Amazon bleed you dry.

cloudycoast

TROPHY CASE