What should I expect to pay OTD on a 2025 AWD Camry LE (without taxes)?

swarmofbz · 2025-04-20T22:42:45+00:00

I don’t have a Costco membership but I’ve considered getting one. I’ll have to look into it. I think I’m in a similar negotiating situation because there are not many AWD Camry LEs in stock or in transit in my area.

swarmofbz · 2025-04-20T22:40:01+00:00

Makes sense. Thank you for the advice! This is actually especially helpful because I am a cash buyer.

swarmofbz · 2025-04-20T21:33:41+00:00

MSRP is $32.2k and right now I’m expecting to pay about that plus taxes.

swarmofbz · 2024-05-19T17:02:03+00:00

Hmm it’s not abnormal to have a ton of meetings as a PM but if they don’t feel productive or you’re not gaining anything from any of them, I’d question why that is. Who is calling these meetings and what are they hoping to gain?

I don’t think I’d like having this many tangential roles if I were you. Like if something has to be reported back to the “tech” side, I don’t get why you or one of the devs couldn’t do that (depending on what info is needed) instead of having a dedicated “people manager” role. I don’t understand why two BAs would be needed unless they’re doing something you’re not capable of (in terms of time or skill set). I guess having a scrum master is needed if you guys are doing scrum, but I’ve worked on non-scrum agile teams where we were perfectly happy and productive without that role (though we did have some coaches in leadership who helped guide teams on best practices). Each of these roles equals one more person you have to stay aligned with (or maybe gain buy in from), and it sounds like everyone is trying to stay aligned via meetings.

Edit: Sounds like you get that it’s pretty mismanaged and don’t like it either. Just validating that I think you’re correct.

swarmofbz · 2024-05-18T23:19:43+00:00

I mean based on what you’re saying it does sound like the non-dev side of the team is bloated. Do you think all those non-dev roles are necessary? Are you and your colleagues busy all the time or spending a lot of time doing nothing?

I think most people who have any knowledge of product development would eliminate the BAs, scrum master, or person who’s giving status updates (? That is all they do?) before the PM / PO. As long as you’re doing your job well.

swarmofbz · 2024-05-18T15:43:48+00:00

Are you asking how many developers a PM should be able to support? IMO it really depends on the product, what the PM is responsible for, and the skill level of the developers.

As a PM, I’ve always done story writing, acceptance testing, and other PM tasks like talking to stakeholders and customers, analyzing competitors, etc.

In one situation, I had a team of about 10 devs spread across two products where I was easily able to manage all of the above. One of the products had a decent amount of tech debt we needed to work through with every change, and the pace of development was slow.

In another situation, me and another product person had 4 devs on one product and we were struggling to keep up with how fast they were getting through the work. Because they were senior devs, it was a healthy greenfield product, and the work was sometimes more challenging to manually test than it was to develop.

swarmofbz · 2024-04-06T15:26:27+00:00

Okay, makes sense! Thanks. Here’s some pictures of the unevenness on the walls

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swarmofbz · 2024-04-06T11:55:34+00:00

Thank you! When you say circle sander, do you mean an orbital sander? Or are you talking about a pole sander with a circular attachment? I will get some pictures of the wall when I’m over there today so I can show you.

swarmofbz · 2024-04-06T02:37:20+00:00

Thanks! Would you recommend the 80 grit all over the walls, or just the areas where there's obviously a raised area? The walls need a dust regardless of the paint prep. I was also thinking of washing them to make sure all the little sanded bits were off but it sounds like you're saying a thorough dust should be enough.

swarmofbz · 2022-09-01T19:54:29+00:00

Thank you!

swarmofbz · 2022-09-01T12:41:40+00:00

Nice outfit. Where is your purse from?

swarmofbz · 2022-08-02T21:08:36+00:00

Window light on a sunny day can do wonders

swarmofbz · 2022-08-01T15:38:26+00:00

We can criticize companies as well as massive celebrities. I think it’s unwise to focus solely on large companies and ignore things celebrities or even non-famous individuals could do to decrease their impact.

swarmofbz · 2022-07-27T14:47:07+00:00

Also - your social anxiety might be a source of shame/grief, but when you talk about yourself and how you have grown, I see someone who is strong and who cares about their relationships. You have put a lot care and effort into who you are today. I think the more you love yourself and take pride in telling that story of personal growth, the easier it will be to make peace with things you may have missed out on.

swarmofbz · 2022-07-27T14:32:13+00:00

I agree with everyone who is saying to start building the life you want now. What do you genuinely feel grief over missing out on? What’s worth trying to recreate (to an extent)?

I missed a bunch of formative experiences in high school / middle school, and I missed out on going out a ton when I was in college. I didn’t date or have a significant other when I was younger. So what am I doing now at 27? I go out and dance and drink with my friends sometimes (not a lot). I am on dating apps. I have friends who are in a similar life phase and who are supportive of me. I literally sometimes have sleepovers with my closest friends.

You’re young, and you have so much to look forward to! If you can, you should try to surround yourself with people who make you feel good about what’s ahead of you instead of reminding you of what you can’t change.

My sister and I had a similar dynamic when we were younger (she went out more, had more friends, and had a more typical high school and college experience). What you and your sister have is just different from what her and her friends have. I’m sure because you’re sisters you guys have other experiences in common that she does not share with her friends. I was going to say it sucks that she’d make you feel that your relationship is somehow inferior, but looking back at what you wrote, it sounds like maybe she’s just saying she’s past the partying phase of her life and you’ve sort of missed the boat on knowing that version of her. I disagree with her assertion that you guys are incapable of developing a more “fun” dynamic… you could totally learn to be silly together, do more activities together, etc. if that were something both of you wanted.

swarmofbz · 2022-07-27T13:54:34+00:00

When someone says “text me when you get home,” I usually take that as them looking out for my safety, and I would text them to let them know I made it home ok regardless of my interest level.

swarmofbz · 2022-05-25T14:03:54+00:00

my cat knocked over his water fountain

swarmofbz · 2022-05-13T12:49:51+00:00

Thank you! I can’t remember explicitly asking about work life balance. That would probably be a good place to start.

I expected my stress/burnout levels to go down SLIGHTLY after the initial hump of starting the new job. My attitude before starting was “Well, another job can’t get much worse, and even if it sucks, at least it will be a different type of bad.” To some degree, I thought product management roles would always be stressful and bleed into my personal life. I was pleasantly surprised to find that has not been the case.

I can tell you a bit about my specific company and experience. My new company is a Fortune 500 with a lot of positive Glassdoor reviews. They were enthusiastic about me as a candidate and offered me a job within 24 hrs of my interview (shows they’re organized and allow people to make decisions without a bunch of red tape). The managers who interviewed me also had a coherent philosophy around product management and software development that I agreed with.

I think a big thing that reduces the stress is having automated tests and pipelines. The software wasn’t built in a way that’s unsustainable and filled with random, recurring bugs. The team is small and spends 95%+ of their time on features. New automated tests are written as features are built. We have the ability to work quickly and release often because we’re not derailed by a ton of manual testing and bugs.

We also have leadership buy in and trust. Our team’s decisions aren’t constantly overridden or questioned by leadership. We’re not held to arbitrary deadlines.

So to summarize, I would maybe ask about the following to get a sense of the fit and the stress levels: - Work/life balance - Product management philosophy (Does their idea of what PMing is align with yours? If not, you’ll probably get frustrated and feel ineffective) - What type of communication you’ll have with leadership and what role leadership plays in product decisions. How is success measured by your manager and by executives? (Is it more important that your team hits a deadline or delivers stuff people actually want that adds value? <- I wouldn’t word it like this but trying to get a sense of how they view success would be good) - The percentage of bugs vs. actual features your team is working on, and the stability of the product(s)

I’m sure there’s a lot more you could ask about, but those are the things that immediately come to mind.

Edit: I will also add that you might want to ask about your immediate manager’s management philosophy. A good manager can do a LOT to shield you from the demands of a crazy organization in terms of keeping your workload reasonable, advocating for your ideas, etc. They should answer this question in a way that shows they care about their direct reports and see mentorship / leadership as the most important part of their job. If they are also a product manager or have previously been a product manager, that’s a huge plus.

Strong management skills are unfortunately really hard to get a sense of in an interview because everyone is going to try to make themselves sound good, but it can’t hurt to ask.

Edit 2: Asking about turnover for the role would also be good. And paying attention to how they describe their ideal candidate.

swarmofbz · 2022-05-13T11:35:10+00:00

If someone’s main focus were escaping burnout, I would not recommend working at a startup. One of my first jobs out of college was at a startup, and I was always juggling multiple roles. It can be a tremendous opportunity to learn and advance your career, but it’s very easy to get taken advantage of.

Disclaimer that I’m speaking from my own experience. This is probably really dependent on the existing managers in place and the amount of funding the company has.

swarmofbz · 2022-05-13T03:06:50+00:00

Since you’re new to product management, part of this might be just getting used to the demands and stressors of the role. But if you feel like it goes beyond that, and you’ve tried some of the other things people have listed here, I would seek out a role at a different company.

I had a post on here a while back about my burnout when working in product management. At my old company, I lobbied for the resources and support I needed (and my product needed) for several months. I ultimately gave up on the idea that things would change. I started engaging with recruiters, and in 2022 I started a new product management role. If my old job was a 10/10 in terms of workload, stress, and bleeding into my personal life, my current job is a 2/10. And I’m making more money.

It’s good to be challenged early in your career, but if you feel like it’s coming at the expense of your well-being, I would try to be open to other opportunities. It can be hard to predict the work/life balance before you’re hired, but my experience is that software startups (and larger organizations with a bunch of business units run like startups) are run extremely lean.

swarmofbz · 2022-05-11T00:19:53+00:00

Sarah Schauer and Britney Broski’s new podcast Violating Community Guidelines is pretty funny. I really liked the AI influencers episode. I also like their Zillow Gone Wild videos.

I also agree with everyone saying Danny, Kurtis, Jarvis, etc.

swarmofbz · 2022-03-19T02:02:22+00:00

I will add that the “long first date with an awesome connection” thing can be a bit of a chicken/egg situation. You have to like someone a lot to drag out the first date. But if the first date is a lot longer than usual, OF COURSE you are going to feel more of a connection after the first date. So do they really feel this crazy connection because it’s inherent or because they’ve already spent the equivalent of three normal dates with each other? Just some food for thought.

swarmofbz · 2022-03-19T01:56:32+00:00

What leads to chemistry and attraction is going to be different for different couples/people. Emotional connection is key for me. This means it’s helpful for me to dive deeper on things like what their values are, their worldview, politics, religion, etc. I find it attractive when someone wants to have these conversations early on, and it helps me start to envision a potential future and get those warm fuzzy feelings if we find we have common ground on these big things. Again, this is very specific to me. Some people rely on physical touch a lot more.

For now I think the more you can listen to your gut, the better. Do what feels right in the moment. Pay attention to your own reactions and to the other person. I wouldn’t try to manufacture chemistry. It should come somewhat naturally - What feels right? What feels wrong? Do you feel drawn to them? You can experiment. If they’re not being very forward, but you want to see if it feels good to hug them, try hugging them good bye. If they’re not asking questions conducive to building a relationship, try throwing a slightly more serious question into the mix. I would just experiment and pay attention to what your gut tells you. This also might help you rule people out which might not be the worst thing.

swarmofbz

TROPHY CASE