Iowa Tacomas (Idiots.Out.Wandering.Around)

unless there is so much snow like last year with a very rapid melt.
the local news said the army corps of engineers was not able to fully repair the 500+ miles of levee damage in Nebraska, and won't be done until after summer next year
lots of areas are very prone to flooding still especially if there is significant snow in the west

 

Systems engineer for a VAR/Consultant/IT Company. I used to do a lot of travel but this past year has been nearly zero.

Agreed. I’ll gladly take a mountain of snow over the brutal temps we’ve had the last couple years.

 

Nice! I used to work for several MSP's.

 

I wish I could convince them to let me work remote the majority of the week. But, not in the cards currently. Hoping the next gig will be more remote stuff. Staying put for a year or so and grabbing a few more cert's before I move on. h

 

It’s such a mixed bag. Some places are fully on board and some are totally against it. Or companies like this one where a lot work remotely and they hate that people don’t want to relocate and work in the office.

I think in the next few years, companies will have to get on board with remote work or they won’t have anyone willing to work for them.

I’ve worked remotely for 7.5 years now and I don’t know that I could ever go back to 8-5 in an office.

 

I also hate the "8-5" thing. Really? You can't pay for my lunch/time when I work for you for 7+ hours in a day anyway?

To be fair, I'm just happy to be in the salary space I'm in right now. Cybersecurity and IT is totally where it's at if you ask me. I'm a couple certifications and maybe one or two job changes away from my long term salary goal so that makes me happy.

 

It’s amazing in IT what a job change will do for you. It’s basically a requirement to change jobs every 3-5 or you are doing yourself a disservice. It’s a PITA but well worth it for the 20-40% bump in pay every time.

now I just need to find a way to trade salary for time off. If I can get 6-8 weeks, I’d be set.

 

I have only been able to do this once. I negotiated 4 weeks off starting day one. That was 6 years ago though. Hoping I can leverage it for my next gig. I really only need one more bump or two in salary to reach my goal and on the next jump I may very well be able to hit it and make the ‘demand’. My resume is a masters short of being porn for HR people.

 

That Sunset tonight was freaking amazing.

 

Man, it must be rough. I definitely chose the wrong career path.

 

Can’t lie. I am pretty spoiled. I was a master verified Ford diesel mechanic and it motivated me to make a change. I tried IT before I became a tech and thought it was ‘too boring’. I was lucky enough to get laid off when the economy dropped out and all the dealers were closing. Went back to IT and never looked back. Thirteen years later, here we are.

 

It's probably a good argument for going to school. I think it's more beneficial for people who know what they want to do.

I'm pretty sure being an electrician is about the worst pay/risk ratio possible.

I do get to have 3 day weekends almost all year, though.

Pros and cons

 

I guess that depends too. My brother was an electrician and started his own business. He retired a few years ago in his early 40’s. My grandpa was a Union Electrician for 30+ years and says he wouldn’t have changed that for anything.

Also, for the record, I do NOT have a degree.

 

My brother is doing the same. Half of me wants to join him, but half of me doesn't want to mix business with family.

It's not the worst job. I'm probably a little crabby right now because I'm about to give myself an ulcer worrying about getting this job done by Friday. It's been behind schedule the whole time. Everyone is behind except for the plumber. And, we're always last because we're waiting on other trades.

Between the holidays and unreliable help, it's been a stressful time!

Didn't mean to bitch at you. Sorry.

 

I did not feel as though you were bitching at me. No apologies necessary. I also understand the frustration.

 

cloud cover most all day long on the Missouri river side

 

Lame. Was mostly sunny all day up here in the QCA. Couldn’t even wear my Ugly Christmas sweater it was so warm.

 

Haha!

I've worn horrible Christmas sweaters for the last 2 years, and now they're (my family) talking about having a contest for the worst sweater. I might have to step up my game

 

I saw 65 degrees on the truck earlier today.

 

My buddy (big Hawkeye fan) had an ugly sweater party one year. I wore a Hawkeye sweatshirt. He didn’t find it nearly as funny as I did