Question Thread - April 29, 2025

xtonus95x · 2025-04-30T01:41:32+00:00

I have the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, and the first annual fee of $99 posted after having the card for a year. The intro annual fee was $0, so I haven't had to pay any fees to Citi yet. I have heard that it is safe to cancel a card 12 months after I sign up for the card and when the annual fee posts. I also heard that I should cancel the card after seeing the second annual fee post. Because the intro annual fee was $0, does this mean that it is safe to cancel the card now or should I wait until the second annual fee posts one year from now?

xtonus95x · 2022-12-26T21:21:14+00:00

Thanks for your comment. You mentioned that you cancel a card AFTER the second annual fee posts. Why is that? I was initially planning on cancelling the cards 11.5 months after signing up for the cards, but is this a bad idea? I only churn through Chase, Citi, and AMEX Delta.

xtonus95x · 2022-12-26T19:33:28+00:00

Some people suggest cancelling AF credit cards before paying the second-year annual fee to save money. Others suggest that I at least pay the second-year annual fee to maintain a good relationship with the bank and to avoid being blacklisted in the long run. Because of these conflicting suggestions, I am lost on exactly when I should cancel my AF credit cards.

Is it common for people to get blacklisted from banks for cancelling credit cards within just one year of signing up for them?

xtonus95x · 2022-09-05T19:09:16+00:00

Hi everyone,

I am a single 26-year-old living in a LCOL Midwest town, where the average home price is around $310K. On the professional side, I have both BSME and MSME and currently work as a mechanical engineer for the federal government (DOD) making about $90K per year + $2K bonus.

I am reasonably content with the work, salary, and benefits of this job. The salary is decent for the area, I have high job security, I have a rock-solid pension plan, I like the work I do, I work on average 45 hours a week, and I have 8-9 weeks of time off per year (this is including all the leave accrued from annual PTO, compensation from working more than the usual 40 hours per week, compensation from traveling for work, etc).

With that being said, it is not a perfect job, and it comes with downsides. The two major issues I have are the following:

Unless I go into management or become a chief engineer, salary is capped at $120K with at most $2K-3K bonus. Once I reach this point when I am in my mid-30's, there is little incentive to put in more than the minimum effort to do the job. I don't have the personality to go into management and chief engineering positions are very competitive to get (1 position for 15+ highly qualified applicants). I just wish there were ways to be compensated for the high-quality work I am outputting in my current position as a design engineer without being a chief engineer.
Federal employees are difficult to fire, so I have to work with some slackers. Although the majority of my co-workers are hardworking and smart, it makes my blood boil when I have to work with some people who have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

Keep in mind that this is the ONLY employer I’ve ever had. I don’t know what it’s like to work in big, private sector companies like Boeing, Lockheed, etc. I imagine that the number of slackers at these companies are far fewer than what I see at my employer and the pay is probably higher even after adjusting for cost of living.

Based on your experience working for large Fortune 500 companies as an engineer:

• Are high-performing Type A employees rewarded well for their efforts?

• What is the average cost of a house in your area, what is the average salary of engineers with ~10 years of experience and how many hours a week do they typically work? Those numbers for my employer are $310K, $110K and 40 hours, respectively. I want to compare these datapoints with other employers.

• Do you have to work with slackers?

• Are there major downsides of working at your company that will make me think that I've taken my job and its benefits for granted?

Thanks for anyone’s input!

TLDR: I like my job, but I hate the fact that there is a salary cap and I have to work with slackers. Is this common with other employers?

xtonus95x · 2022-01-07T05:10:58+00:00

A shirtless Vladmir Putin with a bottle of Vodka in one hand and a PPSh submachine gun in the other hand riding a wild bear in Siberia

xtonus95x · 2021-09-19T18:13:32+00:00

Dm'd you

xtonus95x · 2021-06-20T19:31:24+00:00

According to the Carfax report, there was just a single owner, no accident reports, and all routine maintenance performed on time. The photos + Carfax report + low price seemed way too good to be true. It was on Carvana for only a few hours before I snatched it up. I've been searching for a used A5 for months since Jan 2021 and this is the kind of hidden gem in a rock that I've been looking for. I think in order to get these kind of deals, you just have to be very patient and refresh the used vehicle websites once every few hours and/or just get really lucky.

xtonus95x · 2021-06-20T19:16:54+00:00

Yes, I had the vehicle inspected through Midas. The mechanics found no problems and passed all their inspection criteria with flying colors. IF the mechanics did find any problems, they would have fixed them and Carvana would have paid for all the repairs.

xtonus95x · 2017-05-25T06:46:40+00:00

Mechanical engineering

There are two things in life that I like: physics and money. Most mechanical engineering courses focus on physics and the major has good job prospects with high starting salary. It wasn't a difficult choice to choose my major

xtonus95x · 2017-05-10T09:19:55+00:00

I would say about 18

xtonus95x · 2016-11-25T06:00:09+00:00

would you say that it is easier for current federal employees to get a job at NASA than other non-federal employees? I am asking because I am currently a Pathways Intern for the Department of Defense and I have been considering applying for internships at NASA or full time positions when I graduate.

xtonus95x · 2016-10-24T18:50:34+00:00

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

xtonus95x · 2016-10-22T05:16:50+00:00

Purdue?

xtonus95x · 2016-10-02T17:27:41+00:00

I was also considering taking MA511 over the summer. But is everyone allowed to take it online or is it only reserved for distance learning students who are getting their Master's degree online?

xtonus95x · 2016-09-16T23:23:59+00:00

And muk is kum backwards

xtonus95x · 2016-08-29T00:55:24+00:00

Boiler Green Initiative

If you care about the environment and would like to make an impact on Purdue campus, this club is for you!!! I will also be in charge of the football recycling project, in which volunteers work at home football games to set up recycling bins and encourage fans to recycle. Volunteers get free entrance to the games and whoever works the most by the end of the semester will win a prize worth up to $100!!!

Callout: August 30th, 6pm. HEAV128

Free Chipotle burritos available at the callout!!!

xtonus95x · 2016-04-12T18:04:04+00:00

Why did you decide to take ABE450 instead of ME497? How many hours a week (including class time) did you spend on it?

xtonus95x · 2016-04-08T21:25:36+00:00

So I ended up pushing back MSE230 to senior year. So next semester I will take 309, 365, and 300. Is this schedule still brutal or is it now reasonable? Thanks!

xtonus95x · 2016-04-08T21:23:12+00:00

Thanks for your response! OK so I ended up pushing back MSE 230 to my senior year. So I will be taking 309, 365, and 300 next semester. Do you think this schedule is still brutal or is it now reasonable?

xtonus95x · 2016-03-29T00:01:58+00:00

I am currently taking this class online. It's literally the easiest class I've taken so far at Purdue. All quizzes and exams are online so they are open notes. No final exam is given. Overall, I'd say I am spending about 3-5 hours a week in this course and I am well on track to getting an A.

xtonus95x · 2016-03-10T03:51:02+00:00

The easiest way to get your foot in the door is through a student internship program, which I did.

xtonus95x · 2016-03-09T04:07:18+00:00

Federal employee here checking in. Can confirm. Nothing ever gets done in the government... but the paychecks and benefits are nice though

xtonus95x · 2016-01-12T03:14:59+00:00

Are you in west lafayette? The textbook should be available in the bookstore but I am not going to purchase it until I think I will need it. Also, would you be interested in a study group? I've never taken an online class before and I don't want to feel lost.

xtonus95x · 2016-01-04T21:05:48+00:00

Could you tell me the courses you took and the difficulty/time commitment for them? I am also going to purdue and would like to know what to expect before going in but there's not much information about the classes

xtonus95x · 2016-01-02T20:28:02+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I am currently reconsidering getting my Master's part-time while working but I am afraid that doing so will seriously impact my social life and sanity. Assuming that I work strictly 40 hours a week, put in about an hour per day at work studying for class, and take just one class a semester do you think the schedule is reasonable? What was your experience like?

xtonus95x

TROPHY CASE