Can't say I've met any people who escaped socialist countries acting as entitled victims. That whiny "I must get mine" is an American thing. Speaking as a red-blooded Gen-X American, this is how the boomers screwed us. They built a socialist safety net for them (Social Security) while trying to kill it for any other generation even though WE PAY INTO IT. I've maxed my social security yearly for the past 15 years and I'm pretty sure I'll never see a dime at this point.

Own both a '22 Mustang Mach-E for going around the city and a '19 Ram 2500 Diesel truck for towing our 12,000lb RV. I joke that I did it to piss off people on all sides because I've caught crap from EV people for driving the truck and truck people for driving the EV. Honestly though there's a tool for everything and our EV is perfect for in-city driving and is always charged, my wife's 2015 Edge it replaced only had 42,000 miles on it. It sits a lot and this was one of the factors for getting an EV. I don't like driving the truck on super short trips (not great for the diesel engine) so I take the Mach-E a lot and it's a great car.

I like EVs and I'm glad they're getting more traditional looks. Always hated the uber-futuristic look of the early ones.

^^ I think I found the guy that holds stock in private prisons.

Failure to categorize and close out those tickets means 11 lashes and two weeks in solitaire.

Banks require you to provide your SSN due to financial security laws. It's not just about refusing business, it's about following law with certain industries. Which sucks. SSNs were outlawed as Healthcare identifiers and while most use an internal MRN (medical record number) you'd be surprised how many PBMs and providers still use SSN as an identifier!

If the PS3/Linux situation is any indication, Oculus users will get a $5 coupon and facebook will be able to continue operating like normal. Kinda like Sony/Playstation did. There are a ton of examples of where what should have been an easy win for the consumer ended up being a boon for the company despite loosing a class action lawsuit. Just kinda how it works with our system it seems.

Now if only they'd cancel white supremacist talks. Maybe judging by this it's on the radar.

I've been here before from another industry! In my case we were already working extremely lean but we were extremely profitable. However, a larger industry that we essentially "work for" bought us out as they expanded their business. They liked we worked lean they said. A couple of years after the buyout we were lumped into a group of similar (but not really) focused companies. Being the only profitable business out of the 4 we propped the other businesses up and still made profit for the whole group (over $1B total revenue). Unfortunately that didn't last very long when the other two companies in the group got hit by new regulations. Suddenly we hit the black as a group, not the red but it didn't matter at that point. Various poor decisions and a few pissed off clients later that once proud 2k employee business is nothing but a name of a 15 person business unit that's riding remaining contracts and whatever legal loopholes the old business license might still allow.

I wonder how many laptops got confiscated by the TSA/Boarder Patrol when arriving back on US shores.

While there are times I wish I had one, my work speaks for itself. Don't get me wrong; life would have been easier and I probably could slack off more (my experience with degree'd IT people) and easily get away with it.

Not having a degree does mean you have to work harder and gain more experience. It helps to have people along your career that can vouch for you as well. I started my first 'corporate' job as a Tech Support rep. Worked there until I became a Senior Systems Engineer (6yr) and then moved onto my current job as an IT Manager by knowing the Owners of this company through my experience with the last. I've also gotten to know many in the healthcare and general technology industry.

Generally; as long as you work hard, know the right people and can easily prove your strengths you should be able to get a job just about anywhere. The more you bullshit the less likely you are to get a job. Most people in the industry that are worth a grain of salt can detect BS a mile away.