Having my FTE

[bibbysoka]

During college, I joined the Fastlane forum and read Millionaire fastlane and Unscripted per suggestion of a mentor at the time. These books rewired my mindset permanently for the better. My routine during college involved trying to get the best grades, hitting the gym, and self improvement, including passionately dreaming of starting my own business. I spent a lot of time thinking of what I could create, testing ideas like web design sales, and learning what I was good at on the side.

However, I graduated in 2020 with a bachelors degree in IT. My goal was to use my degree, try to find a good job and spend all my time on the side building a successful side hustle. When COVID hit, everyone seemed to be sent to work remotely, and it changed the job market as I was applying non stop and couldn't find interviews. I spent so much time tailoring resume and applying, and it took me almost year to secure my first IT position, which initially seemed awesome. MJ DeMarco supported my idea of starting with a job, to at least build income, and I felt that since I had graduated, I might as well capitalize on my degree.

After two years in IT support, my company is transitioning back to the office. Here is where i felt like I had my realization. The drive to the office took extremely long due to traffic jams at 9am. Paying for parking and walking across two streets is going to suck so bad in the winter but even today it sucked as we're not reimbursed for parking. I miss the freedom of logging in from a laptop. Walking into a bathroom stall and both toilets were filled with espresso poops and toilet paper. I just keep thinking of the negatives and how this isn't how I want to live or get my income. Went to the office cafeteria and had a bland fishy tasting fish sandwich in the cafeteria for $11. Add to that the cost of parking and an hour-long drive home, and I've reached my limit. Hence, I'm sharing my "F*ck this" event on the forum, hoping for a fresh perspective and hoping that journaling will help me focus on my long term goals.

I've been spam applying for new remote jobs, but starting to realize that the effort it takes to curate my resume, apply, and move on to the next over and over for the past year has been taking so long that I might as well put my effort into my own thing. I'm sick and tired of being an office slave and needed to vent somewhere.

---

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

During college, I joined the Fastlane forum and read Millionaire fastlane and Unscripted per suggestion of a mentor at the time. These books rewired my mindset permanently for the better. My routine during college involved trying to get the best grades, hitting the gym, and self improvement, including passionately dreaming of starting my own business. I spent a lot of time thinking of what I could create, testing ideas like web design sales, and learning what I was good at on the side.

However, I graduated in 2020 with a bachelors degree in IT. My goal was to use my degree, try to find a good job and spend all my time on the side building a successful side hustle. When COVID hit, everyone seemed to be sent to work remotely, and it changed the job market as I was applying non stop and couldn't find interviews. I spent so much time tailoring resume and applying, and it took me almost year to secure my first IT position, which initially seemed awesome. MJ DeMarco supported my idea of starting with a job, to at least build income, and I felt that since I had graduated, I might as well capitalize on my degree.

After two years in IT support, my company is transitioning back to the office. Here is where i felt like I had my realization. The drive to the office took extremely long due to traffic jams at 9am. Paying for parking and walking across two streets is going to suck so bad in the winter but even today it sucked as we're not reimbursed for parking. I miss the freedom of logging in from a laptop. Walking into a bathroom stall and both toilets were filled with espresso poops and toilet paper. I just keep thinking of the negatives and how this isn't how I want to live or get my income. Went to the office cafeteria and had a bland fishy tasting fish sandwich in the cafeteria for $11. Add to that the cost of parking and an hour-long drive home, and I've reached my limit. Hence, I'm sharing my "F*ck this" event on the forum, hoping for a fresh perspective and hoping that journaling will help me focus on my long term goals.

I've been spam applying for new remote jobs, but starting to realize that the effort it takes to curate my resume, apply, and move on to the next over and over for the past year has been taking so long that I might as well put my effort into my own thing. I'm sick and tired of being an office slave and needed to vent somewhere.

---

Not sure if this is an FTE or an FTM ... only time will reveal the truth.

Will you use the discomfort to your advantage? Or will it fade with the next reliable paycheck?

I wish you well.

 

[ZackerySprague]

RTOs are becoming normal in Tech. I had a similar issue. I was use to working for 3 years remotely, but when they asked me to come to the office. I made a fuss about it, I wouldn't say that was an FTE for me. It was more of a "I'm comfortable staying at home thing." I actually believe going back to the office allows you to get out of your bubble, your comfortzone, and gets you back into society mode. I had anxiety just driving to downtown Dallas. But my layoff actually was a blessing in disguise. Working from home is great, but when you are doing it for far too long. You forget what it's like for being apart of society.

I am now comfortable with speaking to people, I am comfortable driving again. I had to relearn what it meant to take risks.

I was able to work my first ever contract in IT, make new connection, see a whole new side of Dallas, I have never seen. Theirs this ongoing joke about a culture difference between Fort Worth and Dallas. And let me tell you it's true.

I was able to try to drive for Amazon as a Delivery Driver (considering I was an IT guy?). Staying from home didn't allow me to venture out and do things I've never done before. I actually loved being the perpetual student of learning new things. (Except for the knowledge cram course they had). I learned how to do Warehouse work/Tech work.

I learned how to drive for lyft and speak to random strangers make them feel comfortable.

Will I miss my Unisys Days? Of course, it was a great gig.

But I learned what's like to not be an office cubicle personnel.

And for that I will forever be grateful to what has happened.

Remote jobs are cool, but now that I'm no longer apart of one.

I don't think I'd ever want to go back again.

I would never go back or if I had the option. I'd learn to not stay at home and make it a permanent thing.

It was fun while it lasted, but I to felt very lonely because I wasn't surrounded by people. I did some stuff. But I agree with a mentor. I was in my head for awhile and that's what remote work can do to you as well when your home alone and it's just you. You have to break the cycle.

I hope this may bring you a whole new perspective from a guy whose done it for 3 years.

Don't just sit at home and do stuff remotely if anything do stuff whole you are remote and take advantage of the opportunity.

I forgot what it meant to live. In the beginning I was mad at my boss for choosing me, but now I don't. I think he made the right choice. And cool thing is we are on good terms.

I will miss them those days for sure, but as my old boss said "life is an evolution, nothing last forever." Older folks are really wise lol.

 

[bibbysoka]

RTOs are becoming normal in Tech. I had a similar issue. I was use to working for 3 years remotely, but when they asked me to come to the office. I made a fuss about it, I wouldn't say that was an FTE for me. It was more of a "I'm comfortable staying at home thing." I actually believe going back to the office allows you to get out of your bubble, your comfortzone, and gets you back into society mode. I had anxiety just driving to downtown Dallas. But my layoff actually was a blessing in disguise. Working from home is great, but when you are doing it for far too long. You forget what it's like for being apart of society.

I am now comfortable with speaking to people, I am comfortable driving again. I had to relearn what it meant to take risks.

I was able to work my first ever contract in IT, make new connection, see a whole new side of Dallas, I have never seen. Theirs this ongoing joke about a culture difference between Fort Worth and Dallas. And let me tell you it's true.

I was able to try to drive for Amazon as a Delivery Driver (considering I was an IT guy?). Staying from home didn't allow me to venture out and do things I've never done before. I actually loved being the perpetual student of learning new things. (Except for the knowledge cram course they had). I learned how to do Warehouse work/Tech work.

I learned how to drive for lyft and speak to random strangers make them feel comfortable.

Will I miss my Unisys Days? Of course, it was a great gig.

But I learned what's like to not be an office cubicle personnel.

And for that I will forever be grateful to what has happened.

Remote jobs are cool, but now that I'm no longer apart of one.

I don't think I'd ever want to go back again.

I would never go back or if I had the option. I'd learn to not stay at home and make it a permanent thing.

It was fun while it lasted, but I to felt very lonely because I wasn't surrounded by people. I did some stuff. But I agree with a mentor. I was in my head for awhile and that's what remote work can do to you as well when your home alone and it's just you. You have to break the cycle.

I hope this may bring you a whole new perspective from a guy whose done it for 3 years.

Don't just sit at home and do stuff remotely if anything do stuff whole you are remote and take advantage of the opportunity.

Thanks for this perspective.

To be honest, we have been in office twice a week for years, we're just now doing a full return to office. I agree with some of the benefits that you mentioned, but dude, working in the midwest where it gets to -30 degrees some days is brutal and I'm sick and tired of it.

I would rather travel, live on my own terms and not have to spend 9-5 every single day in an office. It's cool that you get to socialize with coworkers but I actually denied a job offer with an NBA team to work in IT as it was in person. I would take a pay cut to work remote as there's so many costs to coming in person that it's just not worth it.

 

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[bibbysoka]

Not sure if this is an FTE or an FTM ... only time will reveal the truth.

Will you use the discomfort to your advantage? Or will it fade with the next reliable paycheck?

I wish you well.

Thanks MJ, I'm going to do my best to turn this into an event rather than a moment of anger and frustration.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Thanks for this perspective.

To be honest, we have been in office twice a week for years, we're just now doing a full return to office. I agree with some of the benefits that you mentioned, but dude, working in the midwest where it gets to -30 degrees some days is brutal and I'm sick and tired of it.

I would rather travel, live on my own terms and not have to spend 9-5 every single day in an office. It's cool that you get to socialize with coworkers but I actually denied a job offer with an NBA team to work in IT as it was in person. I would take a pay cut to work remote as there's so many costs to coming in person that it's just not worth it.

I'll do whatever is necessary even if it means a pay cut to pay bills (of course no one wants to go down), but If I had no job in this sense. It could be that you are just tired of the cold weather and maybe it's time to move to states like Texas with more heat.

I would have taken the offer if it made sense financially. You never know, you probably could have met someone in the NBA who could have been a great connection later down the road for your business or side hustle.

The travel part and not working 9-5, comes later, and I'm not even there yet. (I stalled)

 

[emavery176]

Welcome to the FastLane journey!

 

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[Trismigistus]

During college, I joined the Fastlane forum and read Millionaire fastlane and Unscripted per suggestion of a mentor at the time. These books rewired my mindset permanently for the better. My routine during college involved trying to get the best grades, hitting the gym, and self improvement, including passionately dreaming of starting my own business. I spent a lot of time thinking of what I could create, testing ideas like web design sales, and learning what I was good at on the side.

However, I graduated in 2020 with a bachelors degree in IT. My goal was to use my degree, try to find a good job and spend all my time on the side building a successful side hustle. When COVID hit, everyone seemed to be sent to work remotely, and it changed the job market as I was applying non stop and couldn't find interviews. I spent so much time tailoring resume and applying, and it took me almost year to secure my first IT position, which initially seemed awesome. MJ DeMarco supported my idea of starting with a job, to at least build income, and I felt that since I had graduated, I might as well capitalize on my degree.

After two years in IT support, my company is transitioning back to the office. Here is where i felt like I had my realization. The drive to the office took extremely long due to traffic jams at 9am. Paying for parking and walking across two streets is going to suck so bad in the winter but even today it sucked as we're not reimbursed for parking. I miss the freedom of logging in from a laptop. Walking into a bathroom stall and both toilets were filled with espresso poops and toilet paper. I just keep thinking of the negatives and how this isn't how I want to live or get my income. Went to the office cafeteria and had a bland fishy tasting fish sandwich in the cafeteria for $11. Add to that the cost of parking and an hour-long drive home, and I've reached my limit. Hence, I'm sharing my "F*ck this" event on the forum, hoping for a fresh perspective and hoping that journaling will help me focus on my long term goals.

I've been spam applying for new remote jobs, but starting to realize that the effort it takes to curate my resume, apply, and move on to the next over and over for the past year has been taking so long that I might as well put my effort into my own thing. I'm sick and tired of being an office slave and needed to vent somewhere.

---

I hear you. I'm in a similar situation but I have been remote in IT ever since 2020. I definitely like it better than the office, get to use my own bathroom, take a break and go on a walk in the woods (I live in the middle of the woods), play with my cats and dog during downtime, grill steaks for lunch. But inspite of all this, the job is still the job, and creates a prison wherever I am, I just have a more comfortable prison now. My FTE came after a slew of events, out of my control, that required large sums of cash and watching my wife cry and fall apart when I knew if I just had more money then she wouldn't have to be in these pits of despair. My actual tipping point came when month after month of sitting in virtual meetings 5-7 hours a day. And I just think to myself, there is no way I can do this for the next 30 years til I die. It got to the point to where, inside i'd want to physically destroy everything around me through my rage or kill myself. It's kind of funny, after I had that episode, that very night I got to the FTE chapter in unscripted . The FTE is like a gate we must past through. Ever since my FTE, I ditched all leisure activities that didnt get me closer to my goals and use my offtime for working out and working toward launching my business. Go full force on unscription, it's all we've got to escape this rat race. Use all the bs feelings that you get going into your job, and turn it into fuel for unscription. Im not able to quit my 9-5 yet, so I still have to sit through hours of mind numbing meetings, it just gives me that much more fuel to attack my goals. Keep working at it!