Thread Drift

[Pax]

Emily, yes, I've been a member there for years, thanks! Some very knowledgeable women on that board.

[ny biker]

Many belated thanks for your support, ladies. My situation at work has gotten crazier than ever. It's a long story so I'll skip to the end. I work on a big, complex, old internet application. It does not use cutting-edge technology. The bulk of my experience is with a programming language that is pretty much dead. I have tried to transition to working on other parts of the application with more commonly-used programming languages but for the most part have been prevented from doing so, because for some years now I have been the only person on the project who knows the dead language. I spend nights and weekends trying to learn the other languages, but that type of work just doesn't get assigned to me. It's been extremely frustrating.

So now, in the short term, we have funding cuts, which have led to layoffs for some and furloughs for the rest of us. I have to take about two weeks of vacation/sick time before the fiscal year ends on Sept 30. But out of the blue, an opportunity has arisen. The client wants us to work on something new that will be funded in the next fiscal year, and I'm on the team who will work on it. It's not bleeding-edge technology, but it involves more up-to-date things than the old complex application. Most of it will be totally new to me, so there will be numerous learning curves with a fair amount of stress. I was actually quite nervous about it at first. But then I realized -- if I am able to pull it off, I will be in a much more stable position, at this job or in the search for a new one. And if I fail, I'll just be where I am now. So other than some stress and late nights in front of the pc, I don't have much to lose.

On the financial front, things are still not entirely stable here, and it's possible there will be more cuts in the coming months. But at least I have something concrete to work on in the meantime. I'm hopeful, and looking forward to the challenge.

[Crankin]

Good attitude, NY. It's an opportunity to learn.
And September is the best month of the year to be on vacation.

[emily_in_nc]

That's good news, NY. As you say, worst case scenario, you'll be no worse off than you are now. And usually worst-case scenarios don't come to pass! Chances are you'll gain some new knowledge and confidence and increase your marketability down the road. Good stuff!

[smilingcat]

I've been following Tesla, the EV vehicle company and its cars. Model 3 is touted as a car for the masses while both model S and X are classed as a luxury cars.

So I got an e-mail "RSVP and schedule a drive". Why not? A gal from Tesla calls and we chat. I say, "I'm not interested in Model S or X but definitely interested in Model 3. And I've already visited a Tesla store a while back". And on...

Today, we showed up. I reiterated, "not interested in Model S or X but only in 3..." No model 3 in sight. no ride in S or X even though I had asked for a driver to take us for a spin so I can get an idea of model 3's ride and interior noise. No ride... No new information on Model 3 except to tell me that options have been bundled so that if I want an upgraded battery to get 300+mile on a charge, it is now bundled with premium interior package with glass roof. cost balloons from $35,000 to $50,000. no brochure on Model 3.

So they wasted 2-1/2 hour of my time because they had no new information they could give me and they already knew that I was well informed on model 3. What was new was the bundling of options.

I'm thinking... $50,000 car is a car for the masses???

Am I missing something here? or has car prices jumped that much? I think when the 1/2 million people who have made reservation finds out that the car they want with the option they want is going to cost $$$, I think many will cancel. Too much hype on "cars for the masses" me think.

[Pax]

Our latest truck, a Nissan Frontier 4x4, isn't top of the line and is considered very old tech. And it still cost almost $30,000, which I think is insane, but that's is still a VERY far cry from 50k.

[rebeccaC]

The base 3 does 220 miles on a full charge, which works well for what our needs would be. With our states growing fast charging network it could even be useful for some longer trips. One of the advantages of giving an early deposit for the model 3 was getting a 7500 federal rebate (which goes away after Tesla (or any car manufacture) has sold 200,000 pure EV cars) and here there’s a state EV rebate of at least 2500 and up to 5000 depending on income. Being the first state to get model 3 production runs helps too.

A 5000 state rebate for fuel cell cars like the Honda Clarity, which gets 300+ mileage, is another choice we’ve been thinking about since there are an increasing number of fueling stations in California now including three 24/7 ones within just a short drive from us.
California is about to add 3 billion to its rebate program. An additional 500 million will be added for rebates for disadvantaged communities, school and transit buses.

The average transaction price for a new car this year is 30,000+ according to a quick net search.
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