user-extended

Yeah, those are reserved for the managers and important people whose business is not to be disturbed at my company.

Honestly, that's a really good question. I didn't mask up for the last 5 months. However, after seeing COVID incident rates and such for my region, I decided to it again.

So I guess low COVID transmission rates, i.e. the R0 number.

I'm not American, thus, using vacation time as sick leave is illegal. However, what really aggravates the crust of all of this for me is the fact that my manager would be 100% ok if she asked him if she could WFH while she's sick -he's allowed other people to do this before, but nobody is gonna force her to.

It's not only about health, it's also about being forced to listen to someone cough at least 400 times a day. I'm not as productive as I would be otherwise, simply put.

What's beyond me is that it's ANNOYING. I'm at least 20% more unproductive thanks to the never ceasing (listening to it right now) cough. I do not understand why managers cannot wise up to this.

Thank you, I will look into this. I can't make any promises, but I'll take a look.

Thanks for the kind words.

Yes, however, I do not see that salary increasing any time soon. If I were to rent, that salary would get stretched a lot more than it is right now, as even that 90% of money I can save currently with my lifestyle (and it's closer to 70-80%, realistically speaking) is kind of peanuts.

Indeed, I have options, but the other option is going from saving a small amount to almost nothing. And the more I think about it, the more I realize I may be just... making a big mistake, and that I should "Carpe Diem".

Let me remind you at my current rate I'd need to work for 20 years to afford a house in my country (with 0 other expenses, so 30, really speaking).

Sent you an email

Thank you for your reply!

>Would it be possible for your employer (or friend in IT even) to loan you a little money to get a place closer to work?

Though I am stretched in money, I can afford to pay for the average rent price where I live. That's luckily not the issue for me, my biggest issue is that I'd lose a significant part of my income.

>Would it be possible for your parents or someone else from your family to move with you (so everyone is sharing the cost)?

Sadly, no. My parents are renting too.

Thank you for your reply... I'm glad you made it out of it!

Yep, rather different where I live. Possible for sure, but landlords charge out of wazoo for short term stays. If I were to rent again, I'd mostly be looking at 6 month contracts. Thank you!

It definitely seems this is simply, not sustainable long-term, and I fooled myself into thinking it was. I guess it is what it is, I tried saving up money, I really tried!

Anyhow, I probably should've specified that I dropped out of CS during my freshman year of college some years ago. I'm not like most people in HN who dropped out of CS to work/start a company. I'm a "true" dropout, if you will... Thanks for your offer for help, but I have no skills nor experience to show for it, and I have a 2 year technical degree and work in a whole other industry (Logistics). I don't know if to try to picking it up again after failing so bad it.

As you can imagine, my life choices have been so far very bad, and I've been dealing with a lot of regret. To each their own, I guess.

I dropped out during my freshmen year of CS, so... That's a 4 year project at best... I said that out of desperation, honestly. It also spirited into a lot of other... Issues, mostly related with confidence.

Glad you were able to make it out of it all!

I am indeed lucky to have only 3 days instead of the regular 5 of commuting.

I don't know if I can get into tech, I don't know how to code, and... I don't think I could learn in a normal time frame. I said that mostly put of desperation at this point, as I am very jealous of my friend's life choices.

Quiet carriages are sadly not a thing where I live.

Yeah... I am not sure if the investment is worth it into the headphones. I'll think it through.

Honestly, that's a really question. I'd probably watch YouTube, think about the state of my life and do some other similar... Stuff. So I guess really not much different, but my mind cannot relax in a train. Plus I have to drive at the end of my commute through very rural roads, and it's absolutely the worst part of it all.

I used to rent, and I could take up renting again, but right now I'm saving up 90% of my income. Renting would make me drop that percent to the low 30%. And I don't work in IT + lower incom country salary wise, so I don't expect my salary to substantially go up any time soon. Why do I want to save money? To buy a house. Eventually. In 20 years. Done the math :(

I'm trying to save money with this commute, so getting a motorcycle license + buying up a motorcycle... I'd just rent something. But that's some creative thinking for sure!

How do you fall asleep in a train? Did you train for it? I've tried, but I've mostly always instantly woken up after someone inevitably enters the train and screams while talking.

The getting out/in of work earlier... I've asked for it, my boss told me that getting 2 days WFH is already a stretch when my coworkers get just 1. And I'm not giving out free labor, that's for sure.

Not in my country, you, as a tenant, can be kicked out of their property without notice at any moment. As you can guess, getting back your deposit in this kind of situation is always tricky at best.

They do that where I live so that the Government doesn't make them pay taxes for putting up a place for rent.

But you see, you still got that college degree that led you into bigger things in life, you overcame. At 18, I genuinely thought I shall overcome too, but it did not happen, and now I am at where I am at.

I am glad you did though, and I wish you the best.

Thanks for sharing your life story, and I wish you the best in your future endeavors.

You've clearly lived a very eventful life, that's for sure. Props to you for never holding back and taking your chances, I really admire that in people.

I wish you good luck in trying to make it in IT in the Bay Area.

Thank you for all the encouragement and your life story is very interesting. I will look into that udemy course, I don't know what I life out of life, honestly, other than a house and a source of income. I already have a LinkedIn account.

Man, living in a tent sounds like hell though!

I'm very glad you've been able to overcome your illness and that you're on a better path now, I know it is not easy.

For me, it took me 5 months of constant pain, lots of tests, and stuff I don't want to get into. But long story short, it doesn't affect my mental capabilities (asked medical professionals about this several times). Obviously, it has had side effects on anxiety and other stuff which may collaterally have effects on my general intelligence.

I wish no ill on others, so I don't hope they crash and burn.

I will try getting onto that aforementioned path, thank you.

I also wish you the best.

Sounds really cool, props for making it :)

And reddit, ngl. I don't know anyone from those platforms, though, so I don't know if forums = social media.

Thank you.

I am indeed blessed with loving parents, for whom I am thankful for every day.

I don't know what my passion is, indeed. I don't know how to even start looking for it either.

Thanks again for the words of encouragement.

I'll look into those writings, thank you.

What is an academic PI?

Yeah, psychologists are hit and miss honestly. I hope you're better off now after therapy.

Best wishes to you too.

Thank you again for your kind words.

I am not using any social media like Facebook, never have, except for LinkedIn, which is where I found out about a lot of my previous classmates' achievements.

My relationship with programming is always giving up half way, because I've always hit a roadblock or something that takes me so much time to figure out, I just say "just do it manually". I love tinkering with Excel Formulas, and it's one of the reasons actually my current boss likes me, as I'm able to do some minor technical stuff. I don't know, it doesn't come down naturally to me. Maybe I should try taking up on it again, I don't know, but I've "failed" so many times at it already.

Irt other jobs... I've always been in front of a screen, and believe it or not, access to well paid respected professions in my country that are not "hands on" is very, very difficult, for example, a teacher requires a College degree + masters + to take a comparison test with other teachers that is pure rot memorization. Then there are other examples such as stevedores or policemen where you basically need to dedicate your whole life to it ever since you're a certain age til you get in.

I wish no ill will on others, so I hope my peers and old pals overachieve me in life a lot, and I don't wish a future middle life crisis on them.

Thank you for your kind words.

I've always found it very hard to believe in stoicism, I've always seen it as the philosophy of having a plan until you get punched in the face.

Thank you for your reply, I need to go to sleem so I'll look into it tomorrow further.

But long story short irt to the WFH stuff, I already WFH 2 days a week, and I cannot get more. Commuting this long way 3 days a week allows me to live with my parents, which is right now important to me.