Replies: 37
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All-In [40410]
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Tell me about the time you made a career change
Oct 4, 2022, 8:44 AM
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new company, new field, whatever
feeling in a rut at work and curious to hear the tales of fellow joungers
FBCoachSC®, can't decide if you should sit this one out or add in some comic relief
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All-In [47179]
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I look for a change in career every day.***
Oct 4, 2022, 8:47 AM
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Oculus Spirit [76325]
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With my job change last year I landed a
Oct 4, 2022, 8:47 AM
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much better paying job, with less stress, and got promoted once already. The promotion was mainly due to my original boss leaving and the guy that should have been my boss from the start wanting a different job title for me.
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Oculus Spirit [79195]
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not really sure
Oct 4, 2022, 8:47 AM
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same job for 30 years
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Oculus Spirit [98479]
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Get a job that changes every day. Never get in a rut.***
Oct 4, 2022, 8:49 AM
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All-In [47179]
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That sounds terrible***
Oct 4, 2022, 8:49 AM
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Oculus Spirit [98479]
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Works for me. I'd be bored out of my mind doing the same
Oct 4, 2022, 8:52 AM
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Thing every day. Helps when your job is kinda like Jerry Springer. Never gets old as long as people are people. Always a new twist.
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All-In [40410]
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Heisman Winner [107063]
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I have made 3 career moves and the ALL worked out for the
Oct 4, 2022, 8:52 AM
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better.
I know I am due for a shitttty move one day, but it has worked really well for me. I am SUPER hesitant to make moves as well, especially now that I have worked my way up, i am afraid people will find out how incompetent I actually am.
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All-In [47179]
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In my line of work, you're only promoted if you're
Oct 4, 2022, 8:55 AM
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incompetent.
I went the opposite way. Worked my way up to what I thought was my dream job. Realized quickly I hated it. Have spent the following 4 years trying to work my way back down the ladder now hoping I can get off this ladder completely and jump on another one.
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Heisman Winner [136637]
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Joined: 12/6/98
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If you don't want to climb back down the ladder, you can
Oct 4, 2022, 8:58 AM
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always come to Rock Hill and clean my gutters.
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All-In [28730]
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Got laid off from a soul-crushing wretch of a company.
Oct 4, 2022, 9:07 AM
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Decided it was time for a change. Still stayed within the same field, but switched industries within it. Took about a 50% pay-cut to do it. Couple of years later I was making more money, and loving it. Much easier to do that when you don't have spouse/kids/property...but highly recommend it if you can make something work. Life is too short to spend so much of it doing what you hate. I'd rather bus tables than gut it out behind a desk as my soul dies.
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All-In [47179]
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I'm kind of the opposite. Give me an easy job
Oct 4, 2022, 9:14 AM
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that is kind of the same stuff day in and day out. I'll take out my creative juices once I clock out.
I'm not looking for the dynamic fast paced work environment. Give me boring and I'll make my time off the clock not boring.
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All-In [28730]
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There's a difference between soul-crushing and boring.
Oct 4, 2022, 11:01 AM
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I can handle boring. And, I can even handle a job that I'm not passionate about that pays the bills and lets me live how I want off the clock.
Soul-crushing is where you dread every day.
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All-In [47179]
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That's where I am on one part of my job
Oct 4, 2022, 11:02 AM
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the other part is the best job I've ever had.
Best of times, worse of times deal.
But the soul crushing part is only for 3 months a year.
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All-In [44508]
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Jalepeno farm > Coyote > landscaping > taco truck empire
Oct 4, 2022, 9:17 AM
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Can't divulge much for details though.
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All-In [40410]
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Re: Jalepeno farm > Coyote > landscaping > taco truck empire
Oct 4, 2022, 9:19 AM
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ditch weed>coca>meth>peyote
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All-In [48013]
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about 11 years ago, I moved from COLA to CLT
Oct 4, 2022, 9:23 AM
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expanded my practice from patent and trademark prosecution to include patent and trademark litigation and its been a wild ride. besting Walmart for a $100mil judgment was a hell of a lot of fun
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All-In [28730]
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Contingency?***
Oct 4, 2022, 11:03 AM
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All-In [32414]
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Re: Tell me about the time you made a career change
Oct 4, 2022, 9:28 AM
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Coming out of residency I thought I had a job lined up at my hometown hospital. Met with the group a bunch, they were the ones that reached out to me, looking at houses and all that. Thanksgiving of fellowship year all of a sudden they don’t have a space for me. I scramble, look around other spots in the state, land my current job after a pretty short search. Small hospital, growth potential, I can do bariatrics/foregut from day 1 but I’m having to do general surgery call as well which means doing stuff outside of just my subspecialty. It’s a good job, pay is good, people are all nice, but it’s not perfect.
Well the day I signed the contract to come here, hospital 1 calls back and says hey we made a mistake, we want you, come back let’s figure something out. They wanted me to come do just ER/acute care surgery for a few years until they had enough business for me to do bariatrics. I say no. They screwed me once, and the offer they made me was insulting so I say no thanks.
Well, May of this year I’m 8 months in to practice, busy, doing well, hospital 1 calls me again. They say look, we got it worked out, we screwed up, we really want you please come here before we hire someone else, this job should be yours. They offer me more money to come do just my subspecialty, just what I like and I’m good at, at a much bigger and far more prestigious hospital, and no general surgery call at all, period. That eliminates 90% of what makes my job suck. Means having to uproot, leave the house we built, and start over again, but the opportunity for a better job closer to family, the farm, Clemson, etc is one that I just can’t pass up. It’s a no brainer, all my mentors said I have to do it.
I’ll be starting there next summer. Still haven’t told the people here about it, they’re going to crap a brick. Have to give 6 mos notice to get out of my contract.
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CU Medallion [56492]
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Two great leaps for APM:
Oct 4, 2022, 9:32 AM
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1) in my early 30s when I decided to go back to grad school
2) in my mid-40s when I made the leap and opened my private practice - with encouragement from NoIntroduction® - 'preciate ya dawg!
Anyhow, both were the best decisions I'd ever made and only wish I'd done both sooner.
Life is too short to not enjoy what you're doing and to challenge yourself to do more.
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All-In [49321]
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Joined: 12/31/97
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Was working at a national med mal plaintiff's firm...
Oct 4, 2022, 9:38 AM
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traveling all over the country for depos, hearings, etc. Had a case in Arizona and had a one hour hearing on a Tuesday. Had to fly out on Monday, spend the night, and then red-eye home overnight on Tuesday. This was in addition to weeks away from home trying cases. Took a huge paycut to do civil rights law but only in SC.
Then after about 10 years I got burned out not so much on the work, but on who I was working for. The job that I took to be closer to home was becoming as demanding as a job where you make a lot of money so I decided to jump again and landed where I am now.
All SC cases, generally stuff that will try in a couple of days if it tries at all. Making three or four or sometimes 8 times the money. Working about the same number of hours.
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CU Medallion [56492]
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Joined: 11/30/98
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All-In [44853]
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I used to be a high school chemistry teacher, but
Oct 4, 2022, 9:44 AM
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after a health scare I decided to go out on my own and put my chemistry skills to use in an in-demand field. The money was great but it didn't last long in a volatile industry, and it put quite a strain on my family life.
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Heisman Winner [136637]
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Joined: 12/6/98
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The boys in Gastonia said to tell you they miss you!!!***
Oct 4, 2022, 9:49 AM
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All-In [42980]
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Joined: 11/30/98
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I did it at the age of 27
Oct 4, 2022, 9:45 AM
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I won't go into a lot of details about all of it, but it was scary. Overwhelming. Somewhat embarrassing. A bit disheartening at first. Unsure if I was cut out for it or if I was making the right choice. Questioned my life decisions before that. I knew I had to get out of what I was doing, but I still felt lost at sea.
That being said, it's one of the top five life decisions I've ever made. I'm glad I did it, and I still apply previous career knowledge to what I do. I have no regrets at all and don't miss the old days. I'm approaching 44 now.
If you hate what you're doing, make the leap. You can always go back.
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All-In [48337]
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Joined: 11/15/99
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Started with Milliken in January 1983.
Oct 4, 2022, 9:46 AM
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Sometimes I feel like I've been in a rut since Feb. 1983. I often wonder if I had taken my Chem Engr degree, moved to IOP or HHI and gone into real estate where I would be now.
Switched from textiles to nonwovens in 1989. Started consulting in 2013. Traveled all over the world to every continent except Africa (and Antarctica). Still looking for the next consulting gig.
Good luck - hope you find what you're looking for.
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Heisman Winner [138803]
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Joined: 8/26/07
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You probably knew my dad
Oct 4, 2022, 10:22 AM
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He worked with Dr Machell (sp?) in textile testing after leaving Packaging at Whitestone
Did a lot with UV fastness on woven and non woven automotive fabrics.
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All-In [48337]
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You never know. I did sell to Milliken in the 90's.
Oct 4, 2022, 10:55 AM
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Seems like it was for an ECG pad....
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Orange Blooded [4765]
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i have never made a career move that wasn't worth it in the
Oct 4, 2022, 9:59 AM
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long run, but the best one was taking 8 years off to raise my younguns
At the time I was pregnant with my daughter I had a job I loved but working for the worst person ever (he's since been fired for shady ####) who made me miserable. He was some weird fundamental christian religion and had strange views about women in the work place (ie they shouldn't be there).
He did some crappy stuff while I was on maternity leave and made the decision to take time off totally worthwhile. We ended up moving to Florida to be near my family (I swore I'd never do that) and to my small hometown where I never thought I'd find a job in my field. I also swore I'd never work in a large company again because I hate people with the corporate mindset.
Fast forward 8 years and the perfect gig for me literally fell in my lap via an acquaintance who happened to know I had the background I did. I pretty much get to do whatever I want and I'm making twice what I made in the last corporate gig. I found a gig that valued my experience and education and also that I am a mom and active in my community.
The only thing that sucks is that I'm stuck in FL and we'd really like to be back in the Carolinas one day.
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110%er [7786]
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Re: Tell me about the time you made a career change
Oct 4, 2022, 10:06 AM
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I worked in IT for almost 40 years. My last 7 or 8 years the company I was with went into a global acquisition mode. The size of the network tripled. The size of staff remained the same.
I spent 9 or 10 hours a day supporting the western hemisphere. Go home, eat dinner. Answer emails I "ignored" during the day. Drink heavily and go to sleep. Every other week I was on call, so here come the 2am calls from Asia or 4 am calls from Europe. I was making really good money but began to think about swallowing a bullet.
The house and cars were paid off and the last child was half way through college. I gave the company the middle finger with no prospects. Bummed around for about a year and then took a part-time job working on a dock.
I punch in, punch out and go home. Two more years of this and all you young people will be supporting my bad habits.
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Hall of Famer [22616]
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same field, same type job
Oct 4, 2022, 10:43 AM
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just different side of the table. quit current job after I got my bonus with nothing lined up. plan was to take 3 months off. made it about 4.5 weeks and got really stir crazy / bored.
picked up a consulting gig to keep me occupied, then got picked up by my current company.
hands down best decision I ever made.
over the last year I was at former company, I spent ~300 nights in a hotel. Was gone all the time, working 70-80 hour weeks on the reg. health was falling apart, new marriage was headed in the ditch, ready to snap someone's neck at any given moment...it was terrible. not worth it.
check out the book "When to Jump" by Mike Lewis. good use cases and confidence booster to pull the trigger.
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All-In [41008]
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Joined: 11/30/98
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Quit my job
Oct 4, 2022, 10:59 AM
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and started my own company with not a single client or even much of a clue how to run a consulting engineering business, since I had never worked for a consulting engineer. Within 2 years I had 18 people working for me, which was not good LOL. Dropped down to about 12-14 people until 2008 recession and now am about half that many people and work is way more fun.
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CU Guru [1065]
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Joined: 12/1/09
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started a bookkeeping freelance to break into accounting
Oct 4, 2022, 1:54 PM
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got my degree from Clemson in finance, but wasn't really doing much with it.
used the bookkeeping gig to get a full-time job in corporate. moved to a CPA firm a few years ago, all while continuing to grind out the bookkeeping business in the background.
Took the bookkeeping business full time this year, and have had a lot of fun being home around 2yo daughter while working. it gave me more freedom, about 70-80min back in commute, diversified income, and we've wound up doing better with that than full-time job and side hustle combined on the year.
Not gonna lie, still scared out of my pants when a client leaves, but getting used to churn and understanding how to "make it" has been good for my confidence.
HTH
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Oculus Spirit [94496]
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Joined: 12/25/09
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I sheetrocked houses for about 15 years.
Oct 4, 2022, 5:54 PM
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During those last few I attended Clemson. When I graduated I went to G'ville to work with Bonitz Contracting as a Superintendent and lasted about three months at that career. I can't stand an office job so I returned to sheetrock. I may have been the most educated knuckle dragging man on the planet.
I love the crafts, all of them. When I found the best painter we merged our business for long enough that I became a good painter and he a good sheetrock finisher. I worked for the best carpenters I'd ever seen when work was slow and became a carpenter.
I went to work early and quit when it became apparent that I didn't care about quality. The following morning I'd fix whatever I messed up the day before due to fatigue. If I said 'I'll be there Tuesday and something prevented me from keeping my word whoever I made that promise to was the second person to know about it. I seldom missed and if I did I did whatever it took to finish the job at the time I projected it to finish.
If, in the evening, I look back at that day and can't see productivity I don't feel complete. I reckon that's why I hate any job involving a desk. You just move a stack of paper from one place to another.
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Lot o points [164111]
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Joined: 1/17/07
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I started with a small firm in the late 70's and never left
Oct 4, 2022, 8:03 PM
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but my job and the company changed so much - we went from about 60 people to over 800 when I retired.
Lots of fun and headaches, but it was a great career.
When I retire, I got to teach for the last three years at the place I started and that was a bucket list item checked off.
Now fully retired, except doing consulting when needed by my old firm.
My only advice is find out what you like doing and do it.
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110%er [9748]
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I've been selling pest control for 22 years now
Oct 4, 2022, 8:09 PM
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I'm burnt out and working 100% commission doesn't help. Only a 401k plan makes me think I'll work the rest of my life. Decided to possibly make a change, I scheduled a ride along with the local police dept to see what it's like. I'm really afraid of change and always been hesitant about leaving.
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All-TigerNet [12278]
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Posts: 12596
Joined: 12/1/03
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in 2008 the engineering firm i was working for decided i
Oct 4, 2022, 11:05 PM
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was expendable and we parted ways. i hung out my shingle and started my present deal in the middle of a recession and never looked back. i love most everything about being self employed, i don't have to deal with office politics, employees, dress codes, etc. i work from home so there's a tax break. the only downside of it is if there is work to be done, i have to do it so i put in some long hours.
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