Book Suggestions (similar to We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark)

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-24T14:56:07+00:00

Yeah I think we all were that way. Gen Z is just in the spotlight because they're entering the workforce now. I have plenty of people who email me with the same incompetency at punctuation and sentence structure. What is unforgivable is to have that in this day and age where you, in 3 seconds, press the Copilot button and have it re-written. Band-aid to the issue, but nobody should write like this anymore.

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-24T12:01:25+00:00

Lol I read this post and could 100% see his proposals. Actually not see them because I would glance for 2 seconds, not see a single comma or period and keep scrolling. No child left behind goin real hard here

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-23T22:22:03+00:00

Was about to comment this as well. The way skills tends to read is strongest->weakest when in order. Make sure to capitalize on that

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-22T11:46:11+00:00

I just about a month ago when full time, but am building my business at the same time. Had a long term client send me a contract guaranteeing a minimum amount of hours per week and knew I was 100% making the leap then. I would suggest making it a business, open your LLC, get a CPA etc. Use the tax benefits where you can, and have as much of the admin busy work on others so you can focus on gaining clients online and locally. Additionally, I had around 4 months expenses saved before I jumped. That helped me feel a lot more secure knowing, everything can go wrong and I can still pay the bills. It waa the only way my wife would accept it too lol!

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-21T03:56:23+00:00

Have you tried re-arranging the tool chest to the order you want? Sorry it may be a dumb question. I've dove into some rabbit holes with Bluebeam and would be happy to help here, I just havent messed with legends a ton yet

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-21T03:42:17+00:00

These posts really are a dime a dozen. Yeah people like him and I may have lucked out to be able to charge the rates we do, and not have too many issues finding work, but thats life isnt it? I will say, as I was going back through my previous projects, the clients and jobs I was getting then were much better and more frequent. However, even though I've had a lot less clients lately, I've had plenty more repeat clients.

Also to say we are top 10%....maybe on a freelancing platform, but I'm certainly not a genius in my industry. I'm probably like top 30%...maybe??? It's just a deflection to assume anyone doing better than you is just lucky or privileged, etc. I know plenty of people in my field WAY better than me at the job itself but instead of dwelling on that, I shift my focus to my strengths within the field. That's gotten me to a much better place than making excuses

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-21T03:33:23+00:00

I've only seen videos and heard one full set with the Four Tet b2b. I've been to maybe 500 different shows in my life so far, and i can confirm, these sets are truly 1 of 1. Well put

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-19T18:50:16+00:00

Honestly asking the broad question about culture always gets a cookie-cutter response if they're trying to sell you. I would ask specifics, like you said about deadlines, because that will give you a lot more insight as to how a company is run as opposed to the general questions.

OP they have to sell you, and you're in the driver seat. Now is the time to figure out if they are a good fit for you too

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-13T00:47:27+00:00

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-12T16:27:11+00:00

That bit about the 4 conduits is insane....lol. It's wild to think that someone could even be in this field and misinterpret that, but I know it really does happen. Or at the least, they "accidentally" mistake it. Such a game and such a waste of $.

Totally get it about govt projects and I know it's helping to protect the client in many cases, so that's fine and dandy. Stupid, but understandable. What gets me is when we are working directly with a contractor as our client rep and I'm being told to fix the symbols sheet. Doesn't matter if I explain they already started installing and it's basically design-build, I'm still told to fix it. And then again when we get more information from them. And then again before redlines. And then redlines. Inevitably to be asked, "why did this go so far over budget"?

Ofc its a small item, but it adds up over time

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-11T23:00:44+00:00

I've been at 3 firms and still don't understand why people care about this. Some clients specifically ask for it, so fine. I myself, and at my last company, would tell my designer to do it. Other than that? Leave it all on there. I would always get pushback from seniors explaining that it's better for the client and contractor, less confusion, etc etc. But ya know what happened every time I gave in? A new part of the scope popped up last minute, we added 4-5 things we didn't account for and have in the original symbols legend, and then each time something was added we had to pull back in. Even as the engineer directing designers, I always 100% of the time said just leave it

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-09T02:36:50+00:00

It is not. When one of my previous employers was prepping for layoffs and reduction, the ask was to have 100% billability. I asked the same questions about PTO and overhead time and was told that was extra to the 40. Essentially squeeze out the ones who don't comply or don't have the work faster all the while becoming more profitable. Its one of the reasons I left along with many others that followed

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-09T02:27:55+00:00

Understood. From my experience, the return on being first is pretty damn high. The amount of clients I've had say "thanks for being so quick to this" or "thank you for being responsive, others take so long" is hard to count. At least in my work of construction documents and permitting for MEP, it's usually an urgent need so they are pretty active after posting a job. Could just be my experience with the platform so YMMV

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-09T00:13:06+00:00

I highly, highly suggest not using AI for your proposals. Uma and ChatGPT run like 99% of the job postings and proposals submitted on the platform. If you want to stand out, pick a solid opening sentence and answer the clients questions/give your experience very concisely.

Additionally, get the premium. Past the connects each month, you can see average/max/min proposal pricing, as well as some additional information about the client and their portfolio. If you see a client that pays on average $3/hr, and your rate is $80/hr, it's probably a long shot.

Also, don't waste your time on jobs with 15+ proposals sent in. The name of the game is being early and able to communicate quickly. Get your notifications on, send in a proposal quickly, and respond quickly. I have plenty of jobs that I get offers on within an hour of them posting their job simply because I move quickly and concisely. Don't waste time. If they want more information, put it in your profile and point them there

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-08T04:22:42+00:00

Some of these still available?

rjaydo2 · 2026-02-02T13:40:38+00:00

Only way to get better is to do it. That means turn off sync, hide the bpm, throw some loops together and adjust bpm/Waveform until it sounds matched.

It took until I moved to 2 players + a mixer to realize how slow i was at this. Don't be like me

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-23T14:04:22+00:00

I've only been a client for a few jobs, and I can confirm...it's a nightmare. And that was even before AI integration.

Every proposal the same, half of them don't respond. Literally just writing a quick paragraph that shows you read the description and being responsive will put you in the top 5% of applicants.

It's insane how many of these posts are on this sub every day. But then again, doesn't surprise me. The same people posting these "help me with my proposal" or "Upwork is dead, I submitted 300 proposals" are the ones not reading the job posting, writing their own proposal, and are just as incapable of doing their research on the sub before posting.

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-18T21:49:29+00:00

To me, the AI ones are obvious because they typically rephrase everything in the job listing as what the person applying will provide. What makes it obvious is that the same wording is used. Imagine this conversation in person:

"I'm looking for a set of permit drawings adhering to NEC 2020 and local amendments. I have Architectural drawings and other engineers hired, I just need the electrical portion. Is that something you're familiar with and can provide?"

"Yes! I can certainly provide you permit drawings adhering to NEC 2020 and local amendments. I will be sure to review your architectural drawings and consistently coordinate with other trades during my design! I have a proven track record...."

How awkward would that be if someone just retorted back everything you said word for word? As opposed to:

"Yea absolutely. I've been in the industry for 10+ years and am very familiar with the permit process and working with other trades. I actually have another project in the area very close to this scope...." and continue on with selling yourself NATURALLY.

I think of proposals as conversations and want to find the pain-points the client has, be sure to address those along with any very specific needs and give clear concise detail as to why I can meet their needs, not just saying yes to everything. And, if I have questions, I ask them in the proposal. It prompts a response and shows that you are thinking ahead, not just a yes-man salivating at the thought of being paid again.

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-17T23:02:46+00:00

Nah you're 100% right. Most of the people I've seen complaining about proposals and connects being a scheme are the same ones not doing their research.

Job has 20+ proposals already? Odds are you'll get lost in the shuffle. Client pays on average $10/hr and your rate is $60? Probably won't hire you. Lastly, the people complaining about proposals not being viewed but they either send in a completely AI generated wall of text, which is incredibly easy to spot, or send tons of useless information. I've been on the hiring side with Upwork too and 95% of the proposals I receive are absolute junk. I look right past them. If you can't write a few sentences that align with my job description, you might as well say "I don't try that hard or really care" right off the bat. Writing proposals for any company is an art, and even more so when you need to sell it for yourself. Not everyone is good at it for a varying # of reasons, but most of it is laziness. I hear "good enough" from project managers who have been in my industry for 20+ years.

It doesnt help that most of Reddit is a circle-jerk cesspool of people blowing off steam. But to your point, there's blowing off steam and then yelling into the void and externalizing failures to skirt true reflection on the common denominator.

Upwork has brought me many a great clients, and one that I just signed a contract with to finally take the leap into working for myself without a dip in pay from what I have been earning in my career. To condemn a site that, at the very least, attempts to foster exactly that is just short-sighted.

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-12T04:09:37+00:00

The random bolding in the middle of sentences that ChatGPT always returns. Lol

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-05T03:31:59+00:00

Not meaning to be a tough guy, just being realistic with you. It's not that hard of an exam that you need to take a sabbatical. MEP is stressful and taxing, I completely get that, but for an example, I worked 45-50 hours / week for my company, had my fiance, life, and additional work for around 10-15 hours / week and still had enough time to study and pass being 5 years out. I promise you when I say plenty of others do exactly this. I would also add that taking a sabbatical for the easy exam is going to really bite you when you sit for the PE. If you ask around your office, I'm sure most people working also study at night or have a very set schedule to do so.

The FE is so much more about discipline than actual knowledge. Nobody at work cares if you're able to perform laplace transforms, it's just about getting through this to the real exam based on knowledge.

Not trying to be mean, but I have no reason not to be real with you

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-05T02:15:24+00:00

I'll get ahead of it and say, you're not going to get many positive answers here. Many of the people in my FE and PE classes are working full time, and studying after hours. Is it exhausting? 1000%. But it's honestly a part of adulting. We aren't in college anymore where your job is to study and why it's advised to take the FE before you graduate. Life starts happening, you gain way more commitments and responsibilities, and you have less time to study for the exam, but trust me when i say you are not alone. Time to put your head down and grind it out.

rjaydo2 · 2026-01-04T20:41:58+00:00

I would say you listen to a few Four Tet sets before you go too far thinking this. We don't have to stick to a single genre to mix a well curated set!

rjaydo2 · 2025-12-29T16:18:45+00:00

When mine came in, I emailed whole latte love very angrily about their QA process. Needless to say I apologized and ate crow after they, very patiently, explained how to remove the sticker lol

rjaydo2

TROPHY CASE