Ask MetaFilter questions in the work & money category

How do I lie to my boss and everone that I work with?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:31:02 -0800

How do I lie to my boss and everyone that I work with? I want to take a college class for personal and career development (that's unrelated to my current position). It will require me to leave work two hours early one day per week. I don't expect that my boss will have too much of an issue with me making up the time on other days, he's generally very flexible, BUT I'm not sure what to tell him about why I need to take the two hours off. He's going to ask. I need to have a good answer. Telling him about the class is not an option because I don't want him to know that I'm thinking about a career change. Also, I expect that lots of other people within my organization will be curious as well. I'd like to have a specific, believable lie to stick to rather than relying on something that's vague and evasive. Some ideas that come to mind are physical therapy or seeing a psychotherapist, but there are obvious limitations to both -- as for physical therapy, there's nothing visibly wrong with me, and this class is going to be a commitment that lasts for 3 months. As for seeing a psychotherapist, I'd be embarrassed to have to tell everyone.

My other concern is that this excuse should be something that obviously takes priority over work "emergencies." If something comes up at work and they beg me to reschedule, I'd like my activity to trump that.

Thoughts?

Fundraising ideas?

R a c h e l — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:28:38 -0800

Do you have good fundraising ideas for a high school junior? I've read the previous AskMes on this topic, but none seem as specific to my situation as I'd like. I'm not fundraising with a group.

I'm a high school junior, with a fundraising quota to meet for a program I'm doing. I'm going to get to go to Guatemala and participate in some sort of service project (I find out tomorrow what I'm doing) either construction of a school, picking coffee, working in a clinic/hospital, or reforestation. The money I'm fundraising goes directly into the fund fund that's funding our projects - none of it goes to the organization, my tuition, airfare, or anything else. Basically, this is a pretty much universally-liked cause.

This isn't, like, fundraising to offset my tuition or anything - it's required that we earn this - I couldn't even pay it off with my own, already existing money.

We've been provided with some tools - we can sell coffee, wreaths, tote bags, etc. The coffee is direct trade, which is great - it's from the farm where we will be staying/working, so that's awesome.

So, the first part of my question is, other than nicely worded emails and things, how could I sell these? I've sold ~20 bags of coffee and ~5 wreaths from this. I'd like to sell coffee throughout the year (I go next summer) but I don't want to be repeatedly emailing people if they didn't like the coffee or would rather purchase elsewhere (it isn't cheap).
As far as this goes:
-I don't go to a church but have already contacted one neighborhood church about putting a sign up
-I only have one more week to sell wreaths
-I've contacted those at my mom's office, though my dad's is more corporate and he doesn't think it'd be appropriate
-Many organizations around here sell similar goods, so I have decent amounts of competition

The second part of my question is, what are some things that people would buy that I could make? Are there recipes I could assemble or make and then freeze, providing people with ready made meals/cookies/whatever? Do you think people would be interested in purchasing entire pies or other baked goods? I'm a fairly skilled baker, always get compliments, and I have a few specialties up my sleeve. I also LOVE to make homemade ice cream, and I'm confident I could sell pints for $6-7 (is this reasonable?) that would far exceed even premium store-bought ice cream (think Ben&Jerry's. etc.).Would another email to the people who already bought things be inappropriate? I've pretty much harnessed my entire network of adults for it, so there aren't many other people I could contact (I could also include handwritten, colorful notes about it when I deliver the wreaths and coffee. Could attach it to a 'sample'?

Sorry for the length, brevity is certainly not my strong suit. Do you guys have any ideas? I'm happy to do whatever, labor, making stuff, etc. I'm not fantastic at physical labor but I am fairly artistic, kitchen-savvy, love to babysit but already do that for profit.

Looking for affordable 9-month housing near Kirkland, WA

dcruzin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:55:02 -0800

Looking for recommendations for an affordable apartment/studio complex within 20min of the Bungie offices in Kirkland, WA for a 9 month lease. I'm looking for whatever might be cheaper, be it in Redmond or maybe further to the East. The workplace, from last I heard, is in Kirkland, but a ten to twenty minute commute isn't too big a problem. Of course, I would prefer to live in Kirkland, but I'm thinking with rates as high as $900 a month, I'm not sure if I could afford much else. Do you think there might be anything around the $600-700 range for a studio or maybe even a sublet? Craigslist can only do so much in terms of finding vacant apartments, whereas subletters are much easier on the wallet but only for temporary housing solutions. I'm going to be there for 9 months.

Is it possible to arrange direct deposit between two individuals?

HotToddy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:43:47 -0800

How can I, an individual (not a business), automate a regular monthly payment to another individual (not a business) so that the payment is moved from my bank account into theirs? It can't involve issuing a paper check to the recipient which they then deposit--it needs to go straight to their account. Currently I have a supply of their deposit slips and just send the payment directly to their bank, but it's the only paper check I have to write, so I'd really like to automate it.

What industries are relevant to my mathematical interests?

alligatorman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:13:23 -0800

I've just obtained a BS in Mathematics and am planning to go to grad school, but not before I work for a few years. What industries should I be looking at, and what entry level jobs should I aim for? Details inside. My interests are in discrete math, probability, and related fields. I hope to return to school, but I would like to work first, and I'd like to work in a field even slightly relevant to my interests.

What industries should I be looking at, and what entry level jobs are out there?

I can program, though not well enough for software development. (And I have no interest in software development.)

I also don't want to apply for any position that requires a security clearance, so the obvious NSA is out of the question.

What's out there? Operations Research comes to mind, but I'm not sure what types of companies do this kind of work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know I won't be doing any kind of real math work with just a BS.

The over-anxious job hunter

angiewriter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:34:24 -0800

My son may lose the chance at a good job due to extreme impatience. My son got his degree in Finance almost a year ago. Normally, this would be a really marketable degree with good job prospects, even as a recent grad. Due to the crap economy, however, he couldn't find a job in his field and after 4 months of diligent job hunting (i.e., making job hunting his "job" and sending out scores of resumes every day), he ended up getting hired by a national car rental chain. Not only is this not in his field--at all--but it's a pretty sucky job for him. I didn't know car rental customers were so hostile to the guys who rent them cars. He is at his wit's end, and desperately wants to find another job. He continues to send out resumes.

I have worked at a company for 4 years. We have been through our ups and downs, but business is booming, and the company's very small Finance group is looking for people. My son had a chat with our CEO earlier this year, (not really due to any efforts on my part--his wife cuts the CEO's hair and he really thinks highly of her. I believe that the CEO was making an effort to talk to my son mostly because he likes his hairstylist and a little because I work here and I'm a pretty good and loyal employee.) The day my son met with the CEO (ostensibly just to learn more about corporate Finance and the business), he introduced my son to the Director of Finance at our company and my son had a mini-interview with the guy on the spot. He was taken off guard, to be sure, because he wasn't expecting that. Shortly thereafter, the Director of Finance offered my son a part-time contract position, but my son had to decline because he couldn't afford to do that. The car rental company job actually pays more than he could have had as a contractor with our company, plus the car rental company provides health insurance, which contractors don't get.

Then, a couple of months ago, he was contacted by the CEO and later the Director asking his salary requirements, and my son was then interviewed over the phone by a member of the Billing department. He felt the interview went well was told he would be contacted by the Billing department manager for either a phone or in-person interview the following week. That was over 4 weeks ago. He has sent a couple of follow-up emails to the person he interviewed with, and they haven't sent him a response. He is beyond frustrated and can't understand why they can't send him at least a cursory response to his emails. I obviously have stayed out of the whole thing, and haven't talked to anyone in Billing as to what's going on. I'm not "that Mom." I do know both of the people fairly well--the one who interviewed him on the phone and the manager he was told would contact him for another interview--but I still don't feel it's appropriate to ask them what's going on with this.

I can certainly understand his frustration, and can empathize. As someone who has job hunted many, many times, I have seen this happen time and again. Two weeks ago, the Manager of Accounting was let go, so the Finance dept. now consists of the Director, 2 Billing people, and one other person. They desperately need somebody, and I believe they were given headcount to hire (why else would my son have been asked for his salary requirements, and given a phone interview?).

I am still going to stay out of this, and not talk to anyone in Billing about this. I do feel, given my own personal experience, that if they weren't interested in hiring him, they would've already sent him a "no thanks" email by this point. I also feel that with the departure of a key member of the team, they are up to their eyeballs in work, which would definitely stall a low-priority task like interviewing and hiring an entry-level employee.

Now my son wants to send yet another email, this time to the Director--a thinly veiled "shit or get off the pot" kind of email. I strongly discouraged this, but he won't budge, so I told him that I needed to review it before he sends it so he doesn't shoot himself in the foot. This morning, he asked me to write the email for him.

My questions--FINALLY:

*Do you agree with me that if they weren't interested by now, they would have told him so?
*Do you agree that this is a low-priority item for a small and extremely overworked group?
*Do you agree that the ABSOLUTE WORST THING he can do would be to send yet another email--to anybody in the group, especially the Director?

He has no other current job leads, much less interviews lined up. I keep telling him to be patient and that things like this can take even months to come to fruition.

What can I do to get him to calm down and not contact them any more? I have been on the hiring side of things, and personally, I always hated the pests who just wouldn't be patient. Am I wrong in believing that any more contact from him would be a VERY BAD THING? He sent his 2nd follow-up email to the Billing person who interviewed him over the phone a week and a half ago, with no response. BTW, I'm not defending these people's lack of responses to him. I consider this to be very poor business etiquette. Even if they're really, really busy, even a quick "we're swamped right now, please be patient with us" response would be better than leaving the poor guy swinging in the wind for over a month, and not just because he's my son.

I would appreciate any feedback you guys have--especially from HR people or people involved in hiring employees for their company.

Sorry this post is the size of War and Peace, but there was a LOT of backstory here.

Thanks a million, hivemind!

Do you have arts programming at your workplace?

hworth — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:25:19 -0800

Arts programming in the workplace? Tell me what you know. I am looking for arts programming that takes place in workplaces and is open to all workers at that location. So, for example, a poetry workshop offered at lunchtime, or a intro to drawing available tuesday afternoons, or an arts appreciation class during shift change at 11pm. Do you work for a company that makes this kind of arts programming available to their employees? Do you work for an arts organization that does this kind of programming in workplaces? Please share your experiences. Links would be great as my google-fu has failed me on this one.

Help a smart but inexperienced young man manage my money (UK)!

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:02 -0800

You Are Not My Financial Planner. But I'm a (still barely) young man living in the U.K. Took a long time to get a career together, with 2 good degrees, but finally achieved slightly below average salary with slow growth prospects. What approach to savings / investments should I take? Further to the above, I earn just below the national average (aout £1,300 monthly after tax etc) but hope to increase this in the next few years to just above the average (say £30k p.a. before tax). My job is in higher education libraries, which doesn't have huge prospects for salary increases. I guess maybe £40 or £50k in ten years is doable? I live frugally, don't even have a car, and rent at the lowest possible rate (about £400/month in !).

I've just got the point where I'm a "young professional" hanging out with others of my age (28) and realising they have way more financial sense (and success) than I ever have. I have about £1000 in a cash ISA. I add £50/month to it. That's it. Some of my peers have saved, invested and are now looking into buying houses. Why the disparity? Is it purely down to salary and willingness to risk on the markets?

Given that my aims in life are mainly just to get a modest house, raise a family, continue working like a dog until (or beyond) retirement, run a modest, boring car if I really need it for kids, work etc, take cheap inland holidays and live frugally til I die, what savings and investments should aim to get?

I'm already aiming to "save 3 months salary" as recommended by popular financial advice books. My bank supplied me with an "advice session" where the talk escalated quickly from my idea of investing £500-£1000 upfront then £50 per month in an investment ISA (in a medium risk band) to more like £200-£300 split 50-50 between medium and second-from-top risk bands... at this point I got cold feet and split.

I have a Masters in Physics so I can handle algebra but all the arithmetic makes my head spin (the sales pitch doesn't help!). I'm reading basic guides but I'm struggling to understand what I should do. My family never discussed these issues and I wonder if I'll ever afford to raise one of my own to teach them to... can anyone "hope me"?

PS. I know about moneysavingexpert.com etc and will continue to look into that. Pointers to specific relevant pages would be really welcome though! :)

PPS I have no debts except the usual UK student loan at about 20k, which I just ignore as a graduate tax. I only have credit cards in case I need to sign up to online stuff or prove I have a good record

How many documents does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of my identity?

eatcake — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:11 -0800

I'm in the process of signing up for PenFed account and it seems like they are asking for a lot of documentation to establish my identity. Is this usual for them? Or am I just being paranoid? I applied online and when I called to set up my PIN number we went through the identification process whereby the CSR asked me about 10-12 questions about stuff on my credit history that only I would know. So great...that part is done. "Call back in 2-3 hours to get your PIN."

I called again today and the woman tells me they need even more documentation to confirm my identity. This time a copy of my driver's license, utility bill with name and address on it and a copy of my social security card, all notarized. Do they really need a copy of my social security card? Am I asking for trouble by making that available to people? Does anyone have a similar experience with PenFed and their processes?

Thanks in advance.

Finally! $100 in Adsense!

47triple2 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:44:32 -0800

I broke the $100 mark on Adsense, now what? I've been blogging with Adsense for more than a year and finally broke $100 mark. Do I have to do anything now or are they just going to send me a check at the end of the month?

I've been planning to stop blogging once I broke that magical number, will this cause problems with not getting paid? (My blog will still be there for a couple months, but there will be no new content.)

Does this affect my taxes? (Is it a very small, one time, "gift.")

Finally, what am I actually going to get out of that $100?

Thanks!

sydney cost of living

neworder7 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:24:25 -0800

CostOfLivingFilter in Sydney: I am 35 year old, professional in Sydney with a salary around AU$100K. I have no dependents, leading a normal modest life with no extravagant expenses. Why do I still feel the life is out of my reach? I am 35 and I think I am old enough to settle, stop living like a student. Maybe buy a property. I know mine is not a huge salary and I also think it is not very little either for a single person. I realized it seems that it does not look possible to buy a decent house/apartment closer to city without having to go "out west". Also, saving for a deposit is very hard while paying a rent even for an average place in the city.

I am not originally from Australia, been here for couple of years only, so please help me realize where I am placed financially in this society?

Thank you

How to account for stock merger in MS Money?

Sweetie Darling — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:04:55 -0800

Looking for a Microsoft Money/ Quicken expert - or any smart accounting/finance person, really - to help me figure out how to document the recent Pfizer-Wyeth merger in MS Money. Pfizer merged with (acquired) Wyeth on Oct. 15. Eligible shareholders received $33 cash and .985 shares of Pfizer for every share of Wyeth we held, plus a cash payout for any fractional shares.

In MS Money, do I

- Sell Wyeth and Buy Pfizer? If so, at what prices - the closing prices on 10/15 ($17.66 PFI, $50.39 WYE)?

or, do I

- Remove Shares of Wyeth and Add Shares of Pfizer? If so, how do I account for the $33/share of cash?

Also, how do I document the fractional share payout?

I found these FAQs on the Pfizer webpage http://media.pfizer.com/files/investors/shareholder/Pfizer_Wyeth_FAQ.pdf and this question-and-answer on a different forum http://www.rockryno.com/quicken/How-do-I-handle-the-recent-merger-of-Pfizer-and-Wyeth-19406-.htm, but I'm still not sure I understand the mechanics of recording this in Money.

Thanks in advance for your help. This is making my head hurt.

How do I use up the funds on my prepaid credit card and then use another payment method in one transaction via Paypal?

hotdiggitydog — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:33:30 -0800

How do I pay a retailer via Paypal using more than one option? I want to use the funds in my Paypal account, a prepaid credit card, and then cover the rest with a debit card. I'm trying to purchase something from a retailer online with Paypal. The problem is, I want to use the funds in the account (it'll automatically do that anyway), use up the funds in a prepaid American Express gift credit card, and then cover the rest using a debit card. Paypal won't let me pay with the funds in the account and the prepaid card first, because the purchase costs more than what I have on the card. I already emailed the owner and he said they could only accept one form of payment.

Any idea on how I can get around this? I'm wondering if I can transfer what's on my prepaid credit card to the Paypal account, but I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I need to use my debit card as well, because the money in the account plus the prepaid credit card still doesn't add up to the total I need to pay.

Thanks, MeFi.

The oven that broke the camel's back

fireoyster — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:58:55 -0800

Our brand new rented townhouse keeps breaking. What, if anything, should we ask for? Back in June, my family moved into a new construction townhouse in a suburb and, since then, things keep breaking and the landlord is slow to get stuff fixed. Some of it is "minor:" not cleaning the off-white carpets from between when the live-in general contractor moved out and we moved in; some of the travertine tiles crumbling at their corners, a couple of sinks pour water on the floor (due to the spout not being forward enough relative to the sink bowl) if not turned on full-blast; one of the sinks has a stream of rust along the bottom of its spout.

However, some stuff has been "major:" brand new (I watched them unpack it) refrigerator died and he couldn't be bothered to get to it until the next afternoon, taking two trips (the next brand new fridge also broke) to fix it; garage door shorted out; air conditioner isn't balanced on the top floor; and, most recently, the oven has decided to break and will not shut off the heating elements, eventually either popping the breaker or getting hotter until I kill the breaker myself. The landlord has eventually, and in some cases partially, fixed the major problems, but new ones keep popping up.

We're paying $1850/month for this house, which is on the high side for this area and already a several hundred dollar discount off the "retail" price because the units weren't leasing. We thought it was worth it for all the space, location, and the "newness," so we moved in. However, all the maintenance problems are beginning to grate on us and make this place seem like it's not worth the high price we're paying. Add to it that I work nights, so staying up for maintenance is a pain, and we're ready to move. People drive by the complex periodically, though less often lately, asking if any units are available, and we're tempted to say "here, take ours!"

tl;dr question: In this situation, where maintenance is slow, problems keep happening, and the landlord is apparently distracted by other projects, what are the pitfalls of asking to bail on the lease? The landlord holds the majority of the cards and can say "no," in which case we stay until the end, and, if so, any tips for negotiating something else, like a rent credit or something?

How to move my unqualified behind to Europe?

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:05:22 -0800

Ex-pat filter: How do I get a job in Western Europe without a Master's degree? Is it even possible, or should I suck it up and go to grad school? Due to the way my life has worked out, I'm an American citizen but haven't lived in the US in nearly a decade, and I have no desire to live there again. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US, but when I visit, it never feels like I belong there. Right now I'm working in Asia teaching English as a foreign language, but nothing about this job feels permanent to me. I'd like to start thinking of something more long-term. Ideally, I'd like to work in the public sector, especially in non-profit. I studied abroad in Britain during university and I've been on extended holidays to Europe several times in the past, and I'd really love to move somewhere in Western Europe, specifically the UK or Ireland. But -- and here's the thing -- I don't think I have any real qualifications. Here's what I do have:

1. I have an Honour's (4 years + dissertation) B.A. from a well-known Canadian university in History.
2. I've worked in education for the past four years, two years at university level in Canada, two years in a private school in Korea, teaching both English grammar/writing and EFL. I have no problem teaching anything related to social sciences or the humanities. However, I don't have any official teaching certification.
3. I'm a native English speaker, I speak decent French, and I speak elementary Korean.
4. I've lived in four countries including the US, and I've been to 20 countries around the world.
5. I'm in my twenties, I'm a fast learner, I'm good with languages, I'm highly sociable and love working with people, and I'm very open-minded.

In all honesty, I don't even know where to begin looking for jobs. Do I have any hopes of landing a job in Europe with this, or should I go to grad school? I've been looking at several grad programs in Sweden and Norway that may lead to non-profit work. I'd love to move to Europe but I have no idea if I want to go back to school, especially since the only subject I really ever loved was History -- a field that doesn't lead to a wide range of career opportunities if I get an MA in it.

I'm posting anon because I'm embarrassed at how naive all of this sounds. Any and all advice would be much appreciated, even if it's just you telling me I need to get my lazy bum to grad school.

How to find what I love to do for the rest of my life?

kingfish — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:43:32 -0800

I know it's a lame question, and I am a bit old for this (over 35 now). However, I am such a sucker for the saying that "find what you love to do and you don't need to work a day in your life", I just want to keep on searching I guess my quest has two steps. First of all, I need to find what I am good at and what my talents are. In that regard, can anyone share your thoughts on various books / tools on the market (i.e., Pathfinder, Now Discover Your Strength, etc..). Are there any web sites for this kind of assessment?

2nd step would be trying out those jobs and careers that leverage my strength and see if I like it or not.

Are there any shortcuts? Have anyone here had similar transformation (i.e., ditched the old career and found sth you absolutely want to pursue for the rest of your life)?

Any comments would be highly welcome.

Income and Outgo for the Happy Couple

26.2 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:54:29 -0800

Can anyone recommend a web based money management software for two? We're trying to put our accounts in one spot where we can monitor them. The problem is we have lots of existing accounts. Here are the requirements:
- support for two users who share accounts
- web based
- ability to import from multiple credit cards, checking, savings, IRAs, investment accounts and loans
- calculators for best loan payoffs and for retirement savings
- ability to categories transactions
- budgeting
- support for the blackberry would be awesome

I will happily pay for a solution; free is not required. We're not looking to change the spending/saving behavior of either person. We just need 1 spot to look for money stuff.

How can I put "assembly line" in the best light?

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:45:15 -0800

How can I best describe "light industrial" (assembly line) work to a potential employer? and other questions I'm currently temping at a job where I assemble ugly plastic pieces all day. There is little room for advancement, the work is mindless, and everyone is really impressed with my ability to show up on time and follow directions. It must be the college education. As I see it, the skill I'm demonstrating here is the ability to come to work, put my head down, and do a mindless, nearly pointless task over and over. That seems like something employers value. But how do I phrase that in conversation with a potential employer? And am I correct in thinking that that is the primary takeaway skill from this position, or is there something else?

FWIW, I also interact with my coworkers in their native language, since most are non-English speaking immigrants, and plan to promote this part of the job. I would actually love to pursue that part of the work -- talking with people, learning their stories...

Related question: Is there any point in staying here and accepting promotions as they come, or does it just look like I set my sights too low?

assemblyrus818@gmail.com

Should I accept this job offer?

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:17:14 -0800

Should I accept this job offer? I have an interview scheduled for another job. But it's no sure thing... I was laid off recently, but my skill set is one that is currently in demand. I've had a number of good interviews and still have a couple scheduled in the week ahead. The good news is I was offered a job today. However, both of the interviews outstanding are for jobs I would prefer over the one offered.

In the old economy I would be more comfortable in asking the company that offered me the position to wait a week and hoping the other companies could rush the process. But the reality of 10.2 percent unemployment is staring me in the face. Also, I live in a state where if you're on unemployment insurance, which I am, one is legally bound to accept any job offer presented. It's also an At-Will state.

My current plan is to accept the position that was offered and still interview for the other positions. If I'm offered another job, I'll most likely take that one and resign from the first one. I know that's tough on the company that spent all that time and money hiring and training me. But I feel I have to watch out for my own career in this economy.

Is that kosher? What alternatives do I have? Any hiring managers have experience with this?

Structural Engineering Industrial Placements for U.S. Students

pianohands — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:05:38 -0800

What are my chances of getting an industrial placement internship in the UK? I'm a US citizen attending a US university majoring in structural engineering. Unfortunately, my program does not offer a lot of practical experience (no co-ops) or any guidance in securing internships (our career fair was a total bust this year with only two construction companies attending). While I've been scouring the internet in search of internships for the coming summer, I've seen several UK based firms that do industrial placements for a year. The descriptions are exactly what I'm looking for: basically taking a gap year to gain practical experience in structural design. However, most have connections to UK universities; I was already turned down by one company within a week of applying, for what I'm pretty sure was the fact that my home address is not in the UK. Do these companies (like ARUP and Laing O'Rourke) ever hire students from the US? Should I bother spending time on applying?

Other background information:

I'm currently a junior, so I would want to start either summer 2010 or earlier.

I have a fairly solid resume and GPA; I spent the last two summers doing research in civil engineering, as I was not experienced enough to have a design internship.

I've basically completed the design courses at my school. The CEE program is very small, about 20 people per year, so juniors and sophomores take the same classes alternating every year. I've done concrete and steel design, steel building design, and structural health monitoring.

Any personal experience, anecdotes, or advice would be much appreciated!

Is there a crash course on cellular markets?

pwnguin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:40:32 -0800

I've owned a cellphone for ages, and have largely remained ignorant of the business workings. Is there a crash course on cellular markets? I'm curious how cellular companies work behind the scenes. Do they really build multiple competing "networks", or do they mostly build peering agreements? The latter seems technically possible, given "roaming" implies off network usage. Also of interest to me is whether there's a distinction made for data and voice outside of billing the customer.

How to convert credit card debt to a business loan?

KathrynT — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:31:41 -0800

You are not my accountant. How do you convert personal debt to business debt? My sister-in-law and her husband are the owners of a chiropractic practice with no employees other than themselves. They opened the practice shortly after being married, and paid for nearly all the startup costs with their credit cards rather than securing a small business loan. The business is doing fine, or anyway as fine as it really can be given the economy; they have a steady and increasing client stream, and word of mouth is getting out.

But their interest rates have been hiked on their credit cards, and now they're facing increasingly enormous minimum payments that are really affecting their ability to get by. In retrospect, their decision to use credit cards for this purpose was pretty poor, and they recognize that, but barring a time machine, they can't change that now. In this economy, what's the chance of them getting a business loan now? Is there any way they can convert this massive unsecured consumer debt into a business debt that's more reasonable, interest-wise? Any other advice for them? They're in a largish city in the Pacific Northwest.

How to work in software, outdoors?

mjg123 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:11:54 -0800

What kinds of jobs exist for software engineers who want to work outdoors? Rain, wind, sunshine, sleet, yes please!! I have about 10 years experience as a professional software engineer, mostly working for large companies and a bit as a contractor too. I enjoy it, and I always get good reports from clients and colleagues. But the desk/office lifestyle is getting me down, and I'd love to work outdoors.

Without abandoning the skills and salary that I've built up over the years, what kind of job could I get that would see me working outside for a considerable part of my time? I'm thinking of a minimum of one whole day outside every week, preferably more.

I really don't want to give up the software design aspect of my job, these are the problems that I love solving. But I suppose I could do without the actual programming part of it, so technical architect would be a nice job - if I could do it outside. Help me brainstorm this one, mefites!

Fair salary for a "Usability Testing Assistant"

the jam — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:42:15 -0800

Asking for a friend: I've been offered a position as a "Usability Testing Assistant" at an established, medium-sized (50-75 employees) web company, and now I need to provide them with salary requirements. In this position, I would report directly to the Usability Testing Director. My responsibilities would include recruiting test participants, running all tests, and communicating to the company's developers insights and feedback from the tests. I've found salary ranges for a "Usability Tester" (60k-70k), but I'm not sure if that would directly apply to me, or if this position would be considered more junior. What is an appropriate salary range for my new position? Concrete numbers or links for more research would be much appreciated!

United Way or the Highway

Saucy Intruder — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:47:09 -0800

Has anyone held their ground against a peer-pressure United Way solicitation (specifically the "100% participation" scam?) How did you do it? How did you avoid adverse consequences, particularly where very senior people are directly soliciting subordinates? What is the "polite" way to get out of this, if any? (I don't have anything against charity or even against the UW. I'm sure they do great things. But my contributions will be donations, not bribes. I make my own decisions about where my money goes. And after a decade of this bullshit, with more than one employer, I'm putting my foot down.)