Resources and upgrades:

• Energy refills, XP, battle items, Catamins, non-discounted single-capsule draws, Uberfest and Epicfest are generally considered an inefficient use of Cat Food.
  
• Every month, there will be a few days during which every 11-capsule draw will guarantee at least one Uber Rare Cat (don't worry, the game will indicate whenever the Guaranteed Uber event is active); these events are what you want to save up your Cat Food for.
  
• Since Uberfest and Epicfest have higher Uber drop rates but are never guaranteed, save your Rare Cat Tickets for them.
  
• Always unlock units received from Rare Cat Capsules for the first time. Exchanging even duplicates for XP is a waste, as after clearing Into the Future Chapter 3, you will be able to exchange units for another currency called NP, which is far more valuable than XP.
  
• You can "use" duplicate Capsule units to give them + levels, which are equivalent to standard levels but have a separate caps. Normal Cats are capped at level 20, so + levels are the only to upgrade them past that point.
  
• Get every Superior Treasure from all three Empire of Cats chapters as soon as possible. It may be tedious, but there's no way around it without missing out on massive upgrades like +300% Worker Cat efficiency and +150% Cat HP/damage.
  
• The most important Treasures from Into the Future are the anti-Alien crystals, which massively reduce unstarred Alien stats (by default, unstarred Aliens have a 7x multiplier applied to their health and damage; an example of how this works is that an Alien with 1,000,000 HP would have 7,000,000 without Treasures). The anti-Starred Alien crystal Treasures from Cats of the Cosmos work the same, but are even more impactful, as Starred Aliens are instead up to 16x stronger without Treasures. The Alien stats shown on fan sites are what they have with all Treasures maxed.
  
• Unstarred Aliens do not appear in Stories of Legend until sub-chapter 25, Scars of War, while Starred Aliens start to appear in sub-chapter 43, Area 22.
  
• Raising your User Rank will eventually unlock higher level caps for most units. By User Rank 1610, the only units that won't be able to reach level 30 are the Normal Cats and some limited units, which can't reach level 30 no matter what, and the Crazed Cats, which have to wait until User Rank 3650.
  

Stages and strategies:

• One of the most important and widely-used strategies in the game is "meatshielding" - that is, spamming cheap units like Cat, Tank Cat and Boogie Cat to delay the enemies' advance and protect more valuable units from harm. Starting from Empire of Cats Chapter 3, stage 48, three meatshields will be ideal for most stages; buy Boogie Cat if you don't have a third yet.
  
• Everything in the game can be beaten with no Ubers nor continues. If a stage ever feels downright impossible to clear without these, you're either doing something wrong or not ready for it yet.
  
• While it may not sound like a big deal, a meatshield dying in two hits instead of one makes all the difference when it comes to stalling enemies. If the meatshields in a guidemaker's video are surviving a hit but yours aren't, yours are most likely underleveled.
  
• Though it's not completely unheard of for PONOS to make existing stages and enemies more difficult, it is an incredibly rare occurrence. Generally speaking, even a guide posted in 2012 will remain just as effective 12 years later.
  
• Be prepared to look up characters' stats online a lot, as it's not like the game is going to tell you anything. Using resources such as the wiki, mygamatoto and Battle Cats DB is the only to know exactly how much each stat improves with evolution, what outranges what, which units deal the most damage to which enemies, and so on, unless you'd rather figure it out on your own through trial and error. For example, the midway boss of Into the Future Chapter 1, I.M. Phace, has 366 range, surpassing almost every non-Uber attacker and anti-Alien unit you would have by that point; some of the most effective units to bring the first time you meet him are Dragon Cat (400 range) and Bahamut Cat (450 range), but if you don't look any of that up, you're just going to be trying the stage over and over again with different units to see what works.
  
• In Legend Stages, tap the speech bubble next to a sub-chapteevent's name to see the available rewards and whether or not a Treasure Radar can be used to obtain them, among other info.
  
• Level 3 and 4 Stories of Legend stages don't mess around! While there is an exclusive Special Cat obtained by beating all of Level 4 SoL, you don't have to worry about her until pretty far into the game.
  
• Zombie Outbreaks are much harder than the normal stages of each chapter, so beginner-level players can generally ignore them in favor of Treasure farming. Once you're strong enough to take them on, go for it - each completed Zombie Outbreak awards 10 Cat Food, and each time you clear all Outbreaks in a chapter, your maximum energy will permanently increase by 50.
  

Cats and enemies:

• Even without Area Attack, Lizard Cat can put in a lot of work in early- to mid-game stages, especially when stacked. He outranges all enemies found in Empire of Cats and Into the Future except for Le'boin, Ms. Sign, Nyandam, Cli-One, Le'noir, Alpacky and Elder Sloth.
  
• Most Rare and Super Rare Cats with anti-trait abilities are only useful against said traits (e.g. Apple Cat is good for freezing Red enemies, but useless for anything else), although there are key exceptions such as Courier Cat, Swimmer Cat, Hip Hop Cat and Vaulter Cat. Likewise, most Critical Hitters are too weak to deal much damage against non-Metal enemies.
  
• All Ubers from the Nekoluga Family are effectively useless in their first forms. Even after evolving at level 10, they still suffer from very poor survivability by Uber standards, making them dead meat as soon as any threatening enemy reaches them.
  
• Most units just get stronger or stay the same in their evolved forms, but there are some cases where reverting to an earlier form could be worthwhile, specifically when it comes to Uber Rare Cats. The Dark Heroes generally don't improve in stats as they evolve, but instead switch abilities and/or targeted traits. The Ultra Souls, Elemental Pixies and most of the Uberfest exclusives are cheaper and recharge quicker in their first forms, at the cost of having lower overall stats and weakefewer abilities than their evolved forms.
  
• The "Ancient Egg" units obtained from certain stages and events are just overpriced meatshields in their first two forms, but evolve into near-completely different units in True Form. The best and most important Ancient Egg to evolve is unanimously agreed to be Ancient Egg: N101, which is obtained by clearing five stages from the Behemoth Culling events (Hidden Forest of Gapra, Ashvini Desert and Jinfore Volcano) for the first time.
  
• Tin Cat, Cat Gunslinger and pre-True Form Flower Cat are some of the easiest anti-Black units to obtain, but are all single-target, leaving them nearly useless against hordes of Black enemies. Until you unlock Flower Cat's True Form, one of the most reliable strategies for most Black enemies is to spam lots of strong Area Attack units like Salon Cat, Weightlifter Cat, Figure Skating Cats and Crazed Bird Cat.
  
• One of the first Black enemies you'll encounter, Assassin Bear has jaw-dropping range and DPS, but a measly 550 HP (for comparison, that's only 50 more than Baa Baa, a peon). Most of the time, simply firing the Cat Cannon is enough to be rid of him; there are a few stages where Assassin Bears are given massive buffs and/or spammed, but you can always get around them by just destroying the enemy base before they spawn.
  
• Cyclone Stages are the main source of anti-Metal cats. While the Cyclones may seem unstoppable at first, most of them are easily countered by units that can slow them, freeze them, or knock them back. For example, Red Cyclone is a Red/Floating enemy, so the main strategy against it is to spam units like Pirate Cat, Witch Cat, Apple Cat, Shaman Cat and Bishop Cat. The only ones that require a different approach are The Perfect Cyclone and Aku Cyclone.
  
• As the name implies, Traitless enemies literally do not have any trait (i.e. there are no enemies that are Traitless/Floating, Traitless/Red, etc.). Similarly, Angel and Aku enemies are never considered Floating, with one exception: Variety Bears/Bears Be Back, a monthly event enemy with six traits.
  
• Metal enemies have low health compared to other foes, but only take 1 damage from non-Critical attacks. A good early-game Critical Hit unit is Space Cat, which outranges most Metal enemies and can be obtained by beating the Red Cyclone's event, Crimson Catastrophe, which appears every Monday. Space Cat and Jurassic Cat are really the only Critters you need until SoL sub-chapter 33, Quarantine Isles.
  
• Starred Aliens' Barriers can only be destroyed by a Barrier Breaker, the Breakerblast Cannon, or a single attack that deals at least as much damage as the Barrier's HP. Some enemies' Barriers are too resilient for most non-Uber cats to destroy through raw damage, in which case you'll have to resort to using a Barrier Breaker or Breakerblast.
  
• If enemy stats don't seem to match up with what you find online, this is because of a little something called strength magnification. In each stage, enemies are applied a different multiplier to their HP, attack power and Shield HP, which can result in many key interaction changes, such as an enemy taking three hits to kill Tank Cat in one stage and two hits in the next. For instance, Doge, Snache and Those Guys only appear at 100% strength magnification in Empire of Cats Chapter 1, but are buffed to 200% in the first Stories of Legend stage, Earthshaker, doubling their HP and attack power. And no, there is no way to know the strength magnifications without looking them up.
  

Other:

• Post basic questions such as "Which of these units should I upgrade first?" and "Is this lineup good for where I'm at in the game?" as comments on the Weekly Discussion thread, which is always the very first post on the front page of battlecats.
  
• This community uses a lot of unofficial terminology to refer to units, stages, etc., which can get overwhelming very quickly. Luckily, I've made a master list of jargon to help you with exactly that.
  
• No offense if English isn't your first language, but please try to read carefully and pay close attention when giving and being given advice. A few too many people have been given misleading or downright wrong information all because someone confused Fisherman Cat with Fishman Cat, Cats in a Box with "Boxer Cat" (Welterweight Cat), etc.
  

Hi everyone.
I'm 34 years old and live in Canada with my wife and our 2 year old daughter.
I work for a Big 4 consulting firm and just yesterday, my boss asked if I'd be open to a transfer to our office in Dublin. The salary being offered is 120k EUR a year.
I haven't done enough research yet since it's very new, but it appears that my wife would also be able to apply for an employment permit as a dependent? If she is not able to find work, is 120k enough for the 3 of us to live comfortably? We don't live an extravagant lifestyle but want to live modestly, take a couple of vacations and have some left over to invest for retirement. We will be renting a home and I'm assuming will need a car. If my wife finds work, we will want daycare/preschool for our daughter.
Lastly, while we live in Canada, we're originally from India. We've spent the last 12 years outside India in the US and Canada so I want to say we're pretty well-adjusted to 'Western living', but is there anything to be concerned about from a racism standpoint?
Thank you!

Hi everyone.
I'm 34 years old and live in Canada with my wife and our 2 year old daughter.
I work for a Big 4 consulting firm and just yesterday, my boss asked if I'd be open to a transfer to our office in Dublin. The salary being offered is 120k EUR a year.
I haven't done enough research yet since it's very new, but it appears that my wife would also be able to apply for an employment permit as a dependent? If she is not able to find work, is 120k enough for the 3 of us to live comfortably? We don't live an extravagant lifestyle but want to live modestly, take a couple of vacations and have some left over to invest for retirement. We will be renting a home and I'm assuming will need a car. If my wife finds work, we will want daycare/preschool for our daughter.
Lastly, while we live in Canada, we're originally from India. We've spent the last 12 years outside India in the US and Canada so I want to say we're pretty well-adjusted to 'Western living', but is there anything to be concerned about from a racism standpoint?
Thank you!

This is third version of an FAQ first posted several years ago by u/watts52. The second version, posted by u/brassage is here. The primary changes have been to update links that have changed or are no longer active, and to add a few more resources and recent threads on the existing topics. Primary credit goes to u/watts52, the original poster.
This FAQ covers many common topics discussed on . All answers have been pulled from public sources and without any information covered by NDA. Error reports, additions, and clarifications welcome in the comments. (Last update 11 May 2024)

Foreign Service Super FAQ

1. How do I become a diplomat? How do I work in the foreign service? The best place to learn about this is in the Careers Section of the State Department website. Start here.
2. What are the differences among FSO, FSS, LNA, CF, CS, and EFM?

• Here is an excellent general overview. {HT: zzonkmiles}
• FSO - Foreign service officers are generalists who serve, usually abroad, in one of five different "cones" (career tracks). Learn more.
• FSS - Foreign service specialists "provide important technical, management, healthcare, or administrative services" at overseas posts Learn more.
• LNA - Limited Non-Career Appointments are opportunities ranging from 15 to 60 months in a handful of specialized areas. Learn more.
• CF - Consular fellows (a subset of LNAs) work alongside FSOs and primarily "adjudicate visas for foreign nationals." Learn more.
• CS - The civil service is a part of the State Department, but is not considered part of the foreign service. Most civil service jobs are based in DC, and this sub typically does not deal with issues related to the civil service. Learn more.
• EFM - Eligible Family members - these are family members (typically spouses) of FSOs or FSSs who work for the State Department at the same post as the FSO or FSS. EFM jobs are not always available and sometimes subject to hiring freezes.

1. Is the Foreign Service the same thing as the State Department? No, the State Department consists of the foreign service (employees who are typically overseas) and the civil service (all other employees who are typically serving in DC). In addition, the term "foreign service" may also include:

• the US Foreign Commercial Service in the Commerce department.
• the US Foreign Agricultural Service
• the US Agency for Global Media (formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors)
• the US Agency for International Development (USAID)

1. Where can I find answers to nearly any question I might have about getting in to the foreign service?

• This foreignservice sub (search archives)
• The FSOT Yahoo Group (search archives)
• The FSOA Yahoo Group (search archives) No longer in service. If anyone has an updated option, please comment, and I'll edit the post.
• Read the selection process brochure.
• The official State Department FAQ
• For FSS Applicants, the Foreign Service Specialist Careers Yahoo Group {HT: kaiserjoeicem}

1. Why should I consider the foreign service? Why not?

• Various reasons for joining.
• Here is a thread mostly involving reasons against joining.
• An FSO's reasons for leaving the foreign service. A more recent thread on why some former FS personnel resigned.
• Pros and Cons of the Foreign Service lifestyle.
• Pleasant surprises and biggest disappointments about life in the Foreign Service.
• Misconceptions about life in the Foreign Service.

FSO Career Tracks / Cones

1. Which cone is the best fit for me? Take the Career Track Quiz to find out. It's really important for you to pick a track that you have a passion for.
2. What are the differences among the cones? How do I choose a cone?

• Read summaries & detailed job descriptions of all the cones.
• Watch employee video interviews covering all different parts of the State Department, including all different FSO cones.
• Read these threads about job duties in each of the cones: Consular, Economic, Management, Political, Public Diplomacy
• A Day in the Life Series - Some of these are pretty tongue-in-cheek, but still insightful in their own ways.
  • Political Officer
  • Consular Officer
  • CONS - American Citizen Services
  • Economic Officer
  • ECON - Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer
  • Management Officer
  • Management - General Services Officer
  • Public Diplomacy - Press Officer
  • Diplomatic Security Special Agent
  • Diplomatic Security - Security Engineering Officer
  • Office Management Specialist

1. Which cone gives me the best chance of getting in? Which cones are hiring the most people right now? It depends on your background and your own desires and motivations, and it depends on the needs of the service. Even if we could tell you which cones are hiring the most people now, the hiring process can take one to three years and things may be different by the time you are eligible to receive a job offer. Do not make the mistake of choosing a cone based on what you think your "chances" are. Too many people make this mistake. If you choose a cone this way, you will probably find yourself in a job you dislike, and you'll have wasted a lot of time and energy "getting in" and you'll be looking for a way to be "getting out." Further discussion here...
2. Can I change cones? Would it be a good idea to come in as a Consular Officer and later switch to a Political Officer? In theory it's possible to change cones. In practice, it's difficult to do so, and you shouldn't plan on it. Some discussion here.
3. Can I choose one cone and then simply do out-of-cone work? Maybe, but that's a silly game to play and it's likely counterproductive to your other career and non-career goals. If you are really interested in one cone, choose that one when you apply. Too many applicants attempt to game the system by choosing an "easy" cone with some scheme to actually end up switching to or working in a different cone, but experienced FSOs on this sub have stated repeatedly that such schemes never really work out. That said, there is a lot of variety in foreign service work. Pick a cone that is of interest to you, and you will have plenty of opportunities to serve in different roles. More thoughts here and here.
4. I have a terrific idea for how to game the cone system that is not listed here. No, you don't. Somebody has already tried it and ended up being sad. Please don't try to game the system - it won't work the way you're hoping it will. Instead, just choose a cone based on your interests, talents, abilities, and passions, and work from there. You'll be happier and more successful in the long run.

Posts, Assignments, and Worldwide Availability

1. How do post assignments work?

• A great overview of 1st and 2nd tour bidding, post assignments, and language training
• First tour assignment thoughts
• First & Second tour bidding and More information, and more here.
• Second tour bidding
• Entry Level Office Management Specialist Bidding
• Bidding for third tour and beyond
• More mid-level bidding

1. I have an interest in working in country X or at least in a certain region of the world. How can I do that in the foreign service? During your first two tours, you're "directed" meaning you have a restricted list of places you might end up. Beyond that, you'll be responsible for finding your own assignments. It would not be uncommon for someone to develop regional expertise over time, but regional expertise doesn't mean you'd be bouncing between Paris and Geneva for the rest of your career. It's also easier to specialize in bigger countries or regions like the PRC or former Soviet Union than it is to specialize in smaller countries or niche sub-regions like Austria or the Gulf. Further discussion
2. I have a terrific idea for how to game the assignment system that is not listed here. No, you don't. Somebody has already tried it and ended up being sad. Please don't try to game the system - it won't work the way you're hoping it will. Instead, just be prepared to be "worldwide available" and understand that might mean Paris or Bangui, Caracas or Tashkent, Wellington or Bamako, Tijuana or Toronto. If you are not comfortable with that type of availability, this is not the career for you.
3. What are the popular or unpopular posts? It depends on the person, on the people you work with at a given post, and on environmental factors, among other things. A lot of people come in imagining they'd love working in a western European capital city only to find the cost of living, culture of the post, personality of their direct supervisor, commute to the office, or some other factor makes life less fun than it would've been if they'd simply visited that same city on vacation. Posts in other parts of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa or central Asia may have tighter-knit expat communities or post culture or better housing options or other benefits that make them more desirable for some people. One person's best post might be another person's worst. Many people on this sub have indicated that they've hated posts they expected to love and loved posts they expected to hate. One frequently mentioned bit of advice on this sub is not to think of Foreign Service posts as you would think of vacation destinations. Here is a good discussion of this topic. And here is a longer discussion of various posts that current or aspiring FSOs either like or don't like for various reasons.
4. Where can I learn about what life is like at different posts? Try reading these real post reports.

Hiring process

1. Why does the hiring process seem so opaque/confusing/mysterious/complicated? It's not really opaque, as State tells you exactly what they're looking for in candidates and provides study materials and resources for preparing for each stage. That said, a lot of candidates seem to feel frustrated or confused by the process for a variety of reasons. These may include:

• The process is long and does not offer immediate gratification. You should plan to move forward with life as usual and work through the foreign service hiring process in the background. There is simply a lot of waiting involved.
• Many candidates, surprisingly, seem not to follow directions and are then confused when they don't pass a certain stage of the process. By way of example, the instructions from the QEP about how to write personal narratives include the instruction, "Simple lists of accomplishments, recaps of candidates' resumes...are not effective." But one person did exactly this in the Leadership Skills essay and did not pass. This is not to say there are no other problems with this candidate's PNs, but if you make sure to follow each stage's instructions exactly, the process (and your results) won't seem so confusing.
• Many candidates, young and old, mistakenly assume that their work/life/school experience makes them more than qualified for an entry-level FSO role. In actuality, successful candidates translate that experience into the six precepts and thirteen dimensions during the QEP and FSOA stages, respectively.

1. How can I improve my chances of passing?

• FSOT - Be well-read on a diverse set of subjects, take the State Department reading list seriously, practice good test taking skills, know your English grammar perfectly, and be able to write in a clear and concise manner.
• QEP - Follow the directions exactly. Answer the questions exactly as written. Do not list your resume in bullet points. Do tell relevant (and verifiably true) stories. Have diverse life and work experiences that map easily to the job description of the cone you've selected and to the precept described in the essay prompt.
• FSOA - Practice, practice, practice ahead of time. Use the former Yahoo Group Files. Be relaxed and composed. Make every action and every word you use roll up into one or more of the 11 dimensions. Come across as someone that other people would want to work with. Smile. Oh, and practice.
• Security clearance - Before you get to the security clearance stage, make sure you've buttoned up everything you can think of, from past stupid behavior to credit reports to tax filings. Consider running a cheap background check on yourself. When filling out your SF-86, disclose everything. Don't make anything a surprise. When you meet with your investigator, disclose everything relevant to the questions and the time frames included. Make sure you understand what they're looking for and be proactive about bringing troublesome/questionable points to the investigator's attention.
• For all stages - read the instructions and do exactly what they are asking you to do, no more and no less. Do not try to guess what the examiners want to hear. They are telling you exactly what they want each time - whether it's demonstration of general knowledge and English expertise, clear and concise writing, demonstration of the six precepts, or demonstration of the thirteen dimensions. Whichever stage you're working through, assume that you're being graded according to a rubric that matches exactly to the instructions you're given.

1. Approximately what percentage of people pass each of the stages? No one outside State really knows exactly, and numbers can vary from year to year, depending on hiring projections, but based on various reports (example) and conjecture here are some approximate guesses. Feel free to disagree.

• Total number of people who take the FSOT in a given year: 17000, give or take. (Although in 2017, State reportedthe number had dropped to just 9519. This lower number, though, does not mean one's "chances" are any better or any worse this year.) Note that while these numbers are expressed as numerical percentages, they should not be interpreted as probabilities.
• FSOT - No longer pass/fail
• QEP - This can vary greatly based on the needs of the service by cone, the total number of applicants, and various other factors.
• FSOA - Approximately 40-50% pass
• Clearances, suitability & receiving an offer before timing off the register: 60-80%. Very few people are denied a security clearance (though getting the clearance may take a long time). More commonly, the people that pass the FSOA but do not become FSOs are those with low FSOA scores who time off the register after 18 months or those who choose to cancel their candidacy for one reason or another. Historically, about 2-3% of FSOT takers ended up as FSOs eventually.

1. How long will it take me to get through the process? Assuming everything goes perfectly, at least a year but possibly much longer. For example: if you take the FSOT today, it will be a couple of months before you get your results. You'll have three weeks to submit your essays to the QEP and then another couple months of waiting. You'll then have to schedule your oral assessment (another 2-4 month wait) and if you pass that, you'll enter the medical and security clearance stage which will take at least 6 months in most cases, but possibly much longer. (Yes, there are anectodal exceptions to all of the above.) You'll then go through final suitability review, which will take anywhere from a week to several months and only at that point will you be on the register. You will then have to wait for hiring to be authorized and to receive an offer. You'll be on the register for 18 months, and if you don't get an offer during that window of time, your candidacy will end. If an offer doesn't come through (or if you fail any of the steps of the process), you'll have to start over by taking the FSOT again the next time you're eligible. So if you take the FSOT today, the best case scenario would be for you to be joining the foreign service a little over a year from now, but a more likely scenario is that you'll be working through this process and doing a lot of waiting for a couple of years or more. Use the time productively - there's no benefit to sitting around and stressing over the what-ifs of State Department hiring.
2. How can I use my time productively?

• Learn a language to improve your register position
• Engage in meaningful work to improve your demonstration of the 11 dimensions.
• Start another candidacy in parallel. In most cases, you are allowed to take the FSOT once per year, so take it every time you have the opportunity.
• Take this advice.

1. What if I fail one of the stages? Then you are human and you've had an experience not unlike ~98% of applicants each year. If you're interested in the foreign service, try again. Some people have taken the test more than ten times and many of today's FSO's were hired on subsequent tries because they persisted and improved themselves each time.
2. Is there a hiring freeze? Should I wait to apply until after things return to normal? Whether there is a hiring freeze in effect or not doesn't matter. As one person said, "It'll take a long time from test to diplomat, so I don't think the temporal minutia will really matter by the time we're on the register." If you're interested in the Foreign Service, go take the test and get the process started. It's free. Worst case, you fail and you'll take the test another time (which is what you would've done if you had tried to wait out the hiring freeze). But it might be that you succeed and find yourself well-positioned on the register in time for the next big round of hiring.
3. Is there going to be an A-100 soon? Will [cone] spots be available? How should I interpret the remarks of [important person]? Are they really only going to hire [number] of people this year? I can't deal with the stress! Why are they making me put my life on hold? Why won't they extend my time on the register? How many people will retire/resign/take an early buyout this year? How many Rangel/Pickering fellows are there and what percentage of the jobs will they take? What is the status of [funding legislation in congress]? Does [random thing I read in the news] mean we should expect to see a new A-100 now? Why does FSI have training classes on their schedule if no invites have gone out yet? etc. As an exasperated someone humorously posted on another forum, "Seriously chill. Even if you were provided this information, which isn’t likely, it has no effect on whether there are spots left for you. Enough with trying to predict what happens this year. Wait it out like any job interview."

FSOT - The Foreign Service officer Test

1. What is the difference between the FSWE and the FSOT? The FSOT is the Foreign Service Officer Test. Its predecessor was the FSWE, the Foreign Service Written Exam, and is no longer administered. You can sign up to take the FSOT here.
2. What are my chances of passing? There is no way to know without trying. If you're interested, take the test and see how you do. People on this sub won't be able to tell you how you're likely to do, and if you try and fail and then try again, you may find that you perform better and pass the second (or third or fourth) time around. Remember: taking the test is free. (You only have to pay if you sign up and then fail to take the test.) So you have nothing to lose - get out there and give it a go.
3. How can I prepare?

• Take the practice test.
• Read the Suggested Reading List.
• Set your expectations that this process will take a long time. If you are just now getting ready to take the FSOT, chances are you will not be a new FSO next year at this time. Most people will not successfully become FSO's on their first try. But that doesn't mean you should give up! You will try, you will try again. You will need to maintain a positive attitude. You will need to be patient. Don't make Foreign Service your Plan A. Move on with life while you are working your way through the foreign service hiring process.

1. Where can I find more information about the FSOT? Try the FSOT Frequently Asked Questions on the Pearson site. (Pearson is currently the company that administers the FSOT and some of the subsequent steps of the hiring process.)

QEP - The Qualifications Evaluation Panel

1. What is the difference between the QEP and the PN's or the PNQ's? People use these acronyms to talk about the same part of the process, even though they mean different things. The QEP is the Qualifications Evaluation Panel, and its job is to evaluate, based on a set of short essays, the likelihood that someone who passed the FSOT will also pass the FSOA. FSOT passers write one essay (a "personal narrative" or "PN") for each of six prompts (each a "personal narrative question" or "PNQ").
2. When will I know if I made it to the QEP? You will get an email from Pearson a few weeks after the close of the FSOT testing window. Your results will also appear in your online account with Pearson. When you are notified that you made it to the QEP, you will have approximately three weeks to write your essays and submit them through the Pearson interface.

FSOA - The Foreign Service Oral Assessment

1. Where is the FSOA held? As of May 2024, it is now held virtually, over the course of two days.
2. When will I know if I made it to the FSOA? You will get an email from Pearson a few weeks after you submit your personal narratives to the QEP. Your results will also appear in your online account with Pearson. When you are notified that you made it to the FSOA, you will have the opportunity to schedule your FSOA date through the Pearson interface.
3. How can I prepare?

• The FSOA evaluates your demonstration of the 11 dimensions. Know them inside and out.
• Take advantage of the old Yahoo Group FSOA files.
• Contact your Diplomat in Residence, as many of them hold FSOA info sessions.

Clearances

1. What is the process for getting my security clearance?
   1. After you pass the FSOA, you will receive a packet of information describing how this process works. Basically, within 30 days you will fill out a lengthy questionnaire electronically on the e-QIP system. (Read e-QIP FAQs here.)
   2. The e-QIP is the electronic version of the "SF-86," a standard PDF/printable form with essentially the same questions. Although not necessary, some have recommended using a printed SF-86 form to collect all of your responses to the e-QIP and then transcribe them into the electronic system when you are ready. (The e-QIP system does allow you to save and return to work again later.) Start early: many have reported that tracking down all their foreign contacts or previous addresses has taken a long time.
   3. You will wait for a period of time (say between a few days and a few months) and then you will be contacted by an investigator from Diplomatic Security. You will set up an interview with him or her. The investigator will let you know if additional information is required; you can speed up the process by disclosing everything up front. Don't try to hide the negatives; be up front and transparent.
2. Will X affect my ability to get a clearance? It depends. Here are the guidelines.
3. What percentage of applicants are denied a security clearance? Only about 0.1% of initial cases, per the 2015 ODNI report. However the report notes State may discontinue security processing due to automatic disqualifiers found during a suitability review before the case reaches the security clearance adjudication phase. These cases are cancelled by Human Resources before security clearance determinations are rendered and are not, therefore, categorized as security clearance denials. {HT: Christabel34}

Register

1. Where can I find the shadow registers? How can I be added? What is my position on the register? Contact the volunteer maintaining the shadow register for your career track or specialty

Languages

1. Do I have to know a foreign language to be in the foreign service? No, but if you do know a language well, you will receive bonus points and may be hired before a similarly-qualified candidate without language ability. Also, every new FSO must learn a language within the first few years of service. You are on so-called "language probation" until you have passed the appropriate language exam. FSI will provide the language training for any language-designated position in which you are to serve.
2. How do language bonus points work? When you pass the FSOA, you will have a score, usually between about 5.3 and 6, though scores can be as high as 7. You will be ranked by score against other people in your cone, and the higher scores will be hired first. So if you have the highest score for your cone. The only way to improve your score (unless you are a veteran) is to pass a language test. Most languages will get you an additional .17 points if you can demonstrate a "general professional proficiency" on the Interagency Language Roundtable Scale. For examples of the level of proficiency you would need, watch these videos. Harder languages that are in higher demand by the State Department can get you either .25 or .38 points. A list of languages for which State offers bonus points is here. And this thread has some excellent advice on languages.
3. If I speak language X, will I get sent to a post where that language is needed? Not necessarily, unless you received language bonus points for a super critical needs language. In that latter case, you can expect to serve in a position designated for that language at least twice in your career. The super critical needs languages are listed in the bottom table on this page. But if you come in with a fluency in, say, Spanish (which is not a super critical needs language), there is no guarantee that you'll be sent to a Spanish-speaking post.

Life & Work in the Foreign Service

1. What is it like to find out what your next post will be? Read many flag day stories here.
2. How does pay work? How is my salary calculated? What allowances do I get? Read this excellent Foreign Service Officer Salary Guide. You can also look up information about various posts, but be advised that the data on this site is not necessarily official and may be out of date.
3. Will I be required to serve in an unaccompanied post? You are "worldwide available," so in theory it can happen. In practice, there are a lot of people who volunteer to serve in unaccompanied posts for various reasons, and it would be unlikely that you would be forced to serve in one if you didn't want to.
4. What is it like to be LGBT in the foreign service? Review GLIFAA's website and resources, read read real post reports, which have a specific section for LGBT info, by post and these threads - LGBT, Foreign Commercial Service LGBT, same sex marriage, Robyn McCutcheon's book about her career Foreign Service, including as the first trans FSO.

Will it help/hurt my chances if...

1. ...I have a graduate degree from a really good school with a high GPA or I have no degree at all? No, it really doesn't matter.
2. ...I did drugs or committed a crime or did something stupid a long time ago? It could hurt you, but it really depends on what you did, how you dealt with the problem, and what you've been doing since then. Go ahead and apply.
3. ...I did drugs or committed a crime or did something stupid recently? It could hurt you, and if you're continuing to show poor judgment in life, it's going to be next to impossible for you to join the foreign service. However, no one on this sub will be able to tell you definitively what your outcome is likely to be. Fix whatever it is and try again. You won't know if or how this will affect your candidacy unless you try.
4. ...I have dual citizenship? Your clearances will take longer, but it's not a deal breaker. Read details here.
5. **...I have a foreign-born spouse or I have many contacts overseas or I have lived overseas for a long time?**Same answer: your clearances will take longer, but it's not a deal breaker. Read details here and here.

Miscellaneous

1. What happens after I receive my Orientation offer? Orientation 101 is the initial training class you take when you officially start work in the foreign service. Congratulations! It is a time of a lot of changes. Here is a description of what happens.
2. How can I become an Ambassador? You probably won't become an ambassador, and it's not worth the brain cycles to try to plan for it. But even if you have the right set of skills, knowledge, and luck through a career spanning many decades and you end up as an ambassador, you will still have spent far more time as a rank-and-file career employee than as an ambassador. So make sure you are interested, first and foremost, in the job and lifestyle of a foreign service officer, which is where you will spend the entirety of your career.
3. I am outraged over what the President / Secretary / someone else in power just said / did! Nothing wrong with feeling outrage, but what you do with that feeling may matter. And while you may dissent through the appropriate (private) channel, no matter who is in power and no matter who you voted for, your duty as a foreign service officer is to publicly advance the interests of the U.S. As a simplistic example, take a look at who came in first or second in the presidential elections going back ~20 years. Any of them could've been your boss (with small differences in electoral returns for the runners-up, of course): B. Clinton, Dole, Bush, Gore, Kerry, McCain, Obama, Romney, H. Clinton, Trump. Those individuals hold a pretty diverse set of policy views, and the next twenty years of presidential elections will probably result in a similarly diverse list. So if you want to be in the foreign service, think of your job as representing the U.S. regardless of who is in power. If you can see yourself representing the U.S. when person A is in power but not when person B is in power, this may not be the best career for you in the long run.

Additional Resources

• Department of State Careers
• Global Community Liaison Office
• American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
  • Foreign Service Journal
  • AFSA's Foreign Service Statistics page
  • Foreign Service by the Numbers
• Tales from a Small Planet
• Path to Foreign Service
• American Diplomat podcast
• Modern American Diplomacy podcast

Hey, guys!
I'm currently working in an onsite job. I received a great remote job offer and I accepted it. Obviously, my boss isn't happy with that, and he gave me a speech on how remote work is not viable for engineers.
Of course, I just proceeded with my resignation. However, I'm curious to know about your experience with remote work. I'm not from the US, but I want to understand the worldwide trend. Do you think that remote opportunities are going to increase, or is my boss correct? Will companies end it?

HR Manager here, United States. Context: I work in a small organization (between 250-500). We have a handful of executives that I have worked with for several years, including my boss. Succession planning puts me in line for my boss's job upon their retirement in a few years, provided I have the majority vote from the team of execs. I'm confident in the votes of everyone I've worked with for since my arrival. I have glowing performance reviews from my boss as well.
We recently hired a new executive who has been with us for less than six months. We met yesterday, ostensibly to discuss recruitment for an open role and disciplinary action towards a direct report, but things took a turn.
In the middle of me making suggestions for recruitment, they got visibly frustrated and sighed and said, "Can I give you some feedback?" Alarm bells go off in my head but of course I say "Sure."
They proceed to tell me that they've been disappointed in my performance and list three things:

1. A small error on their very first check months ago. I don't process payroll; my direct report does. Neither of us caught it during our audits because we would have had to calculate by hand to find the mistake. It was an error in our payroll system that had never occurred before, so we didn't know to look out for it. We apologized and it was rectified on the next check, and new processes have been implemented to ensure it doesn't happen again to anyone else's first check. (By the way, two checks later the exec told me "they hadn't been paid" and after I spent ten minutes in a heart attack checking things on our end, they said "never mind, it got deposited early so I didn't notice it," in a ha-ha sort of way, no apology for not checking first or anything.)
   
2. In our org hiring managers do their own resume sorting/phone interviews/ interviews, yes, even execs. I understand many companies don't do it this way but we have since long before my time. It's not my decision to change this. To try and go above and beyond, I offered to help this exec with recruitment for a previous role and did phone interviews. (Yes, this is a no good deed thing). I had a decent conversation with one person out of the list of six I was given, but apparently he bombed the panel interview (which we also usually don't do, only at this exec's insistence), and apparently this is my fault because I wasn't right about him. They then said, regarding the current role we're recruiting for, "well if it were me, I'd drive over to the college career center and walk in and ask to post this internship..." implying I wasn't doing enough by calling, emailing, and posting the job online.
   
3. We had an issue with the exec's profile with a vendor, and the vendor requires the person themselves to call to rectify it. The vendor blamed the issue on an incorrect birthdate having been transferred over from the payroll system. Here's the thing though - we do an online onboarding where the new employee enters their personal information themselves. If it was wrong, it was either a file error, the exec entering it wrong themselves, or the vendor making something up to cover their tracks, but the exec will not understand this. They just said "so, don't know how THAT happened..." in my head I'm like well it was either you or the vendor, but obviously you think it's me, or you wouldn't be bringing this up!
   

I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't keep a fully straight face and teared up a little (I'm also recovering from a minor outpatient medical procedure and haven't been feeling well, so that didn't help, and yes the exec knew about it). They then changed tracks and said "well I see I'm upsetting you so I'll stop," and then turned it around onto how "my runway at the organization is long" and it's up to me, "I know you can do it." From "your performance is poor" to "inspiration mode!" in like three seconds flat.
I emailed my boss a breakdown of this and they called me almost immediately, flabbergasted. Not only were they not informed of the other exec's intentions to bring these things up, they completely disagreed with items 2 and 3 being "my fault" or a result of poor performance at all.
So, am I out of line in seeing this as highly inappropriate? For the exec to turn a meeting about other people into criticizing my performance, without the knowledge or consent of my boss (who was on PTO), and to make it completely and totally about them? If they had pointed out how my performance was negatively affecting others I might feel differently. It seems disrespectful to my boss and it felt extremely manipulative, with them implying I had to please them in order to get my boss' job. Factually not true, by the way, if I still have the majority vote. No other execs have ever complained about my performance. Am I off base or right to view it this way? Any recommendations on next steps?

Direct Messages: Direct messages regarding this post will not be read and will result in blocking.
Comment Requirements: Comments that miss a particular, key element mentioned in this post will result in the commenter not being considered for the project and may result in blocking. I will insta-block you if you make out like you have read the post and it is clear that you have not.
Central Theme: Zim as the chaotic mastermind behind a wildly dysfunctional city that is a Civilization VI & Cities Skylines mashup, with Dib desperately trying to restore order.
Comic Book Page Layout (note, panels 1 and 2 can be swapped):

1. Panel 1 - Zim's Introduction:
   • Description: Show Zim from the front or side, close up at, unbeknownst at this point to the viewer, his control panel, dramatically saying one of his scheming declarations ("Behold my masterful urban chaos!", "I shall rewrite history and traffic laws!" or "With a flick of my switch, empires fall and traffic jams... rise!" or other like that). I am thinking it should be shown first.
   • Purpose: This panel sets the tone and introduces Zim as the central antagonist, highlighting his delight in chaos. It focuses on his expression and excitement, drawing viewers into the story.
2. Panel 2 - Dib's Reaction:
   • Description: Dib is depicted within a chaotic city or urban environment from Civilization VI, appearing panicked/overwhelmed/frustrated/determined/bewildered (not sure which) and trying to manage the mayhem. Wonders from Civ VI are visible in the background. Maybe only one? I am not sure what Dib should be saying. Perhaps "Not again! Why does it always have to be city-wide chaos?", "This can't be good... even for Zim's standards!" (<-not this one if shown first) or "I knew I should've stayed in bed today..."
   • Purpose: If shown second, this panel reveals the impact of Zim's actions, adding tension and narrative depth. If shown first, it creates suspense and engages viewers by making them question the cause of the chaos.
3. Panel 3 - GIR's Antics:
   • Description: GIR humorously claims a huge sized role in the chaos, with a speech bubble like "I'm the mayor of everything!" or "I'm the boss of all the buildings!" or something else GIR-like. Perhaps he is interacting with a Wonder, too, to drive home the fact that this is a Civ VI mashup.
   • Purpose: Adds a layer of humour and showcases GIR's chaotic innocence amidst the havoc.
4. Panel 4 - Full Scene Reveal:
   • Description: A wider shot from behind or to the rear-and-side of Zim at his control panel, with screens showing both the game-like world and its chaotic scenes, including Dib and GIR. Show the in-game game HUD over the main screen. The HUD should not be dominant, should feel like a natural inclusion into the piece (so with a more alien design than the standard Civ VI or Cities: Skylines HUD). It basically only needs to be there as a way to drive home the tie in the piece has to Civ VI and add to the user wondering whether Dib is actually inside a game or if it is the real world. He should be exclaiming something, perhaps ""As the puppet master, I control the fate of empires and the flow of your so-called traffic!", "Witness my ultimate conquest! This world bends to my will!" or "Marvel at my strategic brilliance! I turn civilizations into playgrounds and playgrounds into chaos!"
   • Purpose: This final panel reveals the overarching scenario --- Zim manipulating these events as if they were part of a video game, tying all previous panels together into a cohesive narrative. The user might even wonder if Dib is inside a game or if Zim is altering the real world from his control panel.

Art Style and Detail Expectations:

• Budget Consideration: As long as it remains within the stated budget, I am open to the idea of the artwork being spread across two canvases if it enhances the overall visual impact. Artists who feel that a larger space could better serve the project’s needs should feel free to propose how they would utilize the additional canvas, ensuring the total cost remains within the budget limits.
• Preferred Style: Aim for a dynamic, expressive style akin to "Invader Zim," rich in bold lines and vibrant colours. Open to variations that maintain the energetic essence of the theme. I would highly prefer the style in the image I have posted to my profile. Note that it doesn't have to have that level of detail.
• Atmosphere: The piece should be lively and chaotic, yet humorously so, capturing the cartoonish essence of a villain's scheme gone awry in a video game world.
• Easter Egg: To test if you are reading this, include (do not draw attention to it, I will notice it even if you don't, just stick with how the following example places it where it doesn't make sense) a one-word bathroom item (e.g., towel, paste, brush, floss, soap, shaver) in the middle of your comment. Do not comment about this rule other than to place the word appropriately. For example, "I would love to create this artwork for you as I love Invader soap Zim and know exactly how I should stylise their gesture!"
• Detail Distribution: Each panel should carry consistent detail, adapted to fit the broader narrative scope of the scene. Emphasis on key elements to maintain visual interest and storytelling clarity. See the image posted on my profile for a visual guide.
• Printing Size: This artwork will be printed on an 18 x 12 inch canvas. Also will be used as a desktop wallpaper (I will rearrange the panels to use it as a desktop wallpaper). It does not need to be detailed enough for said size. It is ok to look good for a print size (eg, paint it with the detail/time-taken for an equivalently priced normal sized piece, but at the resolution of what I am asking for. If that doesn't make sense, let me know)
• Focus Areas: Emphasise Zim's reactions, Dib's challenges, and GIR's mischievous impact, ensuring these elements draw and retain viewer attention.
• Reference: For a visual guide, refer to the fanart piece posted on my profile. It illustrates the desired level of dynamism and expressiveness. Note that it doesn't have to have that level of detail.

Other Notes:

• Orientation: Portrait orientation to enhance the sequential flow of the panels. This orientation supports a top-to-bottom progression that aligns with the unfolding story, making it more intuitive for the viewer to follow the sequence from Zim’s initial action, through the chaotic scenarios, to the final reveal.
• Scene Flow: Open to swapping panels 1 and 2 if it improves narrative flow. Initial thoughts lean towards starting with Zim to align with the show’s style.
• Communication: Please only engage through comments for discussions. Direct messages about this post will not be read and will lead to blocking.
• Recording: Something that will strongly sway me is if you are comfortable with recording the piece being made as you create it and uploading it privately to YouTube (I don't care if it is small, e.g., 360p). Once commissioned, communication methods such as direct messages or email are good to be used to share such links privately.
• Your Process: Please briefly describe your commission and artistic process in your comment to provide insight into how you plan to approach this project.
• Time to Produce: Please give me an ETC (ETA).

Direct Messages: Direct messages regarding this post will not be read and will result in blocking.
Comment Requirements: Comments that miss a particular, key element mentioned in this post will result in the commenter not being considered for the project and may result in blocking. I will insta-block you if you make out like you have read the post and it is clear that you have not.
Central Theme: Zim as the chaotic mastermind behind a wildly dysfunctional city that is a Civilization VI & Cities Skylines mashup, with Dib desperately trying to restore order.
Comic Book Page Layout (note, panels 1 and 2 can be swapped):

1. Panel 1 - Zim's Introduction:
   • Description: Show Zim from the front or side, close up at, unbeknownst at this point to the viewer, his control panel, dramatically saying one of his scheming declarations ("Behold my masterful urban chaos!", "I shall rewrite history and traffic laws!" or "With a flick of my switch, empires fall and traffic jams... rise!" or other like that). I am thinking it should be shown first.
   • Purpose: This panel sets the tone and introduces Zim as the central antagonist, highlighting his delight in chaos. It focuses on his expression and excitement, drawing viewers into the story.
2. Panel 2 - Dib's Reaction:
   • Description: Dib is depicted within a chaotic city or urban environment from Civilization VI, appearing panicked/overwhelmed/frustrated/determined/bewildered (not sure which) and trying to manage the mayhem. Wonders from Civ VI are visible in the background. Maybe only one? I am not sure what Dib should be saying. Perhaps "Not again! Why does it always have to be city-wide chaos?", "This can't be good... even for Zim's standards!" (<-not this one if shown first) or "I knew I should've stayed in bed today..."
   • Purpose: If shown second, this panel reveals the impact of Zim's actions, adding tension and narrative depth. If shown first, it creates suspense and engages viewers by making them question the cause of the chaos.
3. Panel 3 - GIR's Antics:
   • Description: GIR humorously claims a huge sized role in the chaos, with a speech bubble like "I'm the mayor of everything!" or "I'm the boss of all the buildings!" or something else GIR-like. Perhaps he is interacting with a Wonder, too, to drive home the fact that this is a Civ VI mashup.
   • Purpose: Adds a layer of humour and showcases GIR's chaotic innocence amidst the havoc.
4. Panel 4 - Full Scene Reveal:
   • Description: A wider shot from behind or to the rear-and-side of Zim at his control panel, with screens showing both the game-like world and its chaotic scenes, including Dib and GIR. Show the in-game game HUD over the main screen. The HUD should not be dominant, should feel like a natural inclusion into the piece (so with a more alien design than the standard Civ VI or Cities: Skylines HUD). It basically only needs to be there as a way to drive home the tie in the piece has to Civ VI and add to the user wondering whether Dib is actually inside a game or if it is the real world. He should be exclaiming something, perhaps ""As the puppet master, I control the fate of empires and the flow of your so-called traffic!", "Witness my ultimate conquest! This world bends to my will!" or "Marvel at my strategic brilliance! I turn civilizations into playgrounds and playgrounds into chaos!"
   • Purpose: This final panel reveals the overarching scenario --- Zim manipulating these events as if they were part of a video game, tying all previous panels together into a cohesive narrative. The user might even wonder if Dib is inside a game or if Zim is altering the real world from his control panel.

Art Style and Detail Expectations:

• Budget Consideration: As long as it remains within the stated budget, I am open to the idea of the artwork being spread across two canvases if it enhances the overall visual impact. Artists who feel that a larger space could better serve the project’s needs should feel free to propose how they would utilize the additional canvas, ensuring the total cost remains within the budget limits.
• Preferred Style: Aim for a dynamic, expressive style akin to "Invader Zim," rich in bold lines and vibrant colours. Open to variations that maintain the energetic essence of the theme. I would highly prefer the style in the image I have posted to my profile. Note that it doesn't have to have that level of detail.
• Atmosphere: The piece should be lively and chaotic, yet humorously so, capturing the cartoonish essence of a villain's scheme gone awry in a video game world.
• Easter Egg: To test if you are reading this, include (do not draw attention to it, I will notice it even if you don't, just stick with how the following example places it where it doesn't make sense) a one-word bathroom item (e.g., towel, paste, brush, floss, soap, shaver) in the middle of your comment. Do not comment about this rule other than to place the word appropriately. For example, "I would love to create this artwork for you as I love Invader soap Zim and know exactly how I should stylise their gesture!"
• Detail Distribution: Each panel should carry consistent detail, adapted to fit the broader narrative scope of the scene. Emphasis on key elements to maintain visual interest and storytelling clarity. See the image posted on my profile for a visual guide.
• Printing Size: This artwork will be printed on an 18 x 12 inch canvas. Also will be used as a desktop wallpaper (I will rearrange the panels to use it as a desktop wallpaper). It does not need to be detailed enough for said size. It is ok to look good for a print size (eg, paint it with the detail/time-taken for an equivalently priced normal sized piece, but at the resolution of what I am asking for. If that doesn't make sense, let me know)
• Focus Areas: Emphasise Zim's reactions, Dib's challenges, and GIR's mischievous impact, ensuring these elements draw and retain viewer attention.
• Reference: For a visual guide, refer to the fanart piece posted on my profile. It illustrates the desired level of dynamism and expressiveness. Note that it doesn't have to have that level of detail.

Other Notes:

• Orientation: Portrait orientation to enhance the sequential flow of the panels. This orientation supports a top-to-bottom progression that aligns with the unfolding story, making it more intuitive for the viewer to follow the sequence from Zim’s initial action, through the chaotic scenarios, to the final reveal.
• Scene Flow: Open to swapping panels 1 and 2 if it improves narrative flow. Initial thoughts lean towards starting with Zim to align with the show’s style.
• Communication: Please only engage through comments for discussions. Direct messages about this post will not be read and will lead to blocking.
• Recording: Something that will strongly sway me is if you are comfortable with recording the piece being made as you create it and uploading it privately to YouTube (I don't care if it is small, e.g., 360p). Once commissioned, communication methods such as direct messages or email are good to be used to share such links privately.
• Your Process: Please briefly describe your commission and artistic process in your comment to provide insight into how you plan to approach this project.
• Time to Produce: Please give me an ETC (ETA).

This is very long even after summarizing my experience.
I bounced the idea of making a throwaway account back and forth, but I settled posting on my main because I want to look back on this post in the future. Like a diary of sorts on my experience with all of this grief. Due to this, I have to be somewhat vague to avoid accidentally doxxing myself to family/friends.
Quick background: My dad has not been physically healthy for a long time. He smoked a lot while I was growing up. Had an unhealthy diet and stopped being active when he got older. He had a huge list of different health problems and has had many prescriptions (that he didn't take). He also had a cynical and negative attitude most of the time. I found some prescriptions for depression so he probably had that as well.
 
A few years ago, my dad suffered a stroke so my mother became his primary caretaker. He recovered after rehabilitation... for the most part. His mobility and fine motor skills were drastically reduced. His speech was alright, but I could tell it was different. His mind, from what I could tell, was still there. I remember him expressing frustration at one of the Dark Souls games because he couldn't beat some boss. I never said this out loud to anyone, but I worried that there would be a time that he won't ever get to. I pushed the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to think about it.
Since the stroke, he stopped playing video games and doing many things he used to enjoy. When I visited every week or so, he was either asleep, shuffling up and down the hallway to 'stay fit', or at the table getting his shots or being fed. This was the 'new normal', and it was this way for a while.
Over time, he became distressingly thin and it was hard to see my once strong dad wither away before my eyes. For the past few weeks, he was sleeping so much. My mom told me that he couldn't go out and check the mail anymore as he was too much of a fall risk.
I... I regret pushing the uncomfortable and stressful feelings out of my head for so long... as if ignoring it and pretending that everything was fine was going to make it fine. It was only when I noticed that he was mostly in bed asleep that I started to become very stressed. Reality was getting harder to ignore as other things in my life at the time were going wrong all at once. The stress made me act in a way that I am not proud of. I had to get emergency therapy and medication. Both things seemed to help get me away from the crisis.
 
I got a text from my mother a day later from my therapy session. She discovered that my dad was 'acting weird', so she called emergency services and he was rushed to the hospital. They found a blood clot in his brain, they operated on him, and now he was in the ICU. I went to go see him.
He looked worse than I've ever seen him, but he was alive and he was talking even though he had difficulty saying certain words, phrases, his birth year... ect. . My mother asked him who I was, and he said my name confidently. I'm guessing he might have had some memory loss if she asked him that.
My mother told me to ask him how he was doing, and I curtly responded to her along the lines of, 'I can see that he's not doing well'. My dad turned his head to the side away from me and I immediately felt deep regret. I asked how he was feeling instead of how he was doing, as if the word change made things different. He said that he was fine. Don't worry about it.
When my mother left the ICU to do... something, I squeezed his hand, told him I love him. I'm not sure if he heard me... because he started to say how loud the hospital was. ...I couldn't bring myself to say it again for some God awful reason... probably because my mother walked back in. I always had issues talking about my feelings out loud. My immediate family always has. Another regret I now have. I stuck around for about an hour.
That night I went to work and spoke to a coworker about how worried I was, but at the time... I felt fairly confident that he was going to recover, go back home soon, and find a 'new normal'. After work, I thought about visiting... but the emotional toll and poor sleep made me exhausted and I slightly struggled to drive home, so I went to bed early which I now... very deeply regret.
 
A few hours later while I slept, my mother texted that he suffered a seizure and now wouldn't open his eyes and he wasn't being responsive. There was a large... event (keeping it vague) happening at work that I was assigned for, so I told her that I wasn't sure that I would be able to come right away since I might not be replaceable. I let my supervisors know, and they said they could cover for me... telling me that 'that's what they're for'.
When I arrived at the hospital... shit. I thought he couldn't look any worse than what he did yesterday. Now, his eyes were closed, mouth agape... snoring, and occasionally making hiccup like noises a few times every hour or so. It didn't feel real and it looked wrong. It was then that my poor decision to get some sleep really hit me. If I had gone right after work, that would have been the last time I saw him alive and talking. ...Of course, I didn't know that at the time, but I should have known better.
My mother, who was very tired, asked me to stay in the hospital. To be honest, I kind of wanted to bail. I didn't want to see him like this... but I was already guilty about not visiting after work and me leaving would devastate my mom... so I stayed around ten or so hours so my mom could get some sleep. While I was there, I sat in a chair nearby, watched some YouTube, Discord'd my partner, and watched some graphs I couldn't understand. By then, the hospital had all these different leads attached to my father's head that was measuring all sorts of different things. The graph looked almost flat with some bumps. I looked online and saw that these bumps should be more like hills.
... I also regret not asking my partner if they wanted to be in the hospital with me, as my father was also their father-figure after their own dad died around a decade ago. I feel like ass and that I am an ass.
...Even when I had the room to myself and my dad, I still couldn't get myself to talk to him. I know it was a stupid thing to think now (given the timeline of events), but at the time it felt like I would be talking to myself... that he wouldn't be able to hear me anyways. That I was just going to cause myself more unnecessary stress on top of actual stress. At least I did at times hold his hand. Squeezed it. Wishing he would open his eyes.
Of course, in hindsight, I read that sometimes patients in comas do sometimes hear their loved ones talking to them. ...I very much regret not doing so. I was in denial. I should have done what some of the stories I read did. Talk to him. Reminisce about all the good times we had. That I loved him. Now I worry he left this world not knowing how much I love him... or left him wondering if I ever did.
When my mom got back, the hospital staff began the difficult discussion of either moving him to hospice care and focus on comfort since his labs were getting worse and he was showing no signs of improvement... or, if it was alright... move him to more advanced life-support... such as inserting a tube down his neck or something. My mind was checking out. My mother asked me what I thought, and I instantly thought of how my dad just... slept all the time now. Didn't express any future goals. No longer had any hobbies. If this was me, I wouldn't want them to work on me anymore just for me to go back to do... seemingly nothing.
Though, to be fair, I did try to talk about these things (wishes, funeral, ect.) to my dad a long time ago, but he didn't want to approach the subject at all and kept dismissing both my mother and I. Guess I'm more like my dad than I thought. My partner thinks he felt too scared to talk about such things.
My mother told me that it was now my turn to go home to sleep. ...Yet another thing that I now regret, as a few hours later... he died. She later told me that before he died, he opened his eyes and looked at her, but didn't say anything. I read that hearing and touch were some of the last things to go... of course... after the bloody fact. I had all this time over the years and didn't prepare myself at all. I wish I knew what he was thinking, if he was really seeing my mother, or saw something else... or was wondering where I went.
I'm conflicted. I want to be there to see him go, but I know if he looked at me and then died, I would be seriously fucked up. ...Now I think it would be better to have just... been there when it was time. Again, in hindsight... I should have suggested my mother to tell hospital staff to give him at least one more day. To give him at least more of a chance. More reget... what's one more regret on top of a pile of regrets?
My life partner tells me that they absolutely knew that I would eventually beat myself up over all of this, and says that with the information I had at the time, I did the best I could. I wish I could believe them.
 
I spent some time clearing his room (mostly clothes) while my mom worked on the paperwork part of everything to make room for some of the junk. Before all this, she was preparing my old room for a guest who was going to be there for a while, so there was a lot of junk in my old room that had been building over the years since I moved out. While digging around in his drawers, I found a metal container that had miscellaneous documents in it... and an envelope dated in 1994 that said 'open in case of my death', signed dad... it had a lock of his hair. I ugly cried. I showed my mom... who seemed to not be very interested in what I found. I got very annoyed and later hid the container. I will find a solution on how to display this hair safely later.
Much later on sometime around the viewing on a different day, she told me that on the way to the ICU when staff was rolling him on the stretcher, he kept 'reaching behind him' to make sure my mom was there and following. ...This both distressed and angered me, as if I had known this story before... I would have said to give him life support. This made me and still makes me bitter. It will probably make me bitter for a really long time.
Me and my mother's coping mechanisms are not the same. She uses hard work, religion, and her very wide network of friends and family to help her through. I want to take things slow, mostly confide in strangers online, and I'm not particularly religious. ...I want to believe in an afterlife and that my father, despite all of his flaws, is in a 'good place' now. I really do... but I can't without some sort of proof. I want so badly the comfort to believe that once my own time comes, I will see my family again... but I can't. I don't even know if his ghost is floating around watching us cry. I just know that he's gone and not coming back.
I admit, while nice to have... I don't care about the assets or money. If I was told I would get my dad back if I said no to these things, I would.
The viewing. ...Well, I knew it was my dad in the coffin and the mortuary guy did a good job of making him look 'like he was sleeping', I kept hearing people say. ...I didn't take his hand this time, as I rather remember the feel of his living hand than his dead one. The coffin I picked out for him was perfect. No regrets there, at least. My mom used an early picture of him when I was young, then a much older picture of my dad when he was a young man. It deadass looked like three different men there. My dad didn't age gracefully.
The funeral itself was wonderful. I don't usually record things, but I recorded as much as I could as I know my memory of it is going to fade. This got me thinking into VHS to digital preservation, something that I wanted to do years ago but didn't because of time, money, and then I forgot about it. Well, VHS is degrading and I fear I don't have much time left. My father is in some of those tapes. I have to preserve them before it's too late.
Ah, I deviated a bit. Sorry.
After the service, well, I can't get into too much detail but for the burial itself, it was just me and my partner watching the coffin get lowered into the ground. I recorded that too. My mother; however, had... other priorities and thus wasn't at the burial, which made me really mad and I was venting to my partner. We weren't allowed to get close as the burial dudes were using heavy machinery. There was a strange sense of 'final' once I saw his coffin disappear.
...His loss very much hurts, I assure you... but I'm glad his body is finally resting in a good place. At first, he didn't want to go to the hospital. Then when he got stable, staff was discussing bringing him downstairs out of ICU. Seizure. ...Then before he was moved upstairs to hospice, he died. He seemingly didn't want to go anywhere anymore. I wish I knew what he wanted, if he wanted to stay as long as he could or to... let him go. I know he said to 'not worry about it', but that's all I can do. For weeks I've been stressed. My heart hurts sometimes. I'm depressed, though honestly I think unsubscribing isn't an option for me anymore... my dad didn't go out that way, and if some of these legends are correct... if I do, I might not be able to... 'see him again', or my mother... or my partner once they all go. Or something like that.
If anyone wants to give advice, it's welcomed. I mostly made this post to get my thoughts out onto... something. Then, one day, I'll go back in my post history and read this. Future me, I hope you're in a better place... because right now it sucks. I keep crying on and off and would rather eat and sleep. I nearly gained all my weight back. I haven't played any video games. I don't want to go anywhere, but I have to go make money. ...Life can't wait for me. My partner depends on me.
I'm starting to rant, and I could go on, but I better cut this short and get some sleep. Thank you for reading this far.
Daddy, I don't know if there's an afterlife or what and I know you weren't really religious either, but I hope... hell, I pray that you know that I love you. If you remember me by the time I die, I'll come find you. If that's how all this works, anyways, because I have no idea.

How do these people exist? How is their view of themselves so fucking twisted? How do they blame everyone around them?
I helped him so much. I tolerated so much. I allowed him to discipline my kids. That part hurts the most by far. I trusted him. He let me down so many times and I still gave him a chance. I cried and cried, for years, for weeks at a time, while he ignored me and made me feel like I was nothing to him.
I paid all our bills for an entire year just to get told my job wasn't full time since I work on the weekend. Uh hello, it's literally 40 hours in 3 days instead of 5, meaning I'm actually working harder so fuck off!
I bought him a truck, spent over a thousand paying for his birthday. Did he ever do thaf for me? Hell no.
I bought us a home, used my retirement to put a down payment because he had no savings. He overdrafted repeatedly knowing I'd have to pay those fees. He gave me a hard time when I was in between jobs after leaving mine due to sexual harassment. He kept saying I needed to get a job. He never helped me with one single mortgage payment. I went thru my 10k of savings paying the bills when I had no job and he did.
He quit his job the day I left mine, saying his boss pissed him off by calling him a baby when announcing his birthday to a group of people. What a fucking child. I see now that he did that on purpose. He was mad I quit my job, even tho there was a man harassing me and others who were bullying me for turning this person in. He just had to be the center of attention. He wasn't gonna pay our bills. No fucking way.
I will never listen to peoples words again. Actions are all the matters. I wish I had seen that when I met him. I wish we never fucking met

Hi, I've been thinking about this question and would like some outside opinions because I feel like I have to be missing something. I also don't want to ask a bunch of coworkers and come off as dissing the teacher.
I'm a teacher aide in two second grade classrooms in a Choice private school. I did go to school to be a teacher. I completed everything except one 10 week student teaching (but I made up the credits and graduated). I've worked at those school for about 3.5 years. 1.5 were spent with K4. This is my second year in 2nd grade.
Backstory: My one teacher is chronically absent. She is being forced to retire after this school year. Her back and legs are causing hee so much pain she can't come to school and work. I've been the only constant presence for these kids these last 6 months. My teacher has only been a full time teacher her for about 7 years. She subbed for a lot of her life. I end up teaching a lot, although it's been awesome having subs on most days as of late. I take care of most of the stuff in the classroom and come in early and stay late to try to make sure everything is as it should be.
She basically doesn't use the school's science or English curriculum. We have a new math curriculum (we used to use Saxon until we couldn't get any more physical books. Now we have Math Expressions), but she doesn't teach it as intended. She doesn't use a lot of the materials that came with it.
For English, our school uses Shirely which is what I grew up with. The student books are still in storage. The student workbook are in their desks, unused. They have only used the sentence books, but she doesn't teach it the Shirely way. These kids will go on to 3rd grade... behind. She thinks they have to master each part of speech before doing sentences. It never occurred to her that we could go through them... as a class. I never even knew where the TE book was until like a week ago. I'm not even convinced she knows how to do it. She uses tons of superteacher worksheets and random ones she finds online. Sometimes the answer key isn't right. Some of the stuff is confusing. Instead of using the Shirely songs and videos, she picks random stuff from on YouTube.
For science, she doesn't use the book. She prints off all these black and white packets that the kids frequently lose. Lots of repetitive questions. Everything is writing stuff out that frankly feels like wastes of time sometimes because by the time everyone has the answers down, a chunk of the kids are now talking, making noises, and distracting each other. Sometimes I don't even know what the question is asking either. Sometimes the answer isn't actually in the text (and it's not an opinion or inference question).
I've talked a little with one of subs (who taught in the upper grades for many years at the school), and she clearly thinks that not using the English curriculm is wrong. On the days she's there, it's like she makes it her mission to teach how they should be taught.
Math is now being taught by the other 2nd grade teacher. We are units behind with only a couple weeks left and won't be able to finish the book. There were too many days spent not doing lessons or using materials not from the curriculum (which they didn't master. They are still very much struggling).
I just don't understand. How do you not know where you NEED to be if at all possible? If you are picking random topics for science, how do you know you are meeting standards? All of this goes against everything I was taught in college. If the kids were thriving, I wouldn't be worried. They aren't though.
And FWIW, the other teacher doesn't use the curriculum for social studies either, and I can't say I understand. That retired teacher sub doesn't even agree with some of the stuff in these worksheets (like money being an example of scarcity).
I very much try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I naturally believe they know better than me, so I hate saying anything. Am I missing something or is/was my teacher just not great at teaching? She feels like the kind of teachers I grew up with in the 90s and early 00s, although my teachers were better I think. I understand supplementing with materials every once in a while... or if the book is missing a lot of stuff. But never using the curriculum and it's worksheets? Or using it only a quarter of the way so that it appears to confuse the kids so it must not work? To be clear, I've never heard them talk about the curriculum being awful or old or anything.
I'll say this because I feel like someone may ask, we don't have anyone in charge of curriculum or looking over lesson plans. They submit their block plans to the drive I think, but I'm pretty sure they aren't looked at.

I've been seeing so many posts on here about everyone's band director leaving the school and the news happened to break at the same time that one of my high school band directors is retiring and his last concert was last night (I've known about this for a week now).
But so many alumni came back to the concert to watch him conduct one last time and I stayed for the banquet to hear his speech.
The head band director did his best not to choke up but couldn't get many words out. The one retiring chocked up at the end of his speech.
I always had some kind of insult to say to him (this has been going on since High School of him and I insulting each other) so I'm like "Thank goodness I don't have to put up with you anymore!" And he said "I bet you're happy!"
But he has had a tremendous impact on me, my sister and everyone else who he mentored and just today it finally started to hit me. Like I knew this day was eventually going to come but It still got to me, I'm gonna miss him very much.
I did invite him to my last Marching exhibition we do for the high school kids every year and he said he'll think about going since he'll have a lot more time on his hands.

I’m 46yo and made a big career switch in 2020 from a technical leadership role to one in sales/account leadership. I was miserable in a BIG job with a Fortune 100 (in meetings with CEO on occasion, leading global strategy, etc) but the pandemic hit and it all felt meaningless. Like the world is on fire and I’m rearranging deck chairs on the titanic (with near daily 4am meetings to accommodate global time zones), while my mental health is out of control and I’m using substances to manage it all. I took a four month leave of absence and came back knowing I needed to change jobs else I’d be right back where I started. Company was awesome during that time. Networked with people jn my company (and time zone) and landed a role as a VP of Strategic Healthcare Partnerships and really enjoyed it and had huge success. But then company had a massive layoff eo2023 and my role was eliminated.
Took time off but then a former boss reached out and offered me a similar role at my now company and after four months unemployed (by choice - could have started earlier) I started this role in April 2023. Even bigger (fortune 50, global) I knew some of the cultural challenges but my boss was awesome and knew she was making good changes in that area and seen as a rockstar at the company. The shitty culture got to her and she left in November 2023.
I HATE my job. Sure, money is good but I’m miserable and I feel like all I do is make healthcare more expensive which is 100% opposite of my value system (I’m quite bearish on capitalism in general and also fully believe the private/for-profit sector needs to get out of healthcare in the USA)
I’ve got a couple options right now: A) stay at current role (which is fairly easy but time and travel intensive but I’m miserable) and look for a new role at current company (unlikely to do something I’d enjoy without moving which is out of the question for at least four years). Suck it up for another 4y when I qualify for some long term $ and can prob retire early. B) go out on disability for mental health (my healthcare team is willing to do the documentation to make this happen) for a few months to keep my insurance (high deductible which I’ve fulfilled this year) C) accept a role that’s been offered to me at a small local startup. Well funded, aligns with my values…likely to be sold in 1.5-2y as part of their exit plan. Role is back in a technical leadership role which I’m qualified for but don’t particularly love…but it’s necessary to get the product onto markets in various countries. This role would set me up to go back into tech consulting which would allow me tons of flexibility in pre- and post-retirement age D) quit altogether and take a year off (insurance via my wife) and live off of savings to really help my mental health.
What are your thoughts? What would you do?

if you asked me a year ago if i wanted to be an SLP i would have said HELL. NO. i was so depressed during my CF year- first working in a SNF, then switched to a school setting (in person). equally terrible. my mental health was the worst it had ever been & i was desperately looking for a way out of the field. i would sit in my car & cry before & after work every single day. it was bad.
well, i stuck it out & got licensed/CCC’s (almost threw the towel in MULTIPLE times). while this felt good, i was still miserable because i knew i had to be an SLP. i took 2 months off after getting licensed (i could swing this financially) because i was mentally exhausted.
i made a list of what i wanted in a career. a better work life balance, no commute/shorter commute, no micromanaging, etc. i spent a lot of money on this fancy degree, so i decided i needed to put it to use somehow.
enter teletherapy. i decided to give it a shot. and let me tell you, it was the BEST decision for me. i work teletherapy on tuesday-thursday (22.5 hours a week), W2 w benefits, $50 an hour. yes, it’s still speech, yes, i get drained being in sessions all day, BUT-

• i’m home. i have no commute in the morning, besides going down for some coffee and going up to my office. this leaves me more time in the morning to workout & get my day started.
  
• i get to hang w my cats all day
  
• i get to each lunch at HOME!
  
• i can do chores on breaks. which i normally did after a 40 min commute from my previous jobs. same with dinner. i walk to my kitchen at 330 after work & get dinner started.
  
• no seeing my bosses face in person everyday, no extra school duties that have nothing to do w my job
  
• no making small talk all day long (yes im introverted)
  
• i have more time for paperwork & i honestly feel way more organized with everything being at home. i have all my materials right on my desk. everything is digital. i love it
  
• as a whole, my work life balance improved tremendously
  

now since i only work Tues-Thurs at this job (my choice) i use Monday and Friday to work PRN at the SNF w my previous company, W2 for $60/hr. i left on good terms, the full time SNF life was just not for me. but with PRN, i go in on MY terms, see my patients & leave. if i want to take a long weekend, i can. need extra money? i can have all the hours i want. also gonna pick up some private tele clients on those days as well eventually. also use my SNF job to work over school breaks.
yes, there’s still stress with this job. do i LOVE being an SLP? no. but its a paycheck, & i genuinely feel blessed now with my situation. but boy did i go through the trenches first. i also got my anxiety under control with the help of zoloft, which im not ashamed of admitting!
point being, if you’re in your CF year or just hate your job as an SLP, please know that we are in such demand, & you CAN have a better situation for yourself. we really can create our own schedules if we want to.
i know WFH isn’t for everyone, but it drastically changed my life for the better. there definitely needs to be boundaries, but in my opinion it’s SO. MUCH. BETTER.
please feel free to PM me if you want to talk! believe me i’m the first to understand the stress of this field, but i promise it can get better.

Thursday, we found out my husband's job is at risk. I don't know how we got here and I feel like I can't breathe or function. Two months ago, his boss, who is about to retire, came to him and told him she felt confident she could have his promotion finalized before she left. His new boss started shortly after that and everything has gone downhill since.
Wednesday he had a performance review with both bosses and everything was fine. Then the new boss scheduled a follow-up for Thursday with just herself and had all these seemingly bullshit reasons for how he isn't cutting it, etc, and it's obviously bullshit because he's been the go-to guy in his division for 5 years since he started working there. He meets with HR (he's an executive, so it's like the top of HR for his division so she's in the know). She basically said that she suspects his new boss is trying to turn over the entire team and bring her people on and there's nothing that can be done. She (HR) also said because his new boss's style is so terrible she will not last long, but unfortunately this is not a low level position so they invested a lot of money to bring her on.
I am so anxious I can hardly function. I don't know how to mom. I hate mother's day because every year it's something awful. 2022 is was (trigger warning!!!!!) a sexual assault by a massage therapist just before. 2023 I got strep throat and ended up almost dying and then hospitalized from an ear infection. I know he will find another job but finances will be really tight and we would likely have to move far away. I hate the idea of uprooting my kids' lives, etc.
I feel like I've failed him because I have PTSD from the assault and a chronic illness and, when they first met, he talked about his family and told her I dealt with some health issues (it's a healthcare company) and she alluded in her Thursday meeting that she worried about his ability to juggle his career and having "so much on his plate." I feel like I failed my kids. My older daughter is not my husband's biological daughter because her dad abandoned her and things were really hard for a while for us two, and she's been through so much change. She's really close to my parents, too, so I hate the idea of moving away from the people that have been stable in her life. I hate that I have no control over any of it because I'm at home with the kids. I haven't been eating or sleeping. This has triggered some serious stuff from before I even met him that I didn't even realize was still there. I won't see my therapist until the week after next and I feel like I can't even function right now.
Anyway, I just needed to vent because I have no one to talk to all day but children. If anyone has been through anything similar and has advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Sparkle distributing her suspicious buttons. Man she's really fun. I hope next mission we'll uncover her story and what that button for. My guess is to help them waking up? Also who does she work for?
The thing of trapping everyone in a sweet dream resembles a lot with project Adam(?) in hi3.
My favorite part is when TB takes up the watchmaker's hat, continuing blazing their predecessor's trail. The whole scene really moved me and I cried a bit when Misha departed. The whole Misha story is really good, although the reveal is not that surprising.
Those Firefly scenes with Blade man. They give some life to stellaron hunters, it's nice seeing them outside of the seriousness of main missions.
I was relieved when the boss fight finished quickly. The aftermath also felt rushed and there are a lot of loose ends, unexplained parts. But it's fine, I'd hate it to face another annoying boss like before. The credit rolling, damn it's a dream.
I wasn't really excited about our cowboy at first, but after seeing him this patch and his shooting stance I think I'll wait for his rerun (Robin took all my jades). Also he's actually a nice guy. I also love when he said Galaxy Rangers will heed his summon, I thought damn this group is full of badass people. A bit disappointed though that we only see the meteor and not the rangers themselves. I imagined there would be some landing scenes ala Avengers.
Is that a honkai impact soundtrack!? Witnessing Tiernan's fate, also Acheron name drop, is she related to the Mei we know? I think it's just similar name as she said to Welt before she's not who Welt thought. Acheron speech, Acheron cutting the dream, TB falling, the crew assemble.
The boss fight is really amazing. We got a cool trial character, also there are a lot of help from the other crew. The express do be hitting really hard. This is definitely more fun than the previous one. The music is inspiring, it feels like we're beating some sense into Sunday. The animation is so sick, Robin entrance with the express, the assist from other people, when Sunday touches the hand in the sky. The final cutscene is also amazing, Sunday falling, Robin hugging, Sparkle waking up, Black Swan amidst the confused people like she's a disaster first responder. Also where Firefly?

A few minutes after I step out of the office and into the streets of the city I live in I find myself walking past various people on a busy street. I am a decent distance away from the office and I have the ability to truly appreciate the assorted abilities I purchased.
My enhanced senses, which with every passing second grow incrementally stronger, allow me to fully soak in how powerfully alive a city is. I can hear the sounds of everything from insects hiding away in small crevices and cracks where they hope to be undisturbed by humans, to the whispered conversations people not far from me are having as they walk ahead of or behind me. I can see the seams of clothes worn by people around me even from a distance, including seeing them in their full, true breadth of color, colors beyond what I can name and identify.
I can feel the changes in the location of nearby air caused by people moving around me. If I shut my eyes I could effortlessly navigate this place, as busy as it is without sight. And the smells... Well, the smells are a lot less pleasant than everything else, but my sensitivity to them is still something that astounds me. The active simulation of my senses serves as training, and this makes even the act of walking around serve as something that will slowly morph and change me for the better.
I allow myself to wander, gaining valuable experience all the while, as I turn inward and glance at my class menu. My class menu right now only has three options for me to choose from and they are pretty basic: mage, rogue, and fighter.
Mage is the default magic class, and the first "Class ability", one of the main draws of the "Class" mechanic in the first place; abilities that every class offers those who invest in them, with new options becoming available whenever you level up, it offers me is a simple and minor boost to my ability to regenerate magical energy. Rogue is the default subtlety class and it has not been selected so I can't yet determine what basic "Class ability" it offers me at first level. With a simple burst of focus and intent I switch my active class to rogue, after dealing with "Tutorial Sprite", and I feel myself gain a very minor boost to my ability to be unnoticed so long as I am standing still and an increase to the effectiveness of subtle actions I take, like trying to pickpocket somebody.
I repeat this again to make my class "Fighter" and I am surprised to see a text box appear that asks me to pick a "Fighting Style". I get the chance to pick a single buff out of several, all of which relate to fighting in various ways. I ultimately pick a buff that strengthens my unarmed strikes, since barring something truly horrible I'll always have my hands ready to go in a battle.
I switch my active class back to that of a mage, after dealing with "Tutorial Sprite" once more. As I continue to explore the city I mentally muse about the sorts of actions it'll take for me to actually other classes. I saw a few examples in the description of the actual perk description back when I was selecting it, so I know that if I behave as something that is usually enough for me to gain it as a class, but that raises some interesting questions in the context of classes like "Ranger", "Monk", "Paladin" and other fantasy RPG classes. Perhaps I can't unlock them in this jump? That'd be a bit boring, honestly, but it'd at least give me something to look forward to, I guess.
I quickly reach into my inventory and pull out my phone, though the gestures I do to mask this are to reach into my pocket and "withdraw" it from there. I effortlessly and deftly navigate the thing as I begin to venture a touch farther from my home than I'd like. I'm about to turn around when I spot a decently large gym in the distance. This makes me smile, and I use my phone to check out how much money I have in my bank account.
I have a few hundred dollars to my name and nothing else of value. Funnily enough prior to my time in this jump having just a few hundred dollars would worry me a bit but I actually just smile at the sight of the funds I currently have. This is for two reasons: it's more than I had back on my homeworld, but also it's more than enough since I'm staying in an apartment where the first month of rent has already been paid and I don't need to eat or drink. I elect to head to the gym and to see if I can gain a class or two tonight. As I walk I install several social media apps on my phone and set up accounts for the sake of making it easier for me to establish a social media presence later. I still need to do stuff like take pictures though...
In minutes I am in the gym's store and I feel the eyes of several people on me. At this point I've already done the minor stuff like signing up for the gym and paying registration, which I did by interacting with a beefy-looking gym employee who was happy to get my personal details. I am studying the available outfits, looking for the ones that will draw the most attention.
I'm hot now, why not flaunt it? My charisma is one of my most handy stats, and I can train it as easily as I can train my other stuff, so I should. In future jumps being able to attract followers could be life-saving, and in this jump being able to attract new friends will make the days pass by quicker. I grab a few different combinations of clothes, a towel, and a water bottle, as well as a duffel bag. The pants and shirts I pick are clothes that will emphasize my lean build, as I don't have anything like a bruiser or berserker's body type but the wry, lean build of someone who focuses on skill more than raw power. The size of the clothes actually doesn't matter, thanks to a trait from "Inventory" which will automatically resize things I equip, like clothes, to fit me when I store them away.
I take the stuff I've decided to purchase to a cashier and she rings me up while studying me. She is a cute looking but young, late teens young, blonde girl who skillfully takes my goods and scans them.
"So are you new in town?" She asks. "I've never seen you before and most of the people who bother shopping here are regulars." She adds. I laugh lightly and nod at her.
"Yep! I work over in downtown and I decided to check out the rest of the city. I was looking for a gym and saw this one so I figured I'd become a member. This is the closest gym to my work." I remark, probably inaccurately. She nods as she hears me talk. Her name is Jasmine according to the name tag on her uniform. She and I exchange more small talk before she tells me how much I owe her. The amount is almost one hundred dollars which is a bit less pleasant than I'd hoped, but not such a bad price it dissuades me from buying the stuff. She takes my card, does the stuff to get it to pay off what I owe her, and gives it back to me with a receipt. I thank her for her time, tell her I'll see her around and make my way to the gym's locker room while I put my stuff into my new bag.
The place is tight and I can smell the scent of sweat, dirt, and other unpleasant stuff. It's not fun, but a part of my perk that improves my senses is that unpleasant sensations do not have the same delibating effects on me that they would on others. This allows me to tolerate it even as I study my surroundings and look for security cameras. I manage to spot a few so I make my way to the men's bathroom which is connected to the locker room, check for cameras and this time I find none. I reach into the duffel bag I have purchased for myself and I grab the clothes I placed in them, immediately click the resulting notification away, stuff them in my inventory, and then touch my own clothes and store them away in my inventory.
I immediately equip my new outfit, a pair of red pants and a tight blue shirt. I don't bother admiring myself but I do take a quick picture so I have something for social media to hint at my newfound nature as a gym rat. This gives me a "Photography" skill, which I fully plan to take advantage of over the course of this jump. I walk over to the locker room and pretend to store my duffel bag in a locker I was given as part of my package for being a member of the gym. Once my duffel bag is safely in my inventory I shut the locker door and head out to the main floor of the gym, exiting the locker room out a different way than the way I came in.
I step into a large area filled with a multitude of machines for cardio workers, many of which are occupied by various people. Professional trainers stand next to some of the people working out and encourage them while cautiously watching to make sure they don't hurt themselves. Next to some of the areas where people are working out are glass walls showing various studios for classes like Zumba and other sorts of dance-heavy methods of getting workouts. I study the sheets on the glass walls of those rooms, looking to see if any classes are happening soon. I grin when I see a Zumba class that is less than five minutes from starting, in a room where a handsome and fit Latin man is idly stretching. He is being watched by several women, some of whom look at him unwholesomely. I walk over to the place where the participants in the Zumba class are gathering or stretching, uploading the picture I took to different sites and apps at the same time, while I enter the studio, grinning almost uncontrollably as I appreciate the wisdom of choosing The Devil's Own Luck as one of my perks.
______________________________________________________________________________________ Juan is the first of the room's inhabitants to notice the newcomer. The figure steps into the room and immediately begins to approach the instructor, a large grin on his face as he walks over to the middle of the class.
The striking figure has an air that is passively attention-getting and as Juan studies him the man turns his light eyes on the Zumba instructor. The two figures appraise each other as Lucas approaches the instructor and asks him if this is the classroom for Zumba. Juan grins at him and tells him to go ahead and pick a spot in the room. Lucas thanks him and picks a spot close to the glass wall of the room so that way the eyes that got glued to him when he walked through the large gymnasium can continue to appreciate him.
Lucas has movie-star looks but they are wholesome movie-star looks. He looks like the sort of figure that a big studio would hire to star in rom-coms, rather than a sort of strikingly sexy figure who might appear in modeling campaigns or as the star of action movies. His looks aren't designed to attract anyone seeking a specific type of attractive person, aside from maybe a wholesome boy next door type allowed to age and mature a touch. This gives him a generalized level of attractiveness that many, regardless of their gender, sex, or sexuality, would be able to admire, and that several people in the gym are currently admiring.
Juan is not surprised when a few more people enter the studio last minute. The instructor wonders whether Lucas will be a net negative or a net positive for him in the weeks to come if he becomes a regular at the gym and in the class...
"Bienvenidos mi gente!" The instructor shouts as the six-thirty class begins. Multiple people, including Lucas, return the greeting, with Lucas surprising multiple people by returning it in accent-neutral Spanish. Juan gives his pre-class spiel, all about working out at a pace the individual exerciser is comfortable with and about the importance of staying hydrated, and the class, for the most part, listens attentively. Juan then presses a button on a small remote control in his palm which turns on the music.
"Alright class, let's start off nice and slow with some stretches." The instructor says, his voice naturally carrying across the room. He guides the class in a series of simple, light stretches to an instrumental song that combines elements of hip-hop and some other genres. Lucas is able to keep up with this hilariously easily, and the man smiles all the while. There is a look on his face of serene and calm joy, one which he keeps up as the music shifts and Juan begins to guide the class in a simple dance. Lucas keeps up and even feels his mind adjusting to the music and to his instructor's rhythmic moves, emulating the same grace and dexterity as the instructor thanks to a number of perks mixing together and allowing him to move with quite literally supernatural ease.
As the music plays Lucas gains a new skill, "Dancing", and as he trains and hones this skill he is powerfully aware of the impact of several perks that work in conjunction. "Super Sensory", "The Devil's Own Luck", "Well Of Wisdom", and "Beautiful Mind" work with "Jack Of All Trades", "Experience Booster" "Master of All" and "Skills" to hone Lucas's instincts and ability to predict what Juan will do next. He matches the instructor move for move even halfway through the song, and when the song comes to an end the instructor is smiling at the young dancer. In Lucas's mind time freezes when he gets a notification alerting him that he's earned a new class: "Dancer". Internally the young jumper cheers in excitement as he clicks off the notification and makes the class his "active" class, which grants him a bonus to his agility.
The music seamlessly transitions into the next song, and Lucas watches the instructor while gracefully freestyling a series of idle, low-energy moves that still make him look good. Juan watches the man and gets the sense that Lucas is a veteran dancer, which is closer to the truth than most people would suspect when glancing at Lucas either pre-chain or now if he wasn't moving. When Juan begins to dance Lucas immediately replicates him, and the for the next hour the two dance. There are other dancers in the room, some of them are actually quite good, but none of them can match Lucas or Juan.
The two dancers are on another level, and Lucas's mind is hungry to absorb as much as he can, to learn as much as he is able about his own body and what sort of physical limits exist, right now, for the newly liberated performer. Lucas delights in having a body that can move the way he wants it to, and he gains enough experience to level up, time itself freezing for a brief moment about three-quarters of the way through the class. Lucas internally grins with delight when he gets to pick a new class ability.
The way this process works visually is that as time freezes three text boxes appear in front of the dancer. Each one denotes a new ability or buff that the figure could earn. In this case each of the options is a fully new skill or ability rather than a simple buff.
One ensures that once per day a dance can be performed that will be rewarded in some way, with the reward depending on the quality of the dancing and the means of the audience. Another option is an ability to incorporate dancing into one's strikes which makes them harder to predict or block akin to Capoeira, and the last one is a strange ability that allows Lucas to infuse his performance skill with his charisma, which will massively increase how good a dancer the athletic office worker could be. Each of these skills is radically different and Lucas allows time to be frozen while he makes his decision.
Lucas could take advantage of this early moment to gain a new way to interact with his environment, he could get a nice boost to his ability to defend himself, or he could lean into his build... He ultimately opts to give himself a bit of a secret tool in combat, deciding to invest in his long term security, rather than doubling down on what he knows he can do well. Time resumes and he continues dancing.
For several minutes after the class comes to an end he is badgered by people who saw him dancing. He politely answers questions, exchanges names and contact information, and he even gets formally introduced to Juan Romero, the class's instructor. The two have a short, somewhat awkward conversation, wherein Lucas senses Juan's interest in him but also the fact that the figure doesn't love being upstaged in his own class. Lucas doesn't blame him for having come to that conclusion since Lucas was undeniably the better dancer. It's not Juan's fault that "Jack of All Trades" gives Lucas the knowledge and base skills of an average Zumba instructor, and then Lucas's other perks push him past that. Still, Lucas remains polite and thanks the instructor for a good lesson before he decides he's had enough exercise for the night.
In minutes Lucas, still wearing his somewhat skimpy outfit, is out of the gym and slowly making his way back home. The apartment is over an hour away walking at a brisk pace, but Lucas is happy to walk, since that's a thing he can do now. The fit gamer walks through the now artificially illuminated streets of the city armed with his handy mini-map. The figure diligently studies the map as he cautiously, patiently explores his new home, noting the occasional appearance of icons of different colors which is a signifier that they have different relationships to him than either being his friend, or neutral towards him. During this time the man familiarizes himself with this world's social media scene, and he is happy to note the immediate popularity he has garnered thanks to his first post being a thirst trap.
"If 'catfishes' exist in this world so many people are gonna try and use pictures of me..." The man mutters at one point, all while navigating the roads of the city like he was born here.
The next few minutes pass by in a blur, with the figure only stopping for a beat to pick up some groceries. Once he gets enough ingredients for a few simple meals so he can see if he can earn a skill, if not a class, he returns to the streets of the city. A scant few minutes later he deposits the items he purchased into his inventory and finishes walking to the rundown apartment building where his new home is located.
_______________________________________________________________________________________ I step into my apartment after walking up a small flight of stairs and curiously study the cramped, only somewhat livable space. It's a studio apartment outfitted with a very small handful of furniture pieces, namely a bed, a small chair, and a tiny table that is covered in different outfits, my outfits. It has a kitchen, which is thankfully fully outfitted with older looking but hopefully functional pieces of kitchen equipment, which I plan to cook in new utensils that I purchased earlier tonight. I close the door behind me and opt to make sure I fully understand my living situation by walking over to the one door in the apartment that doesn't just lead back outside, and I open it only to see a dirty, unpleasant looking bathroom.
"Well I'm getting what I paid for..." I complain as I realize that if I ever want company over, of any sort, I'll need to clean this place up. I close the door to the bathroom and opt to take stock of my situation.
On the bright side: I have an apartment all to myself and that's always nice. On the not-so-bright-side my apartment is a rundown mess and actually cleaning it won't be fun, plus for any of my furniture to not be generic as hell I will need to invest some of my hard earned money into this place, and right now I'm hardly wealthy. But if I look back on the bright side again... it seems that all sorts of activities earn me skills and classes, so there's probably opportunity to be had here.
I decide to tackle things one at a time, so I go to the kitchen and methodically check the kitchen equipment my landlord provided me with. I also use my cellphone connect to the place's wifi, and plug my phone in so the thing can get some charge. I carefully fiddle with each of the devices in my kitchen, eventually determining that they each work which is truly fantastic news. I cheer when this happens, and I dump out the ingredients I purchased so I can begin to cook a simple meal.
As I cook I turn my phone onto this world's version of YouTube, which is something that has a thematically similar name: OurChannel. I explore the app with one hand while I use my other to prepare the ingredients I selected which consist of some healthy greens and a nice broth so I can make a nutritious soup. I wasn't the healthiest eater in my past life, and I don't need to eat, but I want to gain as many skills as I can which means being much bolder in this life than I was before I became a jumper.
I explore the app on my phone until I find a playlist which promises to allow me to listen to today's hits. I tap it and the music begins to play as I continue to prepare what should be an easy to make dinner. At some point I lose track of time and begin to improvisedly sing along to a song I don't know before I place the ingredients in my meal into the pot, which now sits on top of the stove and is filled with boiling water. As I do this time freezes right when the song I was singing comes to an end. I click through the drawback that was just invoked and see that I have received two skills: singing and cooking. I'm disappointed but not surprised to see that I have not yet gotten any new classes, but singing is a fun skill for me to have unlocked so I'll take it.
"Singing could be a lot of fun..." I remark as my cellphone's app begins to play the next song on the playlist. If I level up my singing I could easily use that in a lot of ways, especially in future jumps.
The next few minutes pass by quite speedily thanks to the music I'm listening to. In less than fifteen minutes I am tasting my simple creation and I am pleasantly surprised to find that I quite like the taste! My enhanced senses allow me to appreciate the flavor of the healthy foods, and I can take pride in the fact that I have made the food myself. Plus this skill, if properly cultivated, can open a lot of doors for me in the future. I drink only half of my soup, as a part of me wonders if the fact that what caused me to become a dancer earlier was the fact that I was in front of other people. If so if I give food I made by hand to someone else that should be enough to allow me to become a chef! I store the soup, while it's still fresh, in my inventory. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to give someone lunch.
When I'm doing making food what I do next is simple. I sit on my kitchen countertop and I proceed to browse the web. I don't do this trolling for any site to read or use, but for one specific thing: I surf the net looking for places where I can find books to read. My easiest skill to farm and hone is my reading skill, and thanks to Master of All I can grind the skill while also grinding everything else. I eventually find a website that allows visitors to read great American classics, which marks the first time I've heard or seen the word "American" in this world. I begin to explore the site, and I spend the next few hours happily reading classical literature and honing all of my skills and perks all the while.
A small part of me wonders if I've made the right choice, but I quickly silence that internal voice. Being here in this room is making me feel things, things that won't help me over the long run, as my presence here means that what I've done is real. The fact that I don't wake up in my tiny apartment back on my native Earth means that my decision nearly a day ago has weight and consequences, which is still a bit hard to believe given that I now have gamer-style abilities and traits but my disbelief doesn't cause me to suddenly shoot up in my bed back on my native Earth. Even when I heard a small voice in the back of my mind wonder if I'm actually here I don't suddenly awaken or get a strange foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'm still here, still honoring the agreement I made with my boss earlier today. As fantastical as some of this feels, I know that I'm actually here, actually in possession of a super body, and that there is still much work for me to do if I want to grow.
When I finally stop this to get ready for work enough time has passed that I've gained several levels in many of my skills, with cooking and singing having both leveled up. I walk over to the table where my clothes are laying on top of each other and I pick out a new outfit. Once I select it I equip it and slip out of my apartment so that I can begin my walk to my new place of employment for my second day, which should be my first real day of work. As I make my way towards the office I can't help but smile. There's an almost childish quality to my excitement as I move closer and closer to a place I know I'll probably loathe by the time I leave this world. I eventually spot the outside of the office building I work in, and relax as the nasty reality of the boring job I have and will be doing diligently for the next decade washes over me. Still, a decade and then retirement, complete with free money for as long as I want is a pretty sweet deal, one I'd be a fool to pass up. And as I reach the front door leading into and out of the office, I smile cleverly and remind myself that for all of my flaws I am not a fool.

I honestly have no clue how legit this letter is and it doesn't matter in this case, because the scheme it describes is 100% real and observable in all heavily shorted stocks.
Confession of a paid basher:
Today I want to come clean about something I feel very badly about. Icannot undo some of the things I have done, but hopefully this message will prevent other such occurrences in the future.I am a paid basher.
Yes, it is true. Today is my last day at this company; I'm moving onto a new job. I've realized that there are more dignifying jobs out there that can pay me equally as well. But before I go, I want toexplain a few things because this just isn't right and I won't feel good about myself until I expose this sham. It's hurt too many people and I don't want it on my conscience anymore. I can no longer live with a lie.
I work for a company called Global Calumny Funds in Stamford, CT.Basically, it's a Boiler Room much like the one in the movie of thesame name. The idea behind my group is to bash the price of acompany's stock down low enough to where the group of investors whoretained our company's services can buy the stock really cheap andperhaps even take it over all together.There are approximately 70 people at the company divided into severalgroups.
My group, consisting of 5 people, is responsible for IDWD.While I probably shouldn't give any names of anyone working here now,what the heck, I'm leaving here, so what can they do? sue me? Ha! Ican tell you that laptoptrader and janice shell were part of my groupuntil he left last week, as was ninaturtle. Others who have been partof this include early bashers like hard data and Investorman.
You maybe interested to know that some hypsters, such as MONEYMADE and evenDatatech!!, have also been part of the scam (more on that later).There are several companies engaged in the bashing business, ours isnot the only one. However, I can tell you that not every basher inhere is a paid basher. Having done this for a year, I can usually tellwho is a paid basher and who is merely someonehaving a little fun.
While unpaid bashers have a different motive thansomeone like me, they can be unwilling accomplices to helping meachieve my ultimate goal and they also spread rumor and confusionthroughout a room, which also helps me.
What is that goal? Well, I am merely a cog in a much larger machine,so my bosses never really explained the big picture to me, but I'd sayessentially, Shaddowwatch2oo3 was right. There are several companieswho are quite familiar with Jim Bishop and Janice Shell and who aredeathly afraid of them.
There are three types of bashers here at Global Calumny Funds:Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner. An Advanced-level basher (alsoknown as a Silver Tongued Devil) would spread false or misleadinginformation about the company.They would deal in facts, countering every longs post with articles,news reports and opinion surveys that gave a negative impression aboutthe company.
An Intermediate-level basher (also known as a Serpent) would try toweasel their way into the confidence of longs and create doubt using rumor or innuendo.
Finally, a Beginner-level basher (also known as a Pitchfork) would attempt to create confusion in the room by distracting other posters with satire, name calling and pointless arguments.
The idea was to make sure no serious discussion of the stock could take place. A Pitchfork was usually a basher, but not always.Sometimes, we would throw in a hypster Pitchfork such as MONEYMADE and laptop and a pumper like Datatech to create the illusion of an argument going on.
What was really funny (in a perverse way, I guess) was that Datatech and I sat next to each other, laughing the whole time.
I was a Serpent basher, because I am known for effective bashing based on solid facts and truth. I was paid a base wage of $18 an hour for myservices. I was given a $1.25 bonus for every decent quality post over 100 per day as well as a monthly bonus of $100 for every penny the stock had dropped from the previous month. I was also paid a bonus for bashing on weekends. While this may not sound like much, I made a decent, though dishonorable, paycheck plus a nice Laptop with free wireless internet connection.
Each of us sat in a small half-cubicle in a cluster with our teammates. Each group (usually five people) was made of three beginners (two who would bash and one who would hype), one intermediate and one advanced level basher.
Occasionally for some of the hotter stocks, one of the beginners would be replaced by an intermediate depending on how much the stock was rising. IDWD was a low-level stock, meaning it got the 3-1-1 configuration.Honestly though, somehow, I get the feeling that WV Hillbilly may haveworked for a basher company or knows someone who does because the fundwebsites he occasionally posts is eerily similar to our employer's websites. While not exact, I'd say it is about 90 percent the same.
We do have certain rules that we follow. First, we have to develop a character and stay within that character in order to build a "following." My character, "FogOfWar," was a humorous, sarcastic, obnoxious supporter of free speech and loved toportray himself as a truth-telling superhero, but only when it came to bashers. Next, we had to follow certain guidelines on what we could say. Wewere urged to have an "answer" to every long's question, but we were to frame that answer in a way that ridiculed the questioner for asking such a question.
However, we were never to use profanity or vulgarity because that would cause people to ignore us. We were to make fun of people, but in a civil way. The idea was to get "play," i.e. reaction from other posters. The more play we got, the more the room would bedisrupted. Ignored posters get no play.
One exception would be the hypsters since they were "defending" the stock against our onslaught, they got a little more leeway. People would side with the hypster because they thought he was real since he appeared to be on their side, but was really on ours, setting us up to disrupt the room. MoneyMade was quite good at this and gets paid very well.
I've worked on IDWD, VLO, AGII, QBID, BKMP for a few months now. Inaddition to the FogOfWar alias, I've used a few others on severalother boards as well. I've used so many aliases that I can not remember the monikers or the passwords. I honestly lost track of everything. I stuck with FogOfWar because it was the one that got the most play from other posters in closing,
I feel absolutely terrible about this. It's just awful howI've been part of a scam designed to cheat honest, hard-working people out of their investments all for the benefit of a few wealthy people who already have enough money to last a life time.
These greedy people MUST be stopped. That's why I'm posting thisbefore I leave. I want to make up for some of the damage I've done. I can't live with this lie anymore.
You can't imagine how hard it is to look at myself in the mirror each morning knowing my job is to cheatand lie.
I have to go now, I'm too broken up to continue. I hope this confession can make up for my sordid deeds; I would urge everyone who reads this to inform as many people as you can. Only by shining the light of truth can we drive these rats back into the darkness from where they came. Believe me, they don't want publicity.
Good luck and I hope all of you the best in your investment endeavors

People need to stop thinking of job hopping as a negative thing. Different industries teach a variety of skills you might not get otherwise. I'm female and am about 10 years away from retirement and have spent my career exploring different jobs. For the most part, I have worked in the animal care industry. I owned a dog grooming business, worked as a vet tech, a chimpanzee caregiver, and a kennel attendant. I became a certified dog trainer but only used those techniques and skills while grooming. I never taught classes to humans because I don't have that kind of patience. I took a phlebotomy class but never actually did that as a job, I just didn't get hired. I tried working as a pharmacy tech but the large company of choice only provided me with 8 hours per week, split up into 2 hour shifts over the course of 4 days and that wasn't enough to pay for the gas I used going back and forth. I experienced first hand though, what someone looks like when they are addicted to pain meds and it's too soon to get a refill. You want to step back a little from the counter when you give them that news. I worked as a customer service rep, for a couple years, and a 911 operator for about 6 weeks. I couldn't type fast enough and gracefully bowed out. I sold real estate but that provides no health insurance and there's no guarantee that you'll actually get paid. After covid I heard they needed truck drivers so I went to school to get a CDL class A and went OTR for a few months to see the country. Truck drivers were absolutely the most polite and courteous people I've ever worked around. The brokers, shipping and receiving clerks were the rudest, most disrespectful, most unhappy group of people I've ever met. Truck drivers are treated horribly by these people. Less then dirt on their shoes at some places and new truck drivers are making less then minimum wage. Yes. You read that correctly. You are not paid while you are empty. You are only paid while you are carrying a loaded trailer. Break downs, sitting at shippers for hours waiting to get loaded, bobtailing (driving without a trailer). are all times you are not being paid. You get stuck places sometimes where you cannot get a shower, a clean bathroom or food because you ran out of hours on your clock and nobody wants a fine. It is a HORRIBLE industry that needs a total makeover. Companies expect you to work 70+ hours per week, all hours of the day and night. I calculated my hourly rate and it came out to $4.33 per hour. I pulled over on 95 heading north in VA once at around 11:00 at night because I was out of hours. I was only there 10 minutes and a state trooper banged on my door and told me to move along. I was absolutely exhausted. I was holding my eyelids open with my hand to keep from dosing off. My boss had no mercy and was pushing me to get to the Bronx to deliver produce. That state trooper asked no questions about my hours, my state of mind, or my ability to continue driving. The conditions are inhumane. So, let that truck get in front of you next time please, because that driver is hauling your Amazon crap that you ordered yesterday. I'm currently working as an assembler that builds heavy duty carriers and tow equipment. It's just another poorly run company that expects employees to live, eat and breathe their job and offers no balance between home and work. The CEO is making $10 million a year while myself and my coworkers are living paycheck to paycheck and are literally living our lives to be at work. As for me, when the company held a meeting the other day to tell us there will be no OT for a while, I was thrilled! But for some this means less food on the table, so it's hard to get excited. I'm kind of tired. My soul is tired. Who knows where I'll wind up next. It might be time for a stay at home job. I recently started a new hobby keeping bees and am loving it. They make great company and are teaching me a lot. One thing I'll leave you with, is a fact about bees. The worker bee lives for 3 weeks. When she's old and tired and realizes her end is near, she will not return to the hive at sundown with the rest of her family. She will rest on a flower and enjoy the night. If she dies in or near the hive, the other bees become undertakers and that makes more work for them. So, for her 3 weeks of hard labor she gets one night of retirement to enjoy a sunset. My advice is try it all. Try everything and at the end of everyday enjoy the sunset.

So my dad works in car business. He is not a mechanic or anything but def know A LOT about cars, knows what he is doing. So he worked for this big store chain which mainly sells car parts. Our town is kinda small but it still had two stores open there and my dad was working in the larger one as one of the salesmen. He as working there for around 10 years and was doing well, he would even get job offers from other companies once in a while but he liked the place, had good relationships with his coworkers as well as many of his regular clients, the pay was good etc. so he never took those other offers. Everything was going well until the head of the store got into some trouble and had to resign. A new guy was hired and this is where the story starts..
The new guy was relatively young (my dad was in his late 40s at this time and the new boss was not even 30). So this young and "energetic" new boss had all these "fresh" ideas, one of which is to basically get rid of all the older guys and replace them with some younger people, thinking it would boost the business somehow. There were 3 or 4 older men working there, including my dad. Nothing official had been done yet but rumors were spreading fast and my dad found out about these plans right before his planned vacation, which he was intending to spend working on our summer house.He was shocked to say the least. He spent his vacation being frustrated and not knowing what to do next, he thought he might not even get another job, he basically said "f*** this shit" and was even thinking of retiring.
My mom who usually is the emotional one, was surprisingly calm during this time and came up with an amazing idea: "why don't you call some of the companies who have offered jobs to you before, maybe some positions are still open? It never hurts to ask." And what do you know, the first person my dad called said "well, we have filled the position already but if you want to work for us, we will create a position for you, when can you start?".
The Monday after the vacation my dad handed in his resignation and the boss was actually happy about it (of course). But here's the most fun part: the news of his resignation reached the main office of the company and a day or two later they called my dad asking what they could do to have him stay working for their company. My dad simply said that he doesn't need anything and didn't even negotiate, he simply left. And oh boi did he leave. He and all the other older guys from his store went on to work for their competitors. And they took all. their. clients. with. them. Not even a year later that particular store closed, leaving just the other, smaller one open in our town.