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owenfromcanada

Got questions for "dad"? Ask them here! (self.askdad)

submitted 2 years ago by owenfromcanada to c/askdad

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[–] MigratingtoLemmy 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hi dad,

I'm doing well. I have a job which I like, and whilst it is not 100% what I want to be doing (it's about 70%), I think it is something that will likely help me towards my career going forward. It's just that with inflation, prices are rising up fast. Especially rent. I do not live in a good place, and was looking to move out, but my goodness the rent they ask for! Groceries are funnily enough, quite manageable (I was trying a simple sautee of mushrooms and it tasted OK, I think I will phase out purchasing prawns since they are so expensive here).

I feel a bit awkward when people ask me about what I did/do when I'm free: I know it's just office chatter, but I am the kind of person who studied federation amongst communities and other self-hosting/networking topics across the weekend. What do I tell these people who probably went out with their partner/children and "had fun" (such a foreign concept in such a context for me, but you likely understand what I'm trying to say). I am grateful I have a decent job in this economy, it's better than nothing however I do wish they paid a bit more. Let's see how I perform so I can maybe ask my boss for a raise. Who knows?

How is your day/evening going? Do you have a family? Since you're on Lemmy, I suppose you're somewhat tech savvy too. How was the long weekend (if you're in the US)?

Cheers

[–] owenfromcanada 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hey kid, glad to hear you're doing well. What field are you working in? Sometimes the job market favors the employees, sometimes the employers--if there is a high demand for what you do, you could consider looking around for something a bit closer to what you'd like. Have you asked internally whether you could work toward another position in your company that would be closer to what you'd like to do? Otherwise, it's probably a matter of putting in the time to work toward where you want to be. Keep at it, you'll get there.

Yeah, the rent situation sucks right now. Unfortunately you might have to have roommates until the housing market becomes more reasonable. If your current place is bad for your health, ask around at work to see if anyone is looking for a roommate. Otherwise, if your current place allows you to put a bit of money away, wait for the next housing crash and see if you can get a good deal.

I'm definitely in the same boat when it comes to conversations at work. I've been enjoying learning about Lemmy and taking in a somewhat remarkable downfall of a social media giant. There are ways you can summarize it without weirding people out: "yeah, I was reading up this weekend on some cool community-driven ideas for social networks that might eventually challenge bigwigs like Facebook and Instagram. It's kind of technical, but I'm into that. How was your weekend?" Then, if they're interested, they can ask and you can get into the nitty-gritty of things. Trying to find ways to explain things in short and concise ways is a great skill you can develop (in high school, my friends had a game called "ten words or less" where I had to explain things concisely--it was... difficult, but helped).

I do have a family! We visited with my wife's extended family and celebrated some birthdays. It was fun, but glad to be home.

[–] MigratingtoLemmy 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Thanks for your reply!

I work in IT (yes, I know, this is usually a well-paid field of work) - unfortunately, I'm just starting out, and have very little experience to back me up. I'm going to have to take the hit for a year or two to move up. I just started in my position so it will take a while before such requests are taken seriously. I'll do what I can :)

I do live with flatmates, and have been looking for flats in the area. I plan to stick with them for about a year or so before I can afford to move out on my own (can't wait for the freedom). I am trying to be as frugal as I can and am saving up a bit (my life is still coupon-hunting haha).

Thanks for the tips, I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow. I'm bound to be asked something like this, and this is a great idea. I should practise this more.

Great to know. Have a fantastic week!

[–] owenfromcanada 1 points 2 years ago

Sounds like you're going in a great direction--keep it up! It might seem like forever, but it'll go by quick. Note that if you were in school prior to starting this job, you might find that time feels different when you're working the same job all the time (as opposed to changing classes every semester). The good news is that once the novelty of a new job wears off, time goes way faster than you're used to, so it won't be long before you're out on your own.

Great work kid!