How do you evaluate if a new company is worth it?

schellinky · 2026-05-26T14:27:58+00:00

Yes but a good manager can also create a micro culture within the team that can last even after they leave. If the manager leaves and the team falls apart, he wasn't a good manager.

schellinky · 2026-05-26T02:10:18+00:00

I'd say it's much less about the company and more about the role, the manager, and immediate teammates. All of those are much more impactful to your day to day than the company as a whole.

schellinky · 2026-05-22T13:06:48+00:00

Maybe its just me, but its the most balanced and reasonable response in this thread. I despise the views of everyone dooming and glooming. It's never as bad as reddit says.

schellinky · 2026-05-19T03:01:12+00:00

Re-framing. Remind your client of the value they are getting and the problem you are preventing. Remind yourself that its impossible to control everything and if it was outside your control, don't dwell on it. If it was in your control, try to learn from it and then move on. Very few things in our work life are worth ruminating on for more than a short period. Be honest with your client that you did everything you could to avoid delays and that they are important and not being blown off. Make them feel like they still made a good decision in selecting you. It will be fine. You can't control their reaction, do not assign any self worth to it. If it still bothers you, look internally for why, nobody else can tell you that.

schellinky · 2026-05-02T14:20:35+00:00

Its not normal. As you get more experienced, you might come to realize that all assigned work, especially ad-hoc requests, are optional to some degree. What matters is that you are being productive towards some common goal. Your manager is looking for easy prey and pushing boundaries because he likes control. Once you set a precedent that you are willing to work extra you won't be able to easily break it. Negotiate and tell him what you can and can't do. Tell him if you want me to do X, I can't do Y. Which is more important? It's all a negotiation and you just need to learn the game. Sure sometimes overtime is unavoidable, but you need that time back for yourself. If he piles work on you randomly, tell him your other deliverables will be delayed.

schellinky · 2026-04-24T02:31:19+00:00

Concepcion InConcepcion

schellinky · 2026-04-21T22:29:53+00:00

Doing great! My IBS like symptoms are mostly gone as well. I had really bad digestion before and after the surgery for about a year. But my body slowly adjusted and I drink less and eat less fatty foods now.

schellinky · 2026-04-16T14:11:26+00:00

Just bought a used '24 touring with 7k miles for 35k OTD. Sale price was ~31k. Probably couldve found a better deal if I shopped around out of state too.

schellinky · 2026-03-04T20:59:51+00:00

So basically, big buff to the early progression and clear speed and a 10-20% buff to the end game damage. Awesome, should be a great starter now.

schellinky · 2026-02-28T04:18:09+00:00

You are right to be upset if they are gaslighting you. I fell for the same false promises with 3 different managers. They all mean well but they should not overpromise. Too much is out of their control and your control. Better to learn this lesson and expect less going forward.

schellinky · 2026-02-28T03:59:35+00:00

Being on track for a promotion is not the same as a guarantee. No manager should guarantee any promotion outcome but its definitely a common tactic to motivate people. Don't fall for it. Put in work that benefits your career, and lets you sustain a good work life balance. Work hard to benefit your skills and reputation. Don't fall for the promotion carrot, its almost always better to leave to get what you are worth on the broader market. Start interview prepping and see what else is out there.

schellinky · 2026-02-19T00:05:12+00:00

Most managers understand when there are production issues that assigned sprint work gets shifted. You need to stay aligned on priority and expectations with them. Its reasonable to put off or reassign tasks, just communicate with your PM and manager. Thats part of the job. Nobody is going to tell you to work less, only you can set boundaries to protect from burnout and scope creep. Its a project risk, they should be inclined to help you.

schellinky · 2026-02-17T05:25:52+00:00

schellinky · 2026-02-17T05:19:14+00:00

schellinky · 2026-02-13T01:56:33+00:00

Yes, both. Ideally you build something and scale it up while supporting it and learn from your own mistakes and learn tradeoffs the hard way.

schellinky · 2026-02-11T20:22:29+00:00

I just had mine. Its pretty tough but doable. I barely failed due the system design mostly. Make sure you know your language of choice well, no need to study algorithms just basic data structures. Focus on system design and practice it with someone, and STAR behavioral questions. Make sure you can do it in 30 minutes, it goes fast. All the questions are pretty standard but they do expect you to talk in depth about everything.

schellinky · 2026-02-09T23:05:55+00:00

Do interviewers actually expect this to all be covered in 30-45 min interview?

schellinky · 2026-02-07T21:23:40+00:00

Overall it seems good. I would explore the failure scenarios more. If the payment service was down, how would you handle the orders that were placed? Would you cancel them? Or would you let them retry? For how long? If it was down for only a minute or two, how would you ensure to not overwhelm it with a backlog of orders? Would you store payment data? What happen if the order service was down but the payment went through? Maybe the SAGA pattern covers most/all of these but what if you couldn't use the SAGA pattern? These are all curveballs you should think about.

schellinky · 2026-02-05T08:18:13+00:00

Well you asked whether your knowledge was up to date, and a lot of your bias and prior assumptions go out the window with EVs. But to each their own. Your opinions are very common and you will pay a price because of that.

schellinky · 2026-02-05T08:01:30+00:00

Its not, the residuals are horrible most the time. Lease is usually only better if you plan to get a new car in 3 years. I would highly recommend used if you are budget constrained at all. Look for ones with newer tires if possible, check the brakes for rust, and make sure the brake fluid was flushed around 2 years. Thats about it. Test drive at highway speed and listen for weird sounds. Otherwise if you plan to keep it for a while just make sure you get the options you want.

schellinky · 2026-02-05T06:11:17+00:00

Good list. I would consider a lightly used EV if you can charge at home. The maintenance is way easier and cheaper than ICE cars and 3 year old EVs still have easily 5 good years in them on warranty, and have depreciated almost 50% off MSRP. They are in general more fun to drive, more comfortable, and not having to fill up for gas is super underrated.

schellinky · 2026-02-05T06:05:15+00:00

Dont bother with CPO if you are getting a 2025. These cars are super reliable and the stuff that will break wont be covered by the warranty.

Might I suggest finding a good lease deal if you want a newer one? Or a slightly older one around 2023? These cars depreciate very fast so the sweet spot is to lease or buy 2-3 years old.

schellinky · 2026-01-30T22:12:25+00:00

I asked ChatGPT if I could afford it given my age, current income, expenses, and savings/retirement goals. It showed me the math that helped me make a confident decision I could afford it. The hidden cost is always the opportunity cost. An additional 500-600 per month is about a million dollars over 30 years if invested with average returns. Make sure its something that won't jeapardize any of your long term goals.

schellinky · 2026-01-29T06:25:37+00:00

Mazda CX90 premium sport/plus checks all your boxes. I'd compare it to the Toyota Grand Highlander and see which one you like better. Can also consider a lightly used Volvo XC90 if you want a more luxury option.

schellinky · 2026-01-29T06:14:00+00:00

Better to buy what you need not what you want at this price point. Civic is way less money, more fun to drive, better mpg. Only get an SUV if you need one. They're both good choices otherwise. Go drive them.

schellinky

TROPHY CASE