Thread Drift

[Crankin]

I am sorry, NY. I hope you make it through this, without too much stress.

[Eden]

So on the one hand I'm glad I still have an income and health insurance, but uncertainty remains, as my programming skills are not up to date and there is no chance of getting good experience with more marketable skills as long as I work here. And I am sad.

Don't write yourself off too quickly - my husband (an EE and embedded systems programmer) says that there are many things, especially in the embedded world - the things you don't see that run factory lines, power generation, etc. that use old programming languages that are in need of upkeep and updating - but the newly minted programmers aren't learning those languages anymore.... he says the newer languages don't require them to learn the inner workings of how data is stored and how to make code efficient - present your mature knowledge as positive point rather than a liability!

[smilingcat]

Hi NY biker,

Don't let circumstance dictate your path in your life. If you don't think you have future with current employer, brush up your resume and start practicing for your interview. Think of the questions you may be asked at an interview. How do you want to answer them. Or do you politely decline them. Think of your strengths and weaknesses. Are you willing to relocate, hours you want to keep, salary question. Salary question is always tricky so skirt around it and don't commit to any number. And keep in mind of compensation in your financial math, things like 401k matching or not or pension.

When I was laid off (what an euphemism for YOU'RE FIRED), I was fully expecting it. I was willing to make bets with my co-workers. That was about 8 years ago.

BE PROACTIVE!!

[emily_in_nc]

NY, I can relate to what you are dealing with. I went through the same thing at my company (where I'd worked since '85) in the years from 2001-2010, as I watched many friends, colleagues, and even my husband be laid off as the market contracted and the company became mired in financial (and eventually even criminal) struggles. I managed to hang on until I was ready to resign (early retire, but not with any kind of package) in 2010.

Over the years, I had a lot of sadness and survivor's guilt after lasting so long, while so many others (some much more talented than I, but in a more vulnerable part of the company, or a product line that got canceled) were let go. It was hard. I was worried about being laid off many times as rumors swirled. I too worked on a mature product, and my software skills were old-school compared to all the computer sci grads in the '00s, and even the 1990s. Fortunately, our product was high quality, and we had a strong customer base who wanted to retain their investment, so those of us who knew the "old stuff" were spared for a much longer time than some of the newer folks with the more marketable, in-demand skills.

As it turned out, it was good that I left when I did, as 8 months afterwards, my manager and most of my co-workers were finally let go. I was very fortunate to be able to afford to retire and not have to go back to school or figure out how to freshen my skills otherwise to continue working in software development. I have missed my co-workers and the comraderie, but never the work nor the office politics, nor someone else controlling my destiny, in the ensuing 7 years.

I hope you will land on your feet no matter what happens. You do need to prepare for the worst and plan your exit plan whether you get laid off or leave voluntarily at some point. And if you are able to stay there and the situation rights itself, then at least you'll be able to sleep at night knowing you have your ducks in a row. Please keep us posted!

[Pax]

Can someone explain to me the endless need men on forums have of repeating the BS that men are so put upon? "well, you better start with flowers because no matter what, you're wrong", "you'll just have to apologize for being a male and tell her she's right", "we're the only group (white males) left in America that's okay to make fun of". All those tidbits in less than two days on a couple of forums I'm on. Add to that multiple comments on how PC is ruining the country.

All I wanted was to glean some information about RV's. I was a separatist in the late 70's and early 80's, I am very strongly leaning that way again.

[rebeccaC]

Perhaps low self-esteem, lack of emotional intelligence and a more narrow life focus. Personally I prefer helping women with low self-esteem caused by sexual abuse and victimization than dealing with the kind of men with low self-esteem on the net you’re writing about…I'm not on the net much but I do see some of it briefly on one site I post music and photography to. I just put the person on my ignore list so I don’t have to deal with their negativity or read their posts in the future.

Be the light Pax…..

[Crankin]

I don't include people like that in my circle. Thus, I go on no other forums, except this one! The web seems to give permission for people to say things they wouldn't say face to face.
That said, I also don't like being around women who constantly bash males and make generalizations that sound like, "Well, he's a man, what do you expect?" It was rampant in the teaching profession. They would frequently say things to allude to the fact that my opinion didn't count, because my husband is "nice." Oy.
Most of my practice and the group I run consists of people experiencing trauma from abuse. Mostly women, but a couple of men, too. I can feel deeply for them and work with them, but it does not color my view of society in general.
This only supports my strong belief that is up to mothers of sons to instill feminist values and equality in their children. It amazes me how even younger people fall into traditional roles.

[Pax]

Things have gotten so much worse in recent months, they now have "permission" to be endlessly nasty. So, I walked away, I'll still get information but won't participate. Unfortunately that's how forums die, people read and absorb what they need, but don't contribute, it soon becomes a small echo chamber.

I'll move my energies back to the places I value, feminist/lesbian/women's groups.

[emily_in_nc]

Pax, have you tried the women's RV forum? It's not as thorough or active as the big RV forums (irv2 is where I get most of my technical info) but is much friendlier! That said, I am not active on any RV forums, just go to them if I have a specific question or research item.

http://www.womenrv.com/forum/

[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.