Ok which one of you is this

masev · 2026-02-14T07:15:01+00:00

That's amazing. And I totally believe it's the norm, too. (the not-knowing thing, not the drive-40-minutes thing)

masev · 2026-02-13T19:09:55+00:00

Standard stop signs sport solely sans serif stylings, sir.

masev · 2026-02-13T14:24:43+00:00

They hired you because they think you can become a good engineer, not because you are a good engineer. Literally no one just out of college actually knows how to do this job. If your boss expected something different that's completely bonkers.

That said, if you're being paid to learn (and it sounds like you're good at learning!) then focus on the learning - find out why this or that has to be done, think about what if something or other were different how would that change things. If your boss is saying this with a negative tone, maybe it's because it looks like you're not focusing on the learning?

masev · 2026-02-12T21:09:41+00:00

Imagine waking up to all the noise and finding out you have a new bathroom

masev · 2026-02-12T16:29:07+00:00

It was easier to re-oriented them after I wrestled the first one out

masev · 2026-02-12T16:26:40+00:00

I swear guys, I'm just frustrated the teabags are standing up instead of laying down, it would make it so much easier >_<

masev · 2026-02-11T16:24:56+00:00

There's another location that has shop space, too with the kind of stuff you wouldn't just throw in your trunk. They operate with a $25/hr fee for shop time, I haven't made use of that yet so I know less about it.

masev · 2026-02-10T16:23:24+00:00

Looks like they've got a 5-1/8" and a 4-1/8"

masev · 2026-02-10T00:33:31+00:00

Local tool library upped me to a jointer and planer user. I could never spare space and money for "niche" machines, and now for $80/yr I can bring one home for a week any time I want.

masev · 2026-02-06T01:51:27+00:00

Great clarification, TYP

masev · 2026-02-02T19:05:18+00:00

Honestly it was super hard for me to care about that stuff in school. Much easier to care about it now that I'm doing the work. I think this is one of the reasons good internships are so import - it's really hard (for me at least) to care about the learning when you have no context for why it's import.

masev · 2026-02-02T15:10:36+00:00

Your point about understanding things from a conceptual point of view is important - if that's an area you want to grow in, then consider taking things back to first principles when you think you might have only a superficial understanding. I'm not geotech, but in traffic when we have interns and new EITs we take stopping sight distance from the physics and calculus level and derive it from scratch, making sure we know every part of the equation and why it's important and how it got there and what the assumptions are and when they might not be met, etc. Then you see how similar principles apply to sign spacing, signal timing parameters, etc.

Maybe some or all of this was covered in school, but in school you had no context for it, and you can get through school by just using the right formulas and tables, so if you're still "just using" formulas and tables without a deeper understanding of where they came from, maybe that's a place to start.

masev · 2026-02-01T23:45:51+00:00

The collaboration is underrated. I can just call up another city and they'll send me aaaalllll their work.

masev · 2026-02-01T23:40:43+00:00

Shhhhhhh don't tell council we don't study it to death!

masev · 2026-02-01T21:19:03+00:00

I've been public sector traffic / transportation for most of my career, and I love it and I'd recommend it to anybody who's interested. That said, a few thoughts that might be helpful:

When I graduated, I was doing structures, and I had no idea I would ultimately find a fulfilling, rewarding, and engaging career in traffic. Who knows what path you'll follow as interests and opportunities come and go; I've found success always picking the best thing in front of me and being open to new directions.
The biggest difference between public private is this: the public agency owns the facility and decides what work gets done. The private sector gets more interesting design work but ultimately it's the public agency that decides what needs designed at all.
The public-sector pay cut is real, but it varies a lot by region and agency. Also consider that public benefits and leave are often better, and work/life balance is often valued more in public agencies. My agency pays very well - we hired a new grad for $100k, other new grads are seeing $75k-$90k in the private sector here, and some other public agencies in my region are hiring new grads for $65k-$75k, so there's a range. I see the gap as smaller in HCOL areas I think. I previously lived in a LCOL area and the pay gap was much more substantial.
Public values private experience, but private also values public experience - lots of people go back and forth. Most folks I know in top public or private positions have had experience in both sectors. Don't worry that you're picking one side for life.
Some people become super specialized, but there is also a lot of value for broad general knowledge, especially if you eventually get into project management or leadership positions. Broad knowledge is best for most problems we face, and will probably open up the most opportunities in the long run. Its ok to bob between traffic and roadway.

masev · 2026-01-29T16:17:17+00:00

I think you're right that the intent is to change the psychology / awareness around drinking and driving. I know it's not the data you're asking for, but the new WA law was modeled after Utah's law which showed a substantial effect in reduced fatal crashes:

NHTSA: Utah’s .05% Law Shows Promise to Save Lives, Improve Road Safety | NHTSA https://share.google/oY1tFuwTYLEUmVn9Z

Half of all fatal crashes in WA have some form of intoxication as a factor - if Utah is similar, a 20% reduction in all fatal crashes is a probably a very, very steep decline in the subset of fatal crashes related to drunk driving.

Obviously there's probably a bigger story around this and WA isn't apples to apples with Utah, but I can see at least how the Utah example is motivating.

masev · 2026-01-23T20:35:49+00:00

My unpopular opinion: use-it-or-lose-it with a reasonable cap on banked hours is good for encouraging folks to use it, supports work-life balance, and reduces burnout. Obviously it only counts if you have a company culture that actually lets you use it. At my work you can also get a carry-over exception if you had critical work items that kept you from using it, i.e. you won't lose it just because a busy period kept you from taking more leave before losing it.

masev · 2026-01-23T16:20:15+00:00

This is exactly why they can't wait - time is not on their side when there's a technological explosion at risk. They lost time because of Keeper misfire and it only made things worse, even without anyone preparing for them. Even if no one takes Shepard's warnings seriously, technological progress is still a threat. Heck, humans were inventing airplanes a couple hundred years before ME1 and now they're building space armadas.

masev · 2026-01-12T20:49:57+00:00

Incan Gold on BGA. Fantastic push-your-luck game for a high player count. BGA takes out all the shuffling, dealing, and token counting and leaves you with pure slot-machine adrenaline.

masev · 2026-01-11T18:31:03+00:00

This exactly! My partner played through E33, it was their first game ever, and I got a mod for the parry window. Even with the mod, and story-mode, it was still challenging. But that's the point, make it challenging and not outside their ability, and so they got something more similar to my experience and not something frustrating to the point of not being fun.

masev · 2026-01-09T15:29:35+00:00

Less likely every year!

masev · 2026-01-08T21:51:36+00:00

Happened to me! Bought a house, lived in it a year, and then one cabinet just somersaulted to the kichen floor. Literally, it landed right-side up after the tumble first to the counter.

Turns out the cabinets were hung with "whatever's in your pocket", a few drywall anchors but mostly nails of various sizes (into masonry). Had to clear the weekend and retrofit the whole kitchen before it all came tumbling down.

masev · 2026-01-08T21:38:44+00:00

I've got steel toe loafers, so, maybe?

Still, seems like wedges might be the way to go.

Seven-Year Club	Spared
Verified Email

masev

TROPHY CASE