monkeytennis

monkeytennis , 7 months ago to news in Return to office is ‘dead,’ Stanford economist says. Here’s why

Employers will quickly learn that leashing a person to their laptop will not prevent wasted time, it’ll cause them to waste time in other ways, and will drive away talent. The only harm is when it impacts outcomes, which is easier and more beneficial to track.

It’s pretty obvious when someone is underperforming, you don’t need to know whether they’ve been doing the laundry between meetings.

monkeytennis , 7 months ago to news in A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages

I wanted to pay it down while the rates were low, 10% would’ve started off ok, but obviously the lower it got, the less that was. Makes sense from the bank’s pov, seems a fair trade-off for a fix.

monkeytennis , 7 months ago to news in A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages

It just feels like a huge gamble. I went the tracker route between 2012 and 2018 only because I didn’t want the overpayment restrictions imposed by fixed deals.

Luckily it worked out, had I gone for a fixed rate I’d still be slowly paying it off, at a higher rate.

For every person who did well, there’s someone else who didn’t, mostly through unlucky timing.

monkeytennis , 7 months ago to news in A 30-Year Trap: The Problem With America’s Weird Mortgages

It’s crazy in the UK too, where 3-5 year fixes are common. I’ve know folk who at renewal next year will be paying £500-£800 extra, each month.

My biggest impact has been gas and elec, which maybe added that amount to my annual bill. I can’t imagine the stress.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to workreform in The reason CEOs want workers to Return To Office is because they want you to quit

Had a convo with my mum last month, where she was concerned that I wasn’t looking to supercharge my career as I enter my 40s. She couldn’t understand why I’d declined an interview with Meta.

I had to spell it out… I won’t miss that extra money. I don’t have an expensive lifestyle, and I don’t want one. I’d miss the time lost with my kids, and I’d sure as shit regret the stress and anxiety of additional work pressure.

But then, I also had to explain why staying in an unhappy marriage “for the kids” is infinitely worse than peaceful and happy co-parenting.

Boomers. Sigh.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to workreform in The reason CEOs want workers to Return To Office is because they want you to quit

I agree on performance, but I’m well paid and would tolerate almost zero unjustified inconvenience. I can afford to take a cut, but in reality would probably earn even more elsewhere.

More experienced folk are also more likely to go freelance, since they have the skills, experience and contacts. Perm roles only make sense when they bring stability and benefits. I expect to see this a lot more, if RTO continues.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Black Mirror creator unafraid of AI because it’s “boring”

I also find the “just look how bad the hands are heh heh heh” thing so dumb … it’s going to learn how to draw hands pretty quickly

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Blue-Checked, ‘Verified’ Users on X Produce 74 Percent of the Platform’s Most Viral False or Unsubstantiated Claims Relating to the Israel-Hamas War

This is not news. Stop upvoting Twitter spam, it’s not even vaguely interesting.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

Absolutely fine to politely ask for a salary range, in my experience. I’ve never found they hide it, but the ranges can be broad.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

Blaming young adults and families is unfair. Many institutions need to be held to account for advertising outcomes which don’t materialise for their students.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

Unfortunately it seems there are no consequences for the universities, and it’s not hard to make those qualifications seem both alluring and lucrative.

There’s got to be a way to hold them to account for the countless graduates who don’t end up finding industry positions.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

I’m probably in an echo chamber. I hope that 2nd application goes well for you.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare

In my experience, good candidates (including interns/juniors) are still landing the roles. Hiring in tech/design/product is tough because there’s a deluge of applicants who’ve either coasted during the boom, or been sold a lie by an educational institution.

You can spot the ones who apply for 40 jobs a week, and those who’ve used chatGPT a mile off, and they’re usually the worst candidates, with long, bland, unfocused resumes.

LinkedIn is full of my worst ex-colleagues bemoaning the lack of opportunities, like they’re entitled to it.

Please tell me if I’m being unfair. Maybe I should be less if a cynic.

monkeytennis , 8 months ago to technology in When did paid podcasts become a thing?

A shameful culprit IMO was the Kermode and Mayo film review. Two wealthy broadcasters (one extremely wealthy) who left the BBC, created an objectively worse show, half of which immediately went behind a paywall. Then they started voicing atrocious adverts and wingeing that people should pay so they could keep the lights on.

The only upside was that I felt no pain in dropping them like a stone, but I do miss the old show and never found a good replacement.

monkeytennis , 9 months ago to technology in Meta and Salesforce are looking to rehire some workers they just laid off. It's putting those people in an awkward spot.

I know what you mean, but it would depend on my current situation. Assuming I’ve had to find another job with short notice (and I’m still in my probation period) it could be a great opportunity to leverage a massive pay increase, then spend the next year planning a proper move.

I wouldn’t list it as separate employment on my CV, unless I knew it was going to be scrutinised, in which case, it’s easily explained and reflects pretty well - they wanted me back.