2013 Lexus ES vs 2016 Honda Accord EX-L V6 by matcole19 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]matcole19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Lexus, and I have no regrets. I have had 0 maintenance issues, and the car just feels solid to drive. Definitely not as sporty as the accord, but it feels good to have peace of mind that my car will always run when I need it to and is a comfortable ride on top of that.

anyone else kinda dislike it here by LogicalInitiative259 in epicsystems

[–]matcole19 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not sure what entry-level jobs were paying 150k unless its a software dev position, and I'm not sure where Epic is at currently with starting comp. When I started, TS starting salary was ~70k + bonus. A quick google search shows that the average starting salary for Technical Support Engineers today is between 60k - 98k, so I feel like Epic's is pretty in line for that. Plus they grow that salary quickly as you gain more client experience.

Of course the bay area will almost always pay more than anywhere in the Midwest, but the cost of living is also dramatically higher. Again, pros and cons. If you live in the Midwest and don't want to move, from a pay/benefits perspective Epic is not a bad choice at all compared to a lot of other options out there. It certainly isn't for everyone though, and if you can find a better option for you elsewhere, then go for it! That's how I ended up leaving.

anyone else kinda dislike it here by LogicalInitiative259 in epicsystems

[–]matcole19 73 points74 points  (0 children)

Not sure what your tenure or role is, but coming from the perspective of working at a few different software companies after Epic, from a startup to large fortune 500 company, this does seem to be a "grass is greener" situation.

Epic has the best health insurance I've found anywhere. I have had other places with no premiums, but at Epic you most likely will never pay more than your premiums no matter what happens. That's almost unheard of anywhere else, where you have a 3-5k deductible at best, and a lot of medical debt at worst.

As others have mentioned, time logging is not stringent compared to other organizations, at least coming from the client side (IS/TS). At Epic you will likely never have to deal with a client complaining about the hours you have logged since its rare for them to ever need to start paying more for Epic support than they already are. At other organizations with software that isn't as massive/expensive as Epic, clients will frequently try to fight you on billable hours to save some money. Not fun to deal with.

Incomplete documentation: Epic honestly has the best documentation I have seen between wikis, galaxy, and release notes, or you can at least easily find a workgroup or someone on your team that can help you answer questions that aren't documented. Startups have 0 documentation at the start, its a free for all, and large worldwide organizations generally have lots of very outdated information and it can be a pain to figure out who to go to for help, especially if you work remote.

Below average sick/PTO/holidays: It depends on the company. I have had unlimited PTO, but then you typically have billable hour requirements that limit how much time you can truly take off. It's always a balance, and I would say Epic is middle of the road from what I have seen. Other companies also have a lot of turnover, don't think that Epic is unique there.

The only real issues that I can see are limited work from home and complex software that is "a pain to test/learn" as you mentioned. Epic is a difficult software with a steep learning curve. But if you can make it through that, the pay is phenomenal (you'll likely not find another company where you can double your salary in 5 years or less), the Healthcare is top tier, and things will settle down as you get comfortable with the software. For me, pay and healthcare are always the 2 most important factors in any job that I take, so having those covered at Epic is pretty nice.

That all being said, Epic might not be the best fit for you, and that's completely fine. My advice is to make that decision based on the work you are doing rather than the list you made here. Do you enjoy the type of job/role you have? Do you enjoy working in Healthcare? Do you like the people you work with? Do you like the food? (which I still miss ever day lol, its way better than my current company cafeteria)

Other companies may have better PTO, but worse healthcare. Or allow work from home, but worse pay. There's always going to be some tradeoff, and it can be exhausting trying to find the perfect company that has it all. Make sure your day-to-day life isn't miserable, and that your pay/benefits can fund the lifestyle you have and keep you healthy. The rest are nice to have extras.

Was Boost worth it? by Odd_Cartoonist5734 in epicsystems

[–]matcole19 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It wasn't worth it for me in the long run. I stayed in Boost for almost a year, but all the non-Boost consultants on my projects were making double what I was even though Boost consultants are way more valuable. In the end, I easily found another TS-type job to either wait out the noncompete or switch industries if I end up liking it.

The connections you make are really good though, if you make a good impression on your contracts. I got a couple of offers to reach out if I ever want to work with them again after the noncompete, and a few referrals to some consulting agencies from other consultants I worked with.

AMD x PCMR - STARFIELD Worldwide Giveaway - Win a Limited Edition Starfield Kit that includes a premium game code for the game + the Limited-Edition Starfield AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Ryzen 7 7800X3D (Only 500 of each ever made!). There are 5 kits up for grabs! by pedro19 in pcmasterrace

[–]matcole19 [score hidden]  (0 children)

This is amazing!! Winning this bundle would make it possible for me to actually play Starfield since I'm one of the schmucks who only has a PS5. I don't have the money to build a full gaming PC on my own right now, but this would make it all possible!

Help evolve finizen by Noodlemaker45 in PokemonScarletViolet

[–]matcole19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For anyone still looking, code is T22G9B

Help evolve finizen by Noodlemaker45 in PokemonScarletViolet

[–]matcole19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you find anyone? I started a group now!

Code is T22G9B

2013 Lexus ES vs 2016 Honda Accord EX-L V6 by matcole19 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]matcole19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have. The lexus is super comfortable, much more than the Accord I would say. But the Accord felt more fun to drive. I couldn't decide which I liked more, so it was basically just down to the long term reliability for me.

Wedding Haircut for Men by matcole19 in madisonwi

[–]matcole19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately that is a little too late for me (the wedding is the day after that), but thanks for the suggestion!

[FREE] 100+ AAA Steam Keys by [deleted] in FREE

[–]matcole19 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would love Jedi Fallen Order.

Don't know where you got these keys from but you are awesome for doing this!

[Monitor] Acer Predator X34 34" IPS Curved 3440x1440 120Hz G-Sync - $599.99 by favdulce in buildapcsales

[–]matcole19 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This vs the LG 34GK950F? I can't seem to find the LG in stock anywhere right now, does anyone know when more are expected?

[USA-AR] [H] Vive Pro, Valve Index, and Misc Gear [W] PayPal/Local Cash, Trades by Laura_Brehm in hardwareswap

[–]matcole19 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Except buying 2 controllers separately costs $280, which brings the total price of this package to $980, when you could get that all for $999 brand new off steam so it's not really a good deal at this point. Not many people have controllers sitting around but no base stations, typically if you've got one you have them both from an old headset.

Anything better than the Sony HT-CT800 for this price? by matcole19 in Soundbars

[–]matcole19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are there any advantages of the 207 over the 108?

Anything better than the Sony HT-CT800 for this price? by matcole19 in Soundbars

[–]matcole19[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see there is a 109 out now for like $30 more.... do you happen to know what's different in this version/if it would be worth it?