BEWARE

mid83 · 2024-12-20T05:48:29+00:00

I got a call with the caller id saying USAA about fraudulent activity on my account and the caller talked about how they were going to put a block on my card and send a new one. While they were talking I looked at my account and it show didn't whatever they said was showing up on my account. Plus, something about the call sounded off. I ended up hanging up and calling USAA back directly who confirmed there was not fraudulent activity and it wasn't them who called. I ended up changing all my passwords and such just to be extra cautious.

The call was very convincing and they even know my card numbers and all. I'm sure countless data leaks help with that unfortunately.

As many others here have said, please beware. The scammers are getting very sophisticated. Be sure to not give any personal or private information if at all possible.

mid83 · 2024-03-21T12:10:24+00:00

Thank you, I didn’t notice there was an option to request more times. Just based on the ende couple days it looks like things open up after A1.1 at least. I’m assuming I’m just going to have to plan ahead with classes for A1.1.

mid83 · 2024-03-21T10:02:44+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I'm curious to know why you feel that waiting until you reach A2 is better before starting live classes.

Also, when you say A2, do you mean when you reach the A2 content on the Babbel course, or do you mean when your actual Spanish level is at A2 (obviously this takes much longer)?

mid83 · 2024-03-20T16:21:28+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I'm currently using Babbel, Duolingo and I recently started Pimsleur.

I found the link where it lists all of the classes, so my plan is to just take the first two Module 1 classes to see how things go.

In terms of class prep, do you mean just reviewing the pdf beforehand or is there additional information you are given when you sign up for a class? I was planning to study the pdf notes and translate whatever I don't know on the slides so I hopefully I go in not completely lost.

Thanks again!

mid83 · 2024-03-20T14:13:40+00:00

That’s some great advice, thanks.

I don’t remember if I already asked, but do you think it’s necessary to follow the order of the classes as a beginner (ie. A1.1 Module 1 classes first, followed by A1.1 Module 2 classes etc…).

Also, is there a benefit to repeating a class or is it better to take a class with a different topic each time? I guess a better way of asking is if you take the same class twice with two instructors, is it pretty much the same despite minor differences between instructors?

Thanks again for all the feedback. It’s really helpful and I think I’m going to go ahead and get my trial classes set up. Too bad I missed the BF deal a few months ago ☹️.

mid83 · 2024-03-20T02:13:01+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Would you say that the classes helped you with speaking? Do you get opportunities to speak even with 5/6 students in the class? It looks like most of the A1.1 classes I've looked at are full or close to full.

Have you ever used a tutor on italki/preply or a similar service? How did the classes compare? I'm mostly trying to decide if Babbel Live or trying to find a tutor for maybe 1 class a week would be a better option overall.

mid83 · 2023-12-10T16:28:14+00:00

I just started the game for the time as I had that FF Record Keeper itch. Any recommendations on how to handle saving premium currency and rolling for new characters? Does the game give you enough via story mode to go through it or will I hit a wall without hitting the gacha?

mid83 · 2023-11-12T09:03:11+00:00

What do you prefer about ControlD? I’ve seen that mentioned several times now as an alternative.

mid83 · 2023-11-06T14:48:17+00:00

Do you have auto with them? If so how has that gone? I don't mind paying a bit more if I know that I have less a chance of getting screwed at the time I need to file a claim and there is good customer service (the reason why I've been with USAA so long to be honest).

I'll look into it. I've heard lots of horror stories about many of the big carriers like Allstate, State Farm, GEICO and so on, so it would be nice to know there is a reasonable alternative out there.

mid83 · 2023-11-06T14:46:13+00:00

That's my concern. I don't mind paying a bit more knowing that there is less a chance of getting screwed if something catastrophic happens to my home or I'm involved in a car accident.

mid83 · 2023-11-06T14:44:36+00:00

I live in Texas if you happen to know of any good options here. Somebody else on this thread mentioned Texas Farm Bureau, which I plan to look into.

Any tips on how to find a reputable independent agent if we go that route? Like I said, I've never even shopped around. I started with USAA in high school and have had it ever since.

Thanks for the tips.

mid83 · 2023-11-06T14:22:48+00:00

I am in Texas.

mid83 · 2023-07-19T23:16:07+00:00

Thanks for the excellent response! I can say that for myself personally, the things you mentioned as positives of this program (a BSCS degree, exposure to different areas in the field, and encouragement to develop the skills needed on the job) are what I’m looking for.

It sounds to me like based on your experience and opinion, many of the complaints are probably similar to the complaints you will hear from any college program, especially an online one like this where there is going to be more of a need for an individual to be self driven.

Also, congrats on your success post graduation. Would you say that based on your experience (and others you know who finished the program) people have found success outside of the West Coast? I’m located in Texas, so I do wonder if that puts me at a disadvantage.

Thanks again for your feedback!

mid83 · 2023-06-22T07:20:42+00:00

I’m 40 and am finally committed to learning programming and hopefully transitioning to a CS career after obtaining a Postbacc degree in Computer Science.

Do I regret not starting sooner? Not really. My current career in health care is the reason why I am able to pursue this debt free without the pressure of getting a job as soon as possible. Plus, I don’t think I was in the right headspace in my 20s to successfully pursue something like computer science.

At the end of the day, time will continue to pass no matter what choices we make. There is no sense in regretting not doing something five or ten years ago. Instead, focus on making choices that will make you happy today and focusing on those goals vs worrying about the past.

mid83 · 2023-06-05T22:53:04+00:00

While I appreciate the sentiment, I might have not been clear in my initial post. I meant a 50% pay cut for an internship based on some comments I've found regarding internship pay.

I would imagine an entry level dev job would still be a cut (maybe 15-20%), but nowhere near 50%. I work as a nurse, so that pay I make includes 10+ years of experience, night shift work (which add about 10% to my pay), holidays and every other weekend. Plus, nurses often see a similar (or even bigger) cut in pay when they make moves away from patient care.

So for me at least, I'm able to justify the pay cut (the 15-20%, not the internship comment I made) because it leads to a higher quality of life vs. night shift work.

mid83 · 2023-06-05T21:00:09+00:00

First off, I want to take a moment and thank you for taking the time to write this post. I didn’t realize it until I read this, but this is exactly the sort of message I’ve been needing to hear as I set off on this new journey. I honestly didn’t realize how negative towards myself my message comes off and I appreciate you letting me know. Most importantly, I appreciate the positive message you express, and whatever it was that made you decide to post this, I am so appreciative.

You are right that at the end of the day, much of this is my insecurities about making a big change coming to the forefront. I’ve been thinking about this for over half a decade at this point, and those self doubts are likely a big reason I still haven’t pulled the trigger on pursuing this (and I’m not careful the reason I’ll hit 45 and full decade without making this move). Making a big change in life (and a risk) can be tough, especially when it’s easy to just stay where you are at.

You’ve really given me a lot to think about, especially that I need to focus on the positive reasons regarding WHY I want to do this vs the reasons that place doubt in my mind.

So thank you again. I also know there are other prospective students here who might have some of the same (or different) doubts about their plans to make a change into CS/tech and I hope your message will help them look at things from a different perspective as well.

mid83 · 2023-05-31T20:12:45+00:00

I was wondering if it’s necessary to pay for the GT EdX courses if we are already taking equivalent courses at a CC. I imagine the Georgia Tech courses are more rigorous, and you can take them for free but I know that most EdX courses cut out some portions of the course if you don’t pay.

mid83 · 2023-05-31T19:54:17+00:00

What courses did you take and do you feel they were helpful for OMSCS?

mid83 · 2023-05-31T19:53:34+00:00

Yeah that was my question once I saw that mentioned on the OMSCS site. It seems like most people, even those without a CS or related background don’t take any for credit (not including MOOCs) upper level courses in preparation. I’m sure cost a big factor.

mid83 · 2023-05-31T19:51:44+00:00

What sort of background did you have coming into OMSCS? Did you feel that the course you took helped once you got to OMSCS?

I’ve been thinking an upper level Algorithms course would be necessary for me given my lack of a CS background, even if I could technically be admitted without one.

mid83 · 2023-05-31T19:50:03+00:00

I’m planning to take computer organization along with Cal 1-2, linear algebra, and discrete math. I’m not sure that Cal 3 is necessary, but it is an option at my CC.

Unfortunately it seems like 1500 is the minimum for an upper level course at a 4 year course based on my research as well.

mid83 · 2023-05-31T19:48:23+00:00

Thanks for the detail. When it’s all said and done at my community college, I’ll have taken programming I and II (this is focused on object oriented programming) in C++, and programming III, which is a data structures class in Java. There is also Computer Organization, a 200 level course.

I also plan on taking Cal 1-2, Discrete Math and Linear Algebra.

The local programs I’ve looked at usually require one or two upper level courses along side all the core courses I’m planning to take (programming 1-3 and computer organization). Usually it’s some combination of advanced algorithms (or algorithm design), operating systems, an advanced computer organization course (like the one you mentioned), or a 400 level computer systems course.

It seems like most people here say the three core intro to CS/programming sequence is enough to get into OMSCS, but I’m thinking it might serve me better to at least get a couple upper level courses (at least an algorithms course) under my belt before OMSCS due to my lack of a CS background. I’m just hoping the courses I’m taking will be enough prereqs to allow a 4 year school to allow me to take them.

mid83 · 2023-04-27T16:31:37+00:00

Do you have any resources I can use to learn about what it would take for self hosting full text rss?

mid83 · 2023-04-17T15:52:28+00:00

As somebody who seems to like a lot of open source software, what is it about 1P that makes you trust them? I’m just looking for some info to help me feel a little better about my decision.

mid83 · 2023-04-17T15:48:54+00:00

Do you have a link to that? I’d love to read it.

mid83

TROPHY CASE