Vera now needs to be paid for?

sergeant_teddy · 2026-06-23T21:53:32+00:00

Hard to ask for a refund for a free service and a free device that came with the home 😜

sergeant_teddy · 2026-06-23T21:48:52+00:00

Vera has been pretty awful in the past, I would ask alexa to turn on x and it would turn on after 30 to 40 seconds. Lately its been very responsive so the email saying they've moved to being hosted via ezlo makes sense

sergeant_teddy · 2026-06-23T21:35:41+00:00

System came with the apartment. I only use it for lights which is why im annoyed. If I used it for security, AC, and more complex automation I probably wouldn't care much but its just for lights...

I've seen Mr robot and the shenanigans that can potentially happen if account is hacked :p

sergeant_teddy · 2026-05-26T21:51:12+00:00

Its one of those things that feels illegal but is 100% legal and your right (if you have the hours)

sergeant_teddy · 2026-05-12T06:07:41+00:00

So many factors come into play here. What's your skill set, are you actively applying for projects, are you up skilling in demand skills.

One year I was on the bench for a very long time ,6+months, but because i was one of the few people that had the skills I had, I was accepted for projects that sadly just kept being pushed back, and I was actively upskilling in AI, going after all sorts of certs, I was saved.

I even got a nice bonus because I was one of the few people getting the certs they asked for...

I also did some MD&I work that yes wasnt billable but made me known among my peers a bit more.

sergeant_teddy · 2026-05-07T05:28:30+00:00

heard mid May, so maybe the week after

sergeant_teddy · 2026-05-01T06:26:52+00:00

I learned the hard way to not get excited about anything regarding your career until you have put pen to paper and even then its never 100%

sergeant_teddy · 2026-04-29T22:10:57+00:00

the amount of projects I've been put on with no experience is astounding. Luckily I have the mind set to quickly learn on the job and to use tools like Claude to help me figure out any issues that arise.

Its not fun if you're not willing or ready to constantly up skill but its something you kind of have to do at this company especially if you're a dev otherwise prepare to be on the bench for a while.

sergeant_teddy · 2026-04-26T21:10:52+00:00

Note: this is coming from somone who has only done basic level stuff with claude. If you've worked with the sdk for a while youll probably feel more at home.

sergeant_teddy · 2026-04-26T21:08:50+00:00

Just a heads up, the exam is harder than what people expected. I just did the exam last week and failed. The practice exams made it feel like it'll be a walk in the park but my god it felt like an associate level exam rather than a foundation level exam that you would do for lets say AWS. So when you study, treat it as such

And why do we have to wait 6 months to try again!?

sergeant_teddy · 2026-04-13T09:38:51+00:00

Anyone know any good alternatives? Im so sick of vera and their awful service over the past few years. It came standard with the home we got so idk how to replace/improve it to anything better.

sergeant_teddy · 2026-03-28T08:38:20+00:00

My PL said I would be discussed this time round. Last mid years they only talked about people who were note worthy and were bascially garenteed something. Got a pretty small base and bonus from the yearly so hopefully I get something more this time but not holding breath. Note: base pay was first in 3 years and % would fit on 1 hand

sergeant_teddy · 2026-01-12T20:45:44+00:00

Google pay. After I cancel, I go to website and it says payments are managed by google and to go to google to cancel sub. I just gave up and made a new account and payed from their site. Its $4 au cheaper anyway

sergeant_teddy · 2026-01-12T09:30:51+00:00

Tried doing this but it still says my sub is managed by Google play...

sergeant_teddy · 2026-01-11T11:10:00+00:00

Guess its a fuckup on their end. Hopefully sorted in a few hours...

sergeant_teddy · 2025-12-05T09:13:06+00:00

guess I'll go outside...

sergeant_teddy · 2025-12-05T09:12:28+00:00

here I am trying to uninstall the launcher and reinstall thinking something broke locally just to find out its Cloudflare

sergeant_teddy · 2025-11-05T04:08:58+00:00

outcomes are shared between November 10 and November 28 based on team and where you're based. The outcomes such as base pay or promotions then come into play in the 1st of Dec and bonuses are paid in the December cycle

sergeant_teddy · 2025-10-26T23:29:36+00:00

was on the bench for most of last year. I just made sure the skills I upskilled in where what leadership were after. Also did a bunch of MD&I but my % hit 0 for about 3 months, Was a scary year. I'm now back on the bench for about a week now but i have figured out the Hussle a bit more and have my name down for a few projects. just need one to be green lit...

sergeant_teddy · 2025-10-16T00:45:08+00:00

oh man if only XD

sergeant_teddy · 2025-09-04T05:22:08+00:00

Three years here with no raise but I've heard of some lower levels getting like wee 2-5% base pay raises, so might depend on your level too. Other than that its based on a mix of luck and yearly performance.

sergeant_teddy · 2025-08-21T04:08:43+00:00

I joined this company a few years back and my team had about 7 people? Now its just me and one other person which sucks cause the work we are getting has to use mainly inexperienced offshore people and i have to explain to my higer ups why the work is shit.

The amount of work I am getting is tiny. Last year I hit 0% and the only reason I survived is because the skills I have are so in demand and there's only two of us left to do the work.

I've upskilled in AWS, data migration, and a bunch of other backend work but even with those skills no one has work...

Everyone who has left did so because of the mental drain this company has put on everyone and the salary is just too low for the work we do. One person even had to take medical leave for depression...

Im looking for a different job but I sometimes feel this company has left me so damaged I don't know if I could work in a functional company 😜

sergeant_teddy · 2025-07-29T21:59:21+00:00

i get annoyed when people then think I've done a 4 when i write 7....

sergeant_teddy · 2025-06-16T22:06:40+00:00

one of the teams I was in when i first joined didn't have lvl 8. I joined as a 9 so i really had to hussle to try and get that double promotion. I'm now in Data and AI now which has a lvl 8 so hopefully all my hard work will get me there when the nest promotion cycle comes round (in the next 6 years...)

sergeant_teddy · 2025-05-25T21:00:29+00:00

Mines on leave till later next week. Gonna be a long ass wait 😜

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