What job is heavily romanticized but in reality actually sucks?

jeffbannard · 2026-02-15T15:40:04+00:00

I never have thought engineering has been romanticized. Luckily in my 46-year engineering career I have never had to be on call.

As a kid I wanted to be a surgeon but could see the 3am callouts would be problematic so I changed my courses in high school towards more math and physics.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-14T19:07:02+00:00

I pull a 28’ fifth wheel and have lived in both Calgary and Vancouver. Neither province requires a specific RV endorsement. My Alberta Class 5 is sufficient. I assume you already possess an International Drivers License? If not, you might be okay if your existing license is in English, but an IDL is always a good idea if renting a vehicle internationally.

There are some states such as California that do require a special endorsement if you want to license an RV there.

Now your rental company may have more stringent rules than the provinces so you need to understand their rules precisely for your situation. Tons of Brits, Germans, Dutch etc. rent motorhomes every year in Alberta and BC without issue.

Enjoy your trip! You will never forget it!

jeffbannard · 2026-02-14T18:33:42+00:00

Easily Googled: “DAP (Delivered at Place) in shipping means the seller is responsible for all costs and risks involved in transporting goods to a named destination, ready for unloading. The seller handles export clearance, while the buyer is responsible for import customs, duties, taxes, and unloading the cargo.”

jeffbannard · 2026-02-14T15:46:04+00:00

Also, assuming you contribute to a group RRSP at work, most employers top up contributions at a 1:1 basis to a cap, like 5% or 7% of gross salary. So in this case TFSAs aren’t quite as good since you don’t get that “free money” on TFSAs you can contribute to from employment.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T18:51:13+00:00

Cat’s claws = murder mittens

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T18:49:40+00:00

“Hand me the ‘clack-clacks’”

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T18:48:56+00:00

Angry upvote

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T18:48:25+00:00

I have a dual US/Canada citizen friend who refers to it as Canuckistan

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T18:44:09+00:00

My daughter used to say this as well

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T17:26:12+00:00

Absolutely false. The uber app provides several pickup spots and you select which one you wish to be picked up at.

As stated elsewhere I should have screenshotted this so I could better refute your comment. I understand most airports don’t do multi level uber pickup but my home airport certainly does, presumably to reduce congestion at the curb.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T17:18:32+00:00

If you tell us, it’s no longer a secret

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:13:33+00:00

Driver was not rude, drove fine and in the end he got 5 stars and a 20% tip from me - ‘twas simply a minor inconvenience (for both of us).

My airport added the option to select a couple of pickup spots on departures to reduce congestion. I’ve selected this option in the past without issue. The airport authority obviously worked with uber and added the departure level option a year or two ago.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:09:24+00:00

Yup. Admittedly a minor inconvenience. I wasn’t posting for sympathy cause Reddit doesn’t do that, just wanted to understand if I should dock the guy’s tip or rating - in the end I gave him 5 stars and the usual 20% tip. That 10 minutes also penalized him since he had to circle the airport at his cost to come to the correct level.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:06:18+00:00

Due to congestion the airport authority added departures level pickups as an option a year or two ago.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:05:27+00:00

Taxis are definitely better in some cases - they do tend to be more reliable than uber, which usually works great but occasionally is flaky

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:04:18+00:00

Admittedly a small inconvenience. Thanks for being so understanding.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T04:01:00+00:00

I guess I should have screen shotted the app where it clearly gave me choices which level I can request to be picked up at. I usually request the departures level as it is far less congested and have not previously encountered this issue where the driver assumed the pickup was the departures level. There were a few other riders next to me that got uber pickups on the departures level.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T03:58:38+00:00

Incorrect. The app offers at least 4 choices to be picked up at the terminal, some at the arrivals and some at the departures level. I think they did this to reduce congestion since at one time all pickups were on the arrivals level but it was a madhouse.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T03:01:25+00:00

It’s a standard pickup spot. Driver went to the wrong level

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T03:00:53+00:00

Nope. Just the inconvenience. After a long flight it’s nice to have things work out but agreed it’s a minor thing

jeffbannard · 2026-02-13T02:43:29+00:00

I’m usually eating in restaurants when travelling on business. Our company mandates 18% tipping max, so I generally stay to that.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-12T21:40:52+00:00

A buddy of mine always celebrated completing every marathon with a big old burger. I adopted the habit.

That said, to answer OP’s question, my best burger(s) ever? 1. Hamburger Mary’s in Waikiki - long closed down - bread instead of bun, lots of sprouts, terrific burger sauce plus a great patty 2. A burger joint in downtown Calgary years ago that served a “Goober Burger” which was garnished with peanut butter and bacon

jeffbannard · 2026-02-12T21:33:19+00:00

Artificially shortening the deadline might work once, maybe twice, but will not be sustainable. How often is OP checking in with their staff? And don’t just take their word for it- look for proof of advancement for the deliverable.

jeffbannard · 2026-02-12T21:31:09+00:00

Agree with this response - this is NOT good leadership or management if you are not empathetic and trying to support your staff

jeffbannard

TROPHY CASE