rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Can he teach college classes in his field? Or maybe open his own consulting business?

Just in case east Dallas is only about an hour commute from Sulphur springs - all freeway.

Totally and you're right on. Mark has his undergrad in computer science and music with a minor in music composition and math and masters' degree in music composition and piano performance, so yes, he could teach college but he's not emotionally ready to go back. I suspect he'll do what his dad has done and go adjunct faculty in his "retirement" once fear of scathing feedback from failing freshmen in the weeder classes he taught as a TA to pay for school and lack of support from burnt out tenure professors fades. We've 100% discussed this, DH and I. When I married him he was planning on being a college professor and I always figured we just get by living in a college town and send the boys to school where he was working. I enjoyed the first "life" we lived and we could have moved to the edge of a walkable town on some property and existed there. Darn internships at a certain online retailor and bills to pay as the kids he always wanted came netted him away from that plan though. (Also, he may have been sick of school, can't imagine why.)

So yes, he will probably do that, but just not yet.

I really wanted to move us to a college town for that reason this round but I think he's following the money like a good provider. We'll be okay. I'm stubbornly holding onto the above career idea but I can't push it at the moment with him.

 

[rachels.haven]

I want to live here, or a place like it.

16896 Long Judson Rd, Bowling Green, OH 43402 | Zillow

This 1907 square feet Single Family home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is located at 16896 Long Judson Rd, Bowling Green, OH.

www.zillow.com

5 miles from the grocery store in a town we've both walked and rode bikes in, 5-10 acre property, NORMAL house, elementary and middle school decent, highschool 7/10, college on hand to send the kids, wonderful parks and social life and connections for my music man. University jobs. My great aunt taught there until she died, and Mark got his masters' there and it's where we met and lived for our first few years with kid #1. Probably never going to happen. Oh well. Time for more box houses/McMansions and mortgages.

 

[Ridgetop]

What about buying property and putting a double wide on it? Would that be cheaper so you could save money for the dream?

 

[rachels.haven]

That's a good idea. I think DH and I will have to have a meeting of the minds at some point soon. Sorry for bringing it here.

 

[Ridgetop]

See @Margali's thread for what she and husband did. She will have ideas and suggestions for you.

 

[SageHill]

Without getting too far into it the reason he's hesitant to do that is that the role he isn't over qualified for that they're hiring to fill is for AI to take other programmers jobs. That's not his specialty, he's not sure it's eithical, and he doesn't think AI will be a long term sticking around kind of thing so he's uncomfortable taking that risk. Plus, he's always hated machine learning-feels like it's kind of a quack science and AI is kind of like sloppy machine learning but out of control. He slept on the postings and has kind of dismissed the idea. He doesn't want to replace people like Murphy's Ranch's daughter (who will do better work than AI, and the various corporates and big wigs don't want to hear that because AI has a lower salary.)

He might be getting serious about looking a new jobs soon. Programming industry is a mess right now with the corporate "scruffing" of employees that happening last year and continuing into this and AI supposedly here to answer all of your employers' needs without you (but really badly) but he's considering it. We don't really want a million dollar property and mortgage or to give up everything. Million dollar houses have million dollar problems and we much prefer normal ones.

Funny, programmers salaries could be lower of the office was located in less expensive areas or if everyone could work mostly remote. Cost of living would be less. Companies are making their own problems.

I understand the feeling about AI. I was a software engineer back in the days of assembly coding. Then C. I did the first 911 system and the first voice over data (patent and all). When I left, the industry was moving to module type coding. Didn’t like what that meant (someone writes a module there’s errors that propagate and compound issues). Lack of thorough testing etc. I see AI as the same sort of thing. There will be reliance on AI and programming will be a lost “art” / skill. I don’t think companies will backtrack to people who code. Same as the module / subroutines of “yesteryear”. I’d say take the AI job. If he doesn’t someone else will ethics or no.

 

[SageHill]

Companies or at least their CEOs have gone over the edge. I have quit my beloved Tractor Supply. TSC has a CEO that has “gone woke”. TSC has fully embraced DEI. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. Sounds good until you really study it. It does not include white males or Christians. DEI believes all white people are racists because they are white. I am offended by this. I am white and a Christian. I will not give my money to a company that hates me. I’m voting with my feet and they are taking me to other businesses.

I believe ALL people should be treated equally and with respect. I don’t care if a person is white, black, purple or plaid, I just don’t care. I don’t care if a person is gay or straight, religious or not, all that matters is just being a good person.

Goodbye TSC. By elevating everyone else, you are discriminating against me. How did that go for Budweiser?

Sorry for the rant.

NO NO NO - TSC went woke?! Nooooo. Oh God please help us.

 

[Margali]

@SageHill @Baymule @rachels.haven Everyone, I'm not sure it's gone "WOKE" or learned to put up a pretend mask. Tractor Supply has had a "Diversity Blah Blah" policy in place since before 2018 (earliest flyer I can find). It's just in 2022 they won awards for it. If you read the actual details they have a "Young Professionals" initiative that includes white males. Also their actual hiring EEOC data only supports gender equality not racial equality actually being practiced.


I'm Jewish so I have a different viewpoint on the religious stance which isn't reported to government. I find plenty of Christian saying and decorated stuff at TSC. I've NEVER seen anything supporting other religions there. I constantly have to run a gauntlet of "Support Church XYZ" fundraisers camped outside the door so at least locally they very active in the community. That is VERY tiring and annoying. Again, never seen they allow a non-Christian fundraiser.

 

[rachels.haven]

All I know is TSC here doubled their feed prices over COVID and they haven't gone back down and they're going more in the direction of a gift shop now. It's the Co-op for me-where prices can go up AND down with price of grain.

 

[Baymule]

Just google Tractor Supply gone woke.

The investment firm Blackrock owns a major portion of TSC stocks. Blackrock speaks, TSC dances to their tune and Blackrock is as woke as can be. Our governor just pulled the teachers retirement funds out of Blackrock because of their stance against petroleum. Why give money to a company that undermines our way of life? Oil is big business in Texas.

Anyway back to TSC, they want to go political and woke, have at it. I will shop elsewhere. I find that I’m happier dealing with small locally owned businesses that are part of the community. Their money circulates more within the community and does not go to a corporate headquarters where an overpaid CEO makes decisions contrary to my beliefs.