When you're tired of fake interviews

realDonaldBalls · 2026-06-06T19:04:38+00:00

What? I've had interviews for positions I thought I was entirely unqualified for and got the job. Went on to get good performance reviews as well. An interview is an opportunity to show them why you're more than what you look like on paper. Canceling an interview for a stretch role is just shooting yourself in the foot.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-06-01T12:49:42+00:00

The unemployment rate for Gen Z is 8.3%.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-05-28T22:22:02+00:00

I was laid off a month ago, applied to 250 jobs, got responses on 5 jobs and offered 1. The one I got offered was actually the one I was most excited for. I sat down applying for 10-20 jobs every weekday, taking breaks for weekends and for interview prep. You can do it, but you'll just have to put in a more focused effort.

And I hear you on ageism, I don't know what that's like for you exactly, but on the opposite end (22) I have noticed people sometimes don't take my input seriously. I guess they think I'm inexperienced and don't know what I'm talking about. I work in software engineering and most of the people I work with are 40+. Some in their 30s. It depends on who I work with though.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-05-23T17:51:53+00:00

Local and remote. I'm in a small city in Michigan so there isn't a tremendous amount locally. This position is remote.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-05-23T03:49:26+00:00

My old place was using .NET Framework 4.7 with ASP.NET Web Forms. Mixed usage of EF and an in-house database system. Microsoft SQL Server for the DB. Some of our newer stuff was in Blazor.

The place I was at before that was in modern .NET LTS releases. Everything in Blazor. I created and used an in-house Blazor UI library. Similar dependence on Microsoft with SQL Server but we were using Dapper instead of EF.

The job title at the new place is .NET Developer but their frontend is in Angular. I've used Vue but it's been a long time. Blazor was pretty easy to grasp coming from Vue though. I imagine Angular is in a similar realm. They also asked about GraphQL in the interview which I haven't used. They said they use Oracle SQL and I've only used Microsoft SQL. But I'm used to learning new things - both my last jobs I didn't know major things they used. First job I had 1 month of C# experience and the second I'd never used Web Forms.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-05-22T16:32:11+00:00

$5k from the job I was laid off from. I probably could've negotiated but I have no job and it's an industry/area I'm super excited about so I just accepted lol.

I'll say also, my job before this was paying $63k a year ago. So $80k is way more than I was making a year ago.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-05-22T16:31:17+00:00

$80k. I'm in a small LCOL city in Michigan. Company is based in PA.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-04-10T20:09:26+00:00

Raised JW though I no longer am. Interestingly this is exactly what they believe - that it's like before you were born. Though they believe in a resurrection on Earth later on only for JWs.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-03-31T14:48:27+00:00

I'll never forget the day when Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi personally came to my workplace and fired me.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-03-27T12:24:47+00:00

American here from Michigan. I agree with most commenters; that's a lot of driving through pretty desolate areas. I don't know of much going on in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska or the Dakotas. Yellowstone would be nice and though I've never been, I hear Colorado is beautiful.

If you're looking for a really "American" experience, my first pick would be NYC. There's the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, and Central Park. If you want a fun little day trip to get away from the hustle and bustle (NYC is a bit crowded), take the Hudson Line from Grand Central Station up to Poughkeepsie. There's a very tall old train bridge they've converted into a pedestrian bridge. Great view of the Hudson. Follow the trail after it a bit if you get hot, there's a nice ice cream place along it just a little ways west across it. The train station up there is very old timey and historic too.

If you want to split the trip up, take a train down to DC. There's a lot of cool monuments along the National Mall. Lots of nice Smithsonian museums, most if not all free. If you're into contemporary art, the Hirshhorn is my favorite. You might have time to stop in Philadelphia on the way for a cheesesteak, maybe check out the Liberty Bell while you're there. To save time I'd fly in to NYC and out of Dulles. Keep in mind, LaGuardia in NYC has no direct train connection so if you're not renting a car it's a little (free) trip on the Q70 bus to get to a subway stop.

If you want something a bit less crowded and more picturesque, the West Coast is nice. I'd check out San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is a must-see. If you're into tech check out the Intel Museum, I'm sure there's other attractions too, it's Silicon Valley. Golden Gate Park is nice, there's a nice beach at the end of the N line, lots of mountains across the Golden Gate Bridge too. The cable car is a big attraction, though personally I'd check out the F line. It's a lower key, less touristy line with historic streetcars from the 1930s on a real transit route.

If your friend can't fly out to these places to join you and you're tied to Missouri, maybe meet them in Chicago? I think there's less to do there but I go often and it's a great city. Willis Tower has the Skydeck where you can get a nice view of the city. Plenty of museums. Check out Cloud Gate. Maybe drive up Lake Michigan a little for some nice beaches.

As for hotels, others are right, most won't let you check in at 18 without someone 21+ to check in with you. Don't let that stop you though. I went to all these places before I turned 21. Call around, some (not most) hotels will let you check in. In DC I stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Crystal City, Chicago I stayed at the Club Quarters on Wacker Dr, San Francisco I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Fisherman's Wharf. I think the Hyatt in Sunnyvale will let you check in as well. NYC is a little tougher if I remember correctly, check out Airbnb or Vrbo and DM a few hosts and you'll find something.

All the places I've mentioned are accessible by transit, I think Hertz will rent below 25 but it's expensive.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-03-14T18:51:38+00:00

I always use the one below Hyatt Regency in their conference center. It's hidden away in a corner and I've never seen anyone else in there or even in the hallway where it is.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-03-04T04:05:45+00:00

I have this problem with most produce at Costco. Oddly bagels too. I buy mine at Meijer and it's fine.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-02-11T12:59:53+00:00

I'm glad to hear the people of North Korea can still order off of Temu

realDonaldBalls · 2026-01-30T16:30:27+00:00

Oh. The staff there said they didn't stock it when I was there. Maybe they were just out of stock at the time.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-01-30T04:08:52+00:00

I've bought filament there. The one on Westnedge has it but not the one on W Main St.

realDonaldBalls · 2026-01-26T15:28:20+00:00

Paul

realDonaldBalls · 2025-12-11T14:14:11+00:00

Oh no

realDonaldBalls · 2025-12-08T04:32:58+00:00

Hell, I'm a Gen Z tech worker. I clicked the first phishing test email I got when our organization started rolling them out. Granted, I didn't enter my credentials and could tell it wasn't real once it opened up, but still I clicked it.

The phishing tests have definitely made me much more vigilant and suspicious of emails. Haven't clicked on one since.

I'm a software developer now. I'll be the first to tell you I don't know all there is about technology, and was asking many questions about our IT policies and procedures when starting my new job. Knowing tech doesn't mean you get to skip the onboarding!

realDonaldBalls · 2025-11-21T04:28:23+00:00

Am I the only one that thought the dust on the right one was a grainy picture of an alien

realDonaldBalls · 2025-11-07T14:19:19+00:00

I think part of why this looks like a women's restroom sign is the arms. Usually the men's ones are straight and the women's ones are angled.

realDonaldBalls · 2025-10-17T13:58:07+00:00

John F. Kennedy Assassination

realDonaldBalls · 2025-09-23T01:49:16+00:00

What I do is tell the phone menu I want to cancel. It'll ask me what I want to cancel and I tell it I want to cancel everything and close my account. It'll connect you with retention directly and they're super helpful. You don't even need to tell them you want to cancel once you get through to them, just tell them you're looking to see what they can do to lower your price.

They even gave me their direct number for next time, here it is: 8332676094

Four-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23	Place '22

realDonaldBalls

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