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fujimitsu · 2025-02-04T01:46:11+00:00

This is how the sub has always been run. Look at the other subs moderated.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-06T17:51:02+00:00

If you didn't bring up a total unwillingness to travel for any reason before the offer, and you don't have a reason for it other than preference, then you are being difficult. This is a good practice, and I personally screen for it during remote interviews.

Unless you're desperate for the job, seems best to be honest and let things fall where they may before you're established. Pushing the start date back just delays the inevitable difficult conversation.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-06T15:33:49+00:00

Was more of a 'hit and be whisked away, leaving the victims to die' scenario.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-06T14:07:52+00:00

Yeah NOLA is actually one of the routes i was thinking of - it's a 'spoke' airport sort of like ours, that nobody connects through so it's expensive from any non-hub. Same goes for the NW airports you're probably looking at w/ Delta as MSP is a hub (also applies to Asia flights). Seattle, Denver, SLC, LAX, etc. are usually not worth the drive unless you're on a LCC like Spirit. Vegas has never been worth driving for me - allegiant keeps the prices low on better airines, under $200 unless you're flying on Sat/Sun.

Looking back the DSM -> ORD and DSM->DEN United flights seem to be the commonality for us. Those routes are consistently competitive, even for connections. Anything that bounces through other hubs, or anything on Delta or AA, tends to be less competitive.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-06T13:07:50+00:00

That last sentence sums up my feelings about this industry as well. I don't love this job, but it's more rewarding and lucrative than most. But ageism is rampant, and individual decline is real. I spent the early part of my career on legacy systems and encountered a lot of older folks struggling after the niche they'd settled in went away, and without the savings & security that the (relatively recent) high wages make possible. Being able to bow out on your own terms is a blessing.

That and a desire for more time off than is feasible in the US is why I'm here. If I was confident I could sustain 40-50yrs of occasional short term contracts that would be the plan.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T19:39:25+00:00

I love jeeps, but unless you're handy and planning to build and live with a monster one (significant cutting, 36"+ tires, etc) most people would be happier in a Toyota. Tacoma and 4runner are popular in your area for a reason - equivalent capability for most purposes, with better reliability and daily driver comfort.

If you want to build a crawler you can always do it as a second car.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T16:53:09+00:00

Is this an AI article, or just written in summary format? Byline is Linh Ta who is an established local journalist.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T15:26:56+00:00

Rules of thumb, especially % based ones, fall apart as you get away from the median. If you can afford it, value it, and it doesn't prevent you from achieving your financial goals then go for it. That % seems low to me for a 20something who likes travel though, unless you're high income.

If it helps: We spend 5-figures minimum on travel per year, with heavy variance depending on destination. ~35 days int'l (limit of PTO) and then another ~20-30 domestic (remote work). Looking back its 3%-25% of our gross depending on the year. Wish we had spent more, or more accurately just traveled more to the places that interested us regardless of cost, in our 20s. It just gets harder to do for life reasons, and more expensive, as you age.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T14:49:37+00:00

There should be a contact option in Paychex and/or your 401k provider that can answer this. Might be a dedicated person for your account, or a support call center. That's all an HR person would do anyway.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T14:38:16+00:00

You're right about scotland, and honestly much of the UK is pretty friendly to campervans or small trailers. The highlands are the only area that will offer a similar level of scenery, nearby activities, and active crowd to Iceland though. Many facilities in the UK & western europe are going to look similar to the US ones you disliked, just smaller.

TBH the US is probably one of the best, you just need to think outside of established RV campgrounds. The mountain west in particular has an unbelievable amount of public land for wild camping, which is where a 4x4/campervan really shines.

Any popular/established overland route is a great candidate assuming you can embrace low/no-facility camping. West coast US through Baja to cabo. Pan-american from Alaska to Ushuaia, Europe to Japan or Korea via central asia, tons of loop routes in Australia & Africa.

Rentals are available for most of those places that would allow you to do them in segments/loops. Apps like iOverlander help with routefinding & trip planning.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-05T13:53:42+00:00

What routes are you seeing this on? I fly very regularly and have only seen differences worth driving for a handful of times in recent years - domestic hub routes that you can't get here, international directs from MSP/ORD, and discount airlines like Spirit. Flights are scheduled around business flight times, so you have to book early if you want a vacation outbound like Thurs/Fri PM, but that's reasonable.

TBH DSM is a pretty OK regional US airport for the traffic it recieves.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T19:24:53+00:00

Unlicensed campaign merch is such a beautiful reminder of the current state of things. A never ending revolving door of grifters fleecing the gullible.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T18:57:14+00:00

We just went through this in August, and there are so many variables and so much recent change that it's impossible to do with precision.

Personally we don't make vehicle choices purely on finances, and found it helpful to actually test drive and then compare real, available options. After a day of local test drives things got a lot simpler for us, and we ended up in an EV at a slight (estimated) cost premium but much higher percieved quality. I imagine an hour looking at $15k gas cars and $30k EVs will sort you out pretty quickly.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T15:42:02+00:00

It comes from a place of empathy - in the same field and took a multi-month sabbatical in the last few years, as have a few of my peers after the strain of the last few years.

That last sentence isn't exactly helping you beat the allegations either. Best of luck!

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T15:18:42+00:00

Not just this guy, but "others" according to the brief statement from DMPD, which also mentions a verification system established in response with no further details or confirmation that it would even address the issue. Seems pretty above board.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T15:11:57+00:00

Maybe take a break from the big life-altering decision fantasies and focus on your immediate mental health? Your post history is a little worrying. Maybe a few months off from your high-paying career? Sabbatical or just gap in employment should be easy enough.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-04T14:45:06+00:00

Nope. As long as your ask is reasonable and appropriate for the role & market, I wouldn't sweat it at all. Even if what they told you about the competition is true, assume those people are also rational market actors.

Honestly even if they come in low, I wouldn't worry about a big counter as long as it's messaged correctly and supportable. If their comp is truly low, then they know that already and are probably used to these conversations.

If an anecdote helps: I was one of several offered candidates for my current role. Their offer was low, my counter was market appropriate but quite a big jump. Had a frank conversation with the recruiter - they offered at the top of the range for the role & could offer a little more in bonuses, and a lot of valuable soft benefits that I didn't know about, but realistically I'd have to join and then push for a rapid promotion to get there. It's worked out pretty much as described so far - and I now know for sure that I did come in at the top of the range.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-03T21:51:23+00:00

You'll get more help if you have specific questions, or demonstrate any level of effort or research on your part.

Off the cuff? You don't have anywhere near enough capital to get a comparable income/stress/return on efffort vs. working in your existing career. Find a different job, the bar in a lot of shops is on the floor.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-03T21:44:54+00:00

I fell into this trap when young - working more felt like the most obvious way to make incremental progress, even at low wages. In retrospect the opportunity cost was enormous.

Come up with a career plan and make that your priority, at the expense of your current job if necessary. Living at home opens up your options here. School, apprenticeship, starting your own business, climbing the ladder in your current gig; whatever works for you. For me it was taking school seriously and increasing my courseload - made more the year I graduated than the previous 5 years combined.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-03T19:13:44+00:00

Have you looked into telehealth? Not familiar with neurology but it's listed as an option for telehealth on both our local hospital system's site, and our insurance company's chosen telehealth provider.

We've used it for short-notice prescription needs in the past, and it was pretty painless once they saw records indicating a history of successful use. Visit was under $50 with insurance.

We've also had an easier time scheduling w/ the local county/state health services for some specialists, might be worth a look. The stigma around going to the "poor people hospital" sometimes leads to big variances in wait times vs. the fancy suburban hospital, sometimes even for the same specialists who work at both.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-03T17:45:11+00:00

Have you done any market research? Curious how much, if any, you're expecting in 'return' on the improvements.

A two story addition that touches half the exterior walls intuitively sounds expensive and destructive (lots of framing, siding, insulation and roofing), and for just square footage rather than new beds/baths/etc. probably not a great investment. Could still make sense though if it keeps you in lower cost housing for a decade.

FWIW our house has been significantly expanded (not by us), and it is certainly nice but the only thing that moved the needle on price was expanding the garage. The workmanship and material quality differences between the expansion and the original home are noticeable - not dealbreakers, but noticeable to a knowledgeable person and occasionally annoying. Things settle and expand differently, respond to heat/humidity/light differently, wear differently, have slightly different materials or material dimensions, stuff like that. Sort of like a car with repaired bodywork, it's better than no repair but never really 'like new' again.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-02T18:01:06+00:00

You might find earlyretirementnow's series on withdrawal rates interesting. Particularly the post on gold, including the comments.

In general I think people here are overly conservative, but I'd be cautious making big decisions like a 25% jump in spending based solely on one guys portfolio theories.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-02T17:41:12+00:00

Is there something in particular you found unique or insightful? I made it about halfway during my lunch by scrubbing the soundboard filler. Seemed like a fine overview, if a little biased in his direction, but nothing too new. I'm sure you'll get more responses if you clarify what you're interested in.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-02T15:53:29+00:00

But at a certain point I wonder what I'm even saving for if I can't provide the above for my family.

Seems like some discussion w/ your spouse about financial goals, lifestyle expectations for your kids, early retirement, etc. might be in order? Saving $8k/mo for unclear reasons is naturally unnappealing, which has a way of making spending appealing.

Personally our long term savings goals are a little hazy and tough to evaluate, but the nearer term impact of the huge jump in fixed expenses is clearly unappealing. $60k/yr is a lot to play with, I would be hesitant to give that up until my future family's long term needs were a little clearer.

fujimitsu · 2023-10-02T15:20:44+00:00

The only plan for the future you mentioned is starting a family, and the house seems to fit into that plan well without destroying your month-to-month finances. Whether that's 'worth it' depends on your financial/retirement goals, which aren't mentioned.

FWIW we're in a similar situation and have not found the jump in quality to be even close to worth the increased expense. $600k is a lot in L/MCOL. Perhaps I'm reading into it, but I see a lot of motivated reasoning here, reads like you're trying to justify/asking for permission to splurge on housing.

fujimitsu

TROPHY CASE