I recently finalized a lease agreement for a new vehicle. Following extensive negotiation, the dealership agreed to a deal with a monthly payment of approximately X. However, upon returning home and reviewing the lease contract, I discovered that the scheduled payments fluctuate throughout the lease term. For example, over the course of a 24-month lease, the payment starts at X for the initial 8 months, then increases to X+40 for the subsequent 10 months, and finally rises to X+50 for the remainder.
The dealership had explicitly stated in the initial lease worksheets that the payment would be a consistent X and this is what we agreed. Unfortunately, I overlooked this changing payment structure when signing the lease. What are my options? I did trade in a car, and some quick research indicates that the dealer can choose which months to apply the tax reduction (WA). Not sure if that is what is happening here. In any case, I feel cheated. What are my options?

Think this was the stupidest mistake I've made in my career.
I just got a message from my manager at Friday night at midnight; there was an issue with two comments I made for the management letter; the client did not recognize the loan contracts mentioned at all. Which makes sense since they were from a different client!!!
I uploaded the wrong client's worksheet into the auditfile without noticing. But what is probably worse; The reviewing manager did not notice. Neither did the partner notice and my remarks where copied into the management letter. Only after I had a discussion with the client who did not recognize the comments I made did my manager spot that this was the wrong worksheet.
I just fixed it at 1 AM. I feel very stupid for this mistake, first time it happened to me. At least the manager didn't seem angry with me since he is aware he and the partner also dropped the ball by not bothering to even check if the worksheet matches at all with what's known about the client. And luckily the name from the client wasn't mentioned in the screenshots shared with the client so it's not a breach of information.
Anyway, terrible start to the weekend. That's for sure.

I recently got a second online part-time teaching job. I'm in the US. They're in Canada. In the (currently unsigned) contract I only get paid hourly for teaching. Full stop.
However, later in the contract, the company states that "works made by the teacher (such as worksheets and presentations) will be collectively referred to as 'work products'. They will be the company's sole property and are 'works made for hire'."
Naturally, 'work products' can be reused as any teacher will understand, but they don't make any statemants in the contract allowing for work periods or transitional compensation allowing to create or build up the work products they demand. They want me to create new presentations for novels (8-15 lessons) aimed at 5th to 12th graders. This equals at least 1 hour prep for every teaching hour, at minimum. And according to the contract, I won't be able to use the material I created outside the company.
I simply want outside opinions. It sounds like overreach to me or they don't want to pay for so much extra labor outside teaching hours.
Both in schools and online, I'm used to being paid for additional material creation or having options to share added work I create, but I'm not used to having such an iron grip on my work with no compensation or options.
Thank you everyone

TLDR; I have been a teacher for the past 2 years and realize I cannot stand teaching, what are some other options?
So I went to school to become a doctor and I was pre med until I was a junior and I realized I did not want to be a doctor (shadowing was miserable and I realized I only want to do it because I was kind of mesmerized by being a woman in stem and I knew doctors were paid well).
So I graduated with a BSc in microbiology and then I went on to get a MEd in general science education (a lot of help that does me now not wanting to be a teacher)
I kind of enjoy working mostly alone or on a really large team (so team of 1 or team of 10+ I like the feeling of anonymity). I really enjoy being creative and creating new products or programs - I enjoy being able to create custom worksheets for my students or designing lab activities (this has led me towards instructional design or educational outreach - but I have not found many good resources on how to get started in these areas).
I really enjoy have checklists and predictable work schedules (so not super spontaneous and unpredictable work flows) but I also like being able to do something different from time to time (meaning like I do not want to be an accountant that does the exact same thing day in and day out, I like some variety - maybe like a broad job scope)
In terms of things I’m good at vs bad at, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and extremely detail oriented, I love creativity or adding a little bit of a creative touch to the things I do and I love staying focused on a single task until I see it through to completion. I’m not great at working through conflict (I’m a pretty anxious person overall) and I am not the best at being micromanaged (like to the point where I have no autonomy - I don’t mind being told what to do but I like some autonomy).
I make about 60k as a teacher but I also do a lot of “extra work” like working sports games, working on a science team contract, co counsel a club, and work pretty closely with special Ed (I do get satisfaction from these things but they are big time commitments and I do them largely for the salary boost)
I have thought about being an event planner because I enjoy being in a role where I create the outcome, and I really like to make people happy/ have a good time. I have also thought about going into med device or pharma sales because I enjoy stem and the technical aspect of sharing things and teaching about medicine or devices.
I feel like I’m a bit of an ambivert (I enjoy being around others but I don’t like working on teams where others aren’t pulling their weight)
I originally became a teacher because I love science and I love sharing my love of science with other people who are also interested in science. I also really wanted a chance to make a positive impact on the youth and be somewhat of an inspiration for my female students who also wanted to be in stem. I really enjoy developing my own lessons and lesson plans and being able to deliver labs or assignments the best way I think will teach the lesson.
Since starting teaching I really do not like how disrespectful and unruly these kids are, I’m also in a school system where I find that there is a lot of pressure/ stress placed on us to be liked by parents and to present as a certain way in public (like I can’t just enjoy what I want to do because I may see someone from school or the community that may say something bad about me or the way I was dressed or what I was doing and call my tenure into question), and to a point I made earlier I really do not like working with other teachers who just do not care or will not put in effort to lessons or labs..
Any advice or guidance is highly appreciated!! I’m not really even sure where to start so even just an accurate career inventory or personality inventory rec would also be appreciated. I just feel a bit lost in where to even start..

TL;DR class descriptions/info to help underclassmen know about classes thru personal experiences. Add to it with extra info or questions!
To all the incoming freshmen or other underclassmen - you’ll prolly hear it a lot, but the time really does go by so fast. Enjoy it, soak it in, and step out of your comfort zone. Someone posted their classes thru Purdue to let other students know how those classes were (in case it was a niche/high-level class or it wasn’t on RateMyProfessor). That was pretty helpful to me so Imma do it too. I’ll let u kno how the courses went and what I can remember. I’m graduating from the College of Ag with a B.S. in Animal Sciences with a concentration in Biosciences and minors in Biotechnology and Real Estate. I came into Purdue with AP and Dual Credits, so some things I didn’t take. Anyway, here are the classes I took.
Anyone who’s taken any of these, please add on/say smth else if it has changed! Underclassmen, feel free to ask about them!
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FRESHMAN YEAR
AGR 101: Intro to Ag & Purdue (Multiple lecturers)
This course was THE intro course to Purdue and Ag (duh). It was a 1/2 semester course so I was done with it by week 8 and there was only a quiz. We were told the purpose of Purdue being land-grant and were just intro’d to the different parts/departments of the college of Ag + different success tips. This was also the class where u begin (already) thinking about your 4-year plan and create a LinkedIn. Easy A, just show up and learn about the college of Ag
AGR 114: Intro to ANSC Programs (Ashley York)
Also a 1/2 semester course that was done by Oct. This class just went into depth on what to expect as a student in the department. You may start work on a resumé, continue with planning or LinkedIn. Again, easy A, just show up. Also, Ashley was a saint helping me each year to make sure I was on track, even tho she wasn’t my advisor.
ANSC 102: Intro to Animal Ag (Elizabeth Karcher)
This class was the first “real” class of college. It was just an intro to different domestic species and the operations tht are part of animal ag. I think there was also a lab with the class where u were introduced to animals. Dr. Karcher also was a pretty good professor. Just pay attention - it’s sort of memorization for random facts about animals/common sense depending on what u took in high school/home life in a rural area. Should be easy A.
CHM 115: Gen Chem (Multiple lecturers)
Was never a fan of chemistry, so this class I went into with dread. I didn’t want to take AP Chem, and just dealt with it in college. Honestly, if u took honors/were a good student in hs chemistry, there should be no problem - was basically just like a high school class. There was a lab that went with this course, but because of COVID, I just had an online worksheet to do every week for pre-, in-, and post-lab so I can’t speak on it. If u aren’t inclined to chem, it might take a bit of extra studying, but I was never worried.
PHIL 110: Intro to Philosophy (Taylor Davis)
To be fair, I never exactly wanted to take this exact class. I came from a small town in the Midwest, so I wanted to be sure I wasn’t dumb or anything to the people, cultures, etc. around me. Told my advisor I wanted to take a class to give me more of a “world” perspective, so she suggested the class. It honestly was not bad at all. The professor knew what he was talking abt and very accepting of questions. We learned how to tear down an argument and build it up in several ways and talked about cool things like if we have free will, does God exist, etc. The only assignments that counted for the sem were a midterm and 2 papers - 1 small and 1 large philosophical essay over any topic from the class. Definitely changed my outlook, would recommend taking it. The first part of class was harder - making sure u understand why/how an argument does or doesn’t work - but the rest was fun/easy as the topics were just presented and talked about.
AGEC 217: Economics (Larry Deboer)
I found Econ as a topic in and of itself to be quite boring. Supply and demand, money, etc. The class kind of turned out that way. Its presented as basically supply/demand and reasons for changes to the them were slowly added throughout the semester. We had several assignments, but they were nothing terrible. Gotta give props to the professor, tho. He knew the class wasn’t great but made it fun. Also, the class is flexible for schedules as in some situations it can count for credit in place of ECON251.
POL 223: Intro to Environmental Policy (Tara Grillos)
When I first started, I thought the route I wanted was ANSC with some focus in environmental issues. That’s why I took this class. I don’t understand the “intro” part, really. The whole class was presented as just case studies for things that have happened that impacted policies from the late 1800s/early 1900s until recently. Some of the info was cool. I don’t remember much for assignments, but there was a group project/paper where u had to decide on an environmental issue, state how u plan to fix it, on what level of government, etc. It wasn’t a crazy class to be in as a freshman, but it was not what I was expecting for a POL class.
ANSC 181: Orientation to ANSC (Elizabeth Byers)
Another 1/2 semester course. This class, as far as I can remember, was just for showing u the possibilities available to u in ANSC. This was specifically ANSC. It went over every concentration and what jobs/salaries there were. This was also a class where we were assigned to create our resumés (professionally) and start networking. Just as, if not easier than the other 1/2 semester classes so far.
ANSC 221: Principles of Animal Nutrition (Dale Forsyth)
Sorry but not sorry for anyone in ANSC. The class is boring, but Dr. Dale Forsyth is such a sweet old man. This class is the intro for nutrition in ANSC. U will learn the different required nutrients, food stuffs (supplements and stuff too) that have these nutrients, what happens when animals are given too little of these, and how to balance/create rations for animals (ruminant and non-ruminant). As long as u are okay/good with algebra, there shouldn’t be a problem. U just need to solve systems of equations in Excel to get the right weight of a food stuff. Homework was balancing rations. Exams looked at that + nutrients and their deficiencies. Dr. Forsyth also talks fast and doesn’t slow down because he has a lot to get thru. Come into the class knowing it prolly isn’t going to be very fun, but u need to know it. Try to find something interesting in the whole.
BIOL 111: Fundamentals of Bio II (Sean Humphrey)
Not sure how this class really is. I came into college loving biology and being (not to sound like an ass) great at it. To me, it was easy and relearning biology from high school for a bit. To others it may be a bit more difficult. There is just a lot of memorization. The professor was nice and answered my questions when I had them and explained in great detail if I was confused. I can’t remember any assignments I turned in, or anything about exams. Overall, I thought it was an easy class, but be the judge urself.
CHM 116: Gen Chem (Multiple lecturers)
Just a continuation of CHM 115. It picked up where it left off. Got a little harder, but it was nowhere as hard as TV or anything makes it. There are definitely topics that show up from hs again, but a lot is new. Wasn’t fun for this class switching lecturers every few weeks since they each had their own lecture style. Again, there was a lab section, but because of COVID, it was a worksheet. Not the worst class, but a meh class.
MA 16020: Applied Calc II (Alexandros Kafkas)
The first and only time I had to take math here. In hs I took MA 165 and thought it was a breeze (prolly bc it was hs). To anyone wondering, MA 165 SHOULD count in place of MA 16010 in college of ag. With that in mind, I went into the course knowing what Purdue math is known for, but still keepin an open mind with my abilities. I’m really proud of the grade I got, too. I think a lot of the course depends on the lecturer - mine was good at teaching us new concepts. Learn all you can about the lecturer beforehand, find out if they are good, and see it for yourself. We had quizzes in class every week (MWF) over the previous lecture and homework thru LON-CAPA that was usually due the day aftebefore (Tues, Thurs, Sun, I think). The quizzes and homework were good starting problems. The exams were tough and harder than quizzes/hw. If u’ve done well in math, but aren’t a prodigy or someone who can put in hrs of work, don’t expect to get likely higher than mid-70s on exams. It was common to get around a 50-60%. They do curve “if it’s necessary” but it is ALWAYS necessary.
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SOPHOMORE YEAR
AGR 201: Communicating Across Cultures (Pamala Morris)
To start…BOO. Was not a fan of this class. Felt like it was a money grab and busy work. It was required for some international understanding credits. The content wasnt interesting but for sure important. We were taught to basically be good ppl and about the different types of hardships that groups of ppl could go thru (ageism, sexism, racism, classism, etc.). We were required to buy the book, which was $50, but written by the prof and from what I assume was her website. I don’t recall ever using it unless it was necessary for an assignment. The class helps u relate and think critically, but is done in a piss-poor way. It could hv been the COVID aftermath where lecture was done virtually but we had a class later on with other students for a “lab”. Quizzes were easy, and overall easy, but so bad too.
SPAN 201: Spanish III (Nancy Reyes)
I know I’ve said this already abt other courses, but this still applies. This course was 100% a high school class. I did a placement test into this course (after 3 years in HS Spanish - Fr. to Jr. - with a 2 year gap of not learning) and got all credit for Spanish 1 and 2. Took it for international understanding credits. This course made sure u knew the basics again, spent a lot of time in past tense, then ended w maybe a month in subjective and future tense. There were a few speaking assignments and cultural readings/lectures. Was encouraged to speak Spanish for class, but the prof knew that couldn’t happen but still helped us all. Exams included MC, writing, and listening. Not sure if this is the same for other languages, but hopefully it is.
CHM 255 + 25501: Orgo + Lab (Elizabeth Parkinson)
Dreaded this class, but went in confidently. The class sucks, no other way abt it. It was a lot of memorization and practice. A lot of the “basic” stuff started sticking about halfway thru the semester. It doesn’t help that I stopped going to lecture about 3/4 thru the sem. It wasn’t as hard as expected, but it was still quite hard. The prof was amazing at making the content interesting. Labs were ran by GTAs. Depending on the section your GTA may not kno anything. The labs also did not go along with the lecture - they are 2 separate courses that can individually be passed or failed. Exams were as you would expect with the course - a few high spots among a crowd of C’s and D’s. The lab had multiple things due every week w the semester started. It was expected to do ur pre-lab at start of week, turn in ur in-lab immediately after finishing lab, then the previous week’s post-lab/final lab was due. The lab also holds the policy that if u don’t show up dressed right or sleep late, if you don’t show up within 10/15min of start that u can’t show up and will receive a 0 for the lab.
ANSC 230: Physiology of Domestic Animals (Rod Allrich)
This class taught me a lot. Each week was a different body system and learning info regarding animals individually. Things were taught in general as overarching concepts, but then things were applied as necessary for individual species of animals. Everything was brought up from the digestive system to the endocrine system. The class met 4 days a week and had a quiz once a week. There was no lab when I took the course. The specific professor I had was also interesting to say the least. Dr. Allrich is a funny, good man, but he does not use or create slides. Instead he uses his own website to post info (usually from Merck veterinary) abt whatever it is he wanted u to learn. In class he would just ramble on about what he thought was important. ANYTHING he said could be test material - no matter what (I was told by an upperclassman to remember that his favorite pie was sour cream and raisin pie bc it was a quiz question they had). Now, there is a lab that goes with the course. Also, if u hv Cabot the course material and class are much harder than with Rod. There are expectations, lectures, and more. Regardless of the professor, the information that was taught was useful, remembered, and interesting. In any class, Rod typically will have this structure but will grade easily. Quizzes will be to write statements of fact and exams won’t exist or will be take-home with only having 5 paragraphs to write using a word bank
ABE 226: Biotech Lab I (Kari Clase)
This was the first course I took for my minor in Biotechnology. I did not know what to expect going in as I didn’t grasp the scope of biotech. The course was ran well. The whole class is a wet lab where u are in the scientific process trying to find a new species of bacteriophage. U dig in dirt, do some pipetting, use beakers, make plates, isolate DNA, and send it off. Any research u do/finding a phage gets put into a national database for phage research. U do hv lab notebooks that get checked, but hv an outline to go off. There were several quizzes and deliverables that had us learn about phage more, or aseptic technique. It was a good class. U do have to buy a lab coat (which is kinda cool). Easy class that kickstarted my interest.
CHM 256 + 25601: Orgo II + Lab (David Thompson)
This class was disastrous. It was me, the content AND the professor as to why that was the case. This was just a continuation of course and lab. The new content was harder to wrap my head around, + I stopped going to the lectures about halfway thru the sem. To make matters worse, the class was early and the prof was speaking in mach turtle. I would listen to the lectures a day later so I could 2x speed thru them and the man was sounding like a normal person talked. This class was harder than the previous course. If u didn’t like CHM 255, sorry this is worse. The lab was just the same as the previous sem, but the GTAs changed. Again, labs didn’t go with the lecture and are 2 individual courses to be passed or failed separately. I passed but the class made me rethink my life once or twice and was potentially the worst class I ever took.
STAT 301: Elementary Stat Methods (Spencer Hamrick)
I did not enjoy this course a single bit - besides the professor. The course throws, what I felt like, was the entire concept, terms, rules, designs of statistics at u. It was a lot at once for me. I felt like there was a disconnect between what I was learning and in what ways it applied to me. It wasn’t too difficult, but the class was boring. There was also a lab section that was not great either. We were forced to use SRSS. There were homework assignments on a different software/website that equally were boring. The exams were harder than expected - there were some sections with questions with such small disparities that the answer came down to a difference of 1 word in a sentence. Overall, there’s a lot to learn and it’s all pretty basic to give a general understanding, but it was done poorly. If it was done better, it likely would have been an easy course. This course tho is also one of the worst classes I took.
AGRY 320: Genetics (Joseph Anderson)
There’s not much to say about this course. It was genetics. It felt like another continuation from the end of BIOL 111. It built a foundation for DNA, chromosomes, and went from there. There was a lot of higher thinking and content that was build upon thru the semester. It was a bit of memorization, but the content was fun. There were hotseat/iclicker questions for each lecture. Prof. Anderson was also really good at presenting the info.
AGRY 321: Genetics Lab (Aneesha Kulkarni)
This was the lab that went with AGRY 320. It was separate from the lecture. I do not believe it ever followed along with the lecture. The semester was spent with Arabidopsis. From the plant, we extracted DNA, did PCR, did mutant analysis, etc. The whole semester led up to a final lab report for what had been done that semester. There were also some small lab assignments that needed done. The class was also serious about attendance which could have made a major impact on grades. It is also typically ran by a GTA. It was fun and I enjoyed it. There was never really any work that needed to be done outside of class and at times it let out early.
ANSC 333: Physiology of Reproduction (Jonathan Pasternak)
This was a good class. The content focused on female anatomy/physiology first, then male anatomy/physiology, then on interactions and changes to the body through hormones and development. I found the class to be interesting as there is a lot more that goes into reproduction that u think. It’s a lot of cool info thrown out, but in a manageable way. Notes can go fast n there is a lot of terms and items to pay attention to. There was also a lab portion to this class. The lab went with what we learned in lectures. It was hands-on learning and doing things. It might sound gross but we had a lab where we took fetuses from a pig uterus to weigh and look at. We also looked at pig semen under a microscope. The professor was obsessed with histology. Expect to look at many slides of different tissues and know how/why they differ, where they are from, etc. I don’t remember assignments, but there was a lab practical that involved many things. Overall, it was a fun class.
ABE 227: Biotech Lab II (Kari Clase)
This class was busy. There were lots of things that needed to be done often (oddly no true deadlines it felt like). This was the dry lab portion. After ABE 226, any DNA that was collected sufficiently was sequenced and the data came back. That’s essentially what the semester was for. With the DNA from a phage, u must make entries to find out the start/stop site of genes, gene function; BLAST the genes, gather evidence there is truly a gene, and more. There were some small assignments with deliverables. There was also a larger project that was put into the undergrad research symposium. From the DNA, a small group chose a gene and researched. A lot of busy work and nights up, but there was a final genome announcement and research went into real life.
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JUNIOR YEAR
HIST 33805: History of Human Rights (Rebekah Klein-Pejsova)
This class was a requirement for an upper level humanities course. This class was easy and interactive. There were some readings that had to be done outside of class, but not much else was required. U would read, then come to class, fill out a discussion, and talk. The content started back in history and moved all the way to just beyond the Holocaust. There were a couple writing assignments that were like a paragraph. The final was to write a paragraph on when u thought the history of human rights began. Again, easy and almost no work required.
BCHM 307: Biochem (Barbara Golden)
I loved this course. Dr. Golden was soft spoken but she made sure u got the info u needed. The content felt like a mix of genetics and chem. The course was biology-sided for those that hate chem. This course went back to the central dogma and such, but then included a lot of metabolism and inner workings of cells. There were parts involving the Citric acid cycle and other “basic” biology concepts that went into further explanation from a different perspective. I believe there were also hotseat/iclicker questions. If u liked biology or genetics, u should like this course, too.
BCHM 309: Biochem Lab (Orla Hart)
Just like the genetics lab, this lab did content that led up to something big at the end. The lab was spent learning basic lab technique, then focused on isolating and purifying LDH from a Bradford assay. There were lab reports/assignments, but they all help and lead to the big lab report. It was a fun time. Dr. Hart was a fantastic prof for the course as she fully knew the topic, always helped out, and had high expectations. She would also joke and talk with us. She shared about her family (she’s Irish), her cats, n more. + she would talk with you in her office, where she had Ghirardelli chocolates to eat. There was a written midterm + u are required to wear a lab coat and goggles during lab.
ANSC 311: Animal Breeding & Genetics (Donna Lofgren)
This was another class that I liked a lot. For anyone interested in this topic, it is not what u expect. The class is not punnet squares and seeing what traits u can see. This class was a lot of math. You had to find the allelic/gene frequencies, var, covariance, selection intensity, generation interval, EBV, etc. I cannot stress that this class is a lot of math (prolly 75/25 to 85/15 for math/concepts). It is, however, one of the few genetics restrictive selectives for ANSC (if I remember right). There is other content too, learning about how to breed animals, components of breeding and genetics, etc. There is a lecture and lab. The lab is when homework was intro’d and we were given time to ask questions/complete it. The lab lasted 2 hours, and usually there would be several homework problems left. There was also a large project that used a sim (mine was beef, other years used lamb/sheep). I would have to cull and breed to get better genetics, get rid of disease, etc. The better the offspring the better. This sim was paired with an arrow chart and written report. Lot of work, but a lot of fun.
ANSC 326: Applied Non-Ruminant Nutrition (John Radcliffe)
This class was boring. Unless u love animal nutrition, it’s hard for it not to be. This was like a continuation of ANSC 221, but only focused on (essentially) pigs. Once again, just learning the background/basic info for feeding animals, providing nutrients, and balancing/creating rations. Also, this class also uses a lot of Excel - more than ANSC 221. There was a final for the course, but it was only a 1/2 semester course. There may have also been a lab section, but the work typically finished quickly.
ANSC 446: Companion Animal Mgmt (Rod Allrich)
Another course with Rod. It was basically nonsense. U learned what it took to keep companion animals healthy and managed. Specific diseases/interests were looked at for animals during class + issues/problems with animal clinics, shelters, etc. There wasnt much to learn. Since it was Rod, there were no slides. Anything written could be tested. Students had to present some issue with companion animals for points twice in the semester. There was also an animal business plan due at the end of the semester. It was required to describe the location, services, employees, their benefits, etc. There were no exams, but there were his quizzes - u were provided movies to watch and write a 1-page summary/reflection on what u saw. Once u get used to Rod, his classes are some of the easiest to ever take.
MGMT 200: Intro Accounting (Terra Maienbrook)
This was my first class for my Real Estate minor. If u have taken any math class at college u should be fine. This course is an intro. U learn the accounting equation, debits, credits, depreciation, and interpreting it through balance sheets. It can get a little confusing when things are broken down further, but as long as u pay attention there shouldn’t be trouble. Just remember what debits and credits do and u should pass the course. There were assignments that helped understand what needed to be done and how the content u are learning works, but it turns into busy work later on. If u get 1 small error as ur doing ur balance sheet, then the whole problem will be wrong and it probably won’t tell u what the error is. The professor also used hotseat/iclicker for attendance, so make sure to show up. She did let u come to any section at any time and still do the attendance. Exams weren’t difficult if u pay attention and do well in lecture and homework. If u do well, the prof would even email saying that u did well.
MGMT 304: Intro to Financial Mgmt (Phil Baeza)
This class was okay. Part of it could have been it was the prof’s 2nd semester teaching here. The class was a lot of basic info for management/econ and was also a requirement for the Real Estate minor. U are taught corporate finance + the goals of it, cash flows and a bunch of math with related terms (NPV, PV, NWC, NOI, etc.) None of it was exactly difficult to figure out. The class itself wasn’t bad content-wise. Once u learned the information, it was there. There was a lot of Excel for solving problems. If u aren’t good with Excel - make that a priority. The course also had exams, but you were allowed a typed cheat sheet for each. Besides the exams, there was also a case competition (so many of these in MGMT classes). Info was gathered about a company and with a group had to decide to approve or disapprove of their loan request. Overall, not terrible, but hard to sit thru.
ANSC 303: Animal Behavior (Marisa Erasmus)
This was an interesting class to take. It was pretty fun (and I ended up as a TA, my last semester). The course is essentially psychology in animals. You learn conditioning, scientists who contributed to the study, types of interactions, and types of behaviors (maintenance, maternal, social, play, sickness, etc.) and how they are in animals. The course also has a lab section with it. The lab section is essentially to allow for time for the zoo project, although there were some labs that went to the ASREC to observe those animals. For the project u are provided an animal at the zoo to research, go to the local zoo, and observe them. When ur back you create a presentation for the research you did involving the animal and enrichment provided by the zoo. In class, there were several quizzes over lecture content plus a midterm. There were also assignments, but many of them had some involvement with the zoo. The class also had no final, but there was a final quiz. The professor did talk fast sometimes, but as long as you typed or rewrote notes later, there was no issue.
STAT 503: Stat Methods for Biology (Yan Xing)
Unsure of why, but I loved my grad level stats courses. They were much easier and fun to learn than STAT 301 (so if u hate STAT301, give 503 a try). This course basically started at the beginning. The content started with learning sample vs population, statistic vs parameter, plus sample unit, size, variables, and variable types. The course became harder as time went on, but nothing was super difficult. The topics included basic stats (mean, stdev, var, types of distributions, unions/intersection), marginal probability, tree diagrams, binomial distributions, chi-square, ANOVA, hypothesis testing, and multiple comparisons (like bonferonni). The information was always presented in a way catered to life sciences (crazy). The lectures not presented in class, but expected to be watched beforehand. I did not go to lecture, but watched the lecture videos on my own. That was enough understanding to easily pass. There were homework assignments that were due every other week. Start them sooner than later, you’ll need the time! This class was also my introduction to coding in R. I had no experience in any coding beforehand but easily got the hang of it, especially since the professor provided tutorials. It was used for every homework, basically. There were also quizzes that weren’t too difficult. The class was not easy, but it was fun.
ABE 512: Good Regulatory Practices (Keri Clase/Stephen Byrn)
This was the final class I needed to get my Biotechnology minor. It was terrible. The professors were nice, but there was no structure. The lectures were about regulatory science and dealt a lot with information from the FDA. The course went over the good and required practices required for the creation, testing, passing, and distribution of medical equipment and/or drugs. Every small detail and information that was not in lectures was required to be known. There were quizzes and assignments that all got turned in through Gradescope. The quizzes are where random information was expected to be known. The assignments were deliverables which asked some question or inquired about a part of the process and write about them. The final was a final deliverable that had to effectively be a conglomeration of the other deliverables (but not just copying and pasting). The class wasn’t hard, but very poorly set up.
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SENIOR YEAR
CSR 103: Intro to Personal Finance (Wookjae Heo)
I just needed a filler class in my schedule. I figured it could help learn some “real world” stuff that maybe I wasn’t sure about. The class was completely online with provided lecture videos. It was very easy and what would be expected. Topics went from how to manage debt and make sure you can get loans, to being informed about credit cards and insurance. All the information was easy to get through. There were writing assignments to be done basically every week. The professor would have you read a paper that 50/50 he had a part in writing, and answer questions. Some things were interactives that just needed to be completed (regardless of how well). Not a bad class. It will definitely pad your GPA - everything taught should be common knowledge.
MGMT 370: Real Estate Fundamentals (Lindsay Relihan)
This course was quite informative. It was an average level of difficulty. There was a lot of information that went into it - I mean it is a fundamentals class. Topics that were talked about included foundations of real estate, what is real estate, valuation of property, lending, time value of money, multiple financial ratios, and taxation. There were multiple assignments - some writing and others math. The writing was for discussions (5 of them) about certain papers provided or certain book chapters. The math assignments were problem sets to get done for what we had learned. They gave plenty of time to finish them. Beyond that, there was also another case study/competition. For this a company was selected and given potential locations to move to. You had to decide if it was worth it for the company to move locations.
ANSC 345: Animal Health Management (Rod Allrich)
For this class, I just needed to take another ANSC course. This class was practically the same as any other Rod Allrich course. We learned how to keep animals healthy and basically many different common diseases of animals. From his website, we would get brought to a page talking about some disease or medical problem that could potentially happen and have to write a 1-page summary/reflection. This happened each week. He still did in person quizzes with statements of fact. Once again, students had to make videos/presentations for the class to present on some problem. There was no final exam. Did not learn too much from this one, but it was a great space filler and GPA booster.
ANSC 481: Contemporary Issues in ANSC (Barry Delks)
This is essentially the final push for ANSC students. As seniors, you take this course to prepare you for the real world. Lectures were given by guests who the professor brought in. They would talk about their specific company, career, or niche and any issues they were seeing there plus how to stop them. The professor would then have groups get together to discuss ways to fix the problems and have the guest comment on what was said. There were also assignments to be done, but they were very easy. They were just things to make sure you were on track for a job and/or graduation (having a 30-sec intro, making a cover letter, redoing your resumé). Part of the class was also just attending the career fair.
STAT 512: Applied Regression Analysis (Tiantian Qin)
Like my other grad level stat course, I absolutely loved this one, too. This class was a DIST course. This class solely focused on regressions (simple linear and multiple linear regressions). Topics for the course started with the basics (terms of regression like betas, Xs, SSE, SSR, SST, and diagnostics) and moved to more difficult content (lack-of-fit-testing, global f-testing, transformations, ANOVA, marginal effect, coefficient of partial determination, multicollinearity, and more). I found the content interesting and it was fun to learn about. Nothing was too difficult and could always be asked about through office hours. There were homework assignments that corresponded with the lectures that were due every other week. Again, take the time. The course also used R coding for everything that was done. The course also had a couple exams to do. But the biggest thing was the regression project. This required a group of students to get together, find a set of data, and use it to form a regression analysis. There was a lot of coding involved, but it was fun parsing through and wrangling data.
MGMT 375: Real Estate Law (Cecelia Harper)
This course has been super personal and fun to take. This is one of my last courses for the Real Estate minor and I am glad to have taken it. The course goes over any and all laws that relate to real estate in some way. The course talked about property rights, subsurface rights, common laws, easements on land, financing/lending, prenuptial agreements and other contracts. Most grades come from exams, though. There were 3 during the semester plus the final. All exams (except the final) were open note and book. The final we were allowed a 1-page cheat sheet that was front and back. The only grades that did not come from exams were from the contracts we drafted. You create your own lease agreement and purchase agreement, then pair with someone to mesh them together for a new one of each. I think the course is particularly made tho by the professor. She is a practicing real estate lawyer who knows what she is talking about. She would set it up so the class was very personal and we each asked her questions. It was interesting because she could have stories about clients to connect things from class. She would always entertain questions. There was no extra credit, except for when she would randomly do attendance. The course structure could be changing quite a bit now, tho.
MGMT 43901: Real Estate Investment & Development (Michael Eriksen)
The other last course for my real estate minor. This class was a step away from what I thought it was going to be. This course is geared toward commercial development and the business side, as I felt. There was nothing really said about personal/residential property. The course topics included an overview of real estate, ways/types of investment, estimation of cash flows for commercial real estate and finance terms associated, providing loans/financing, the roles of a developer, and taxes. The course didn’t have many plain assignments. These were Excel files with attached questions and instructions. If you could follow the instructions you did well, plus the assignments built on each other, except the last one - this one used ARGUS software. The majority of the work was spent on a case competition (go figure lol). Students were put into groups to select a plot of land to develop for some commercial purpose and provide the financials, timeline, and reasoning for the decision. There were several required tasks to be done for this assignment, plus a presentation at the end. There was no final exam, but there were 2 midterms. You could use an excel sheet with notes throughout, tho. The professor was good. He catered to his students and asked questions about how we thought the class was going. A good class to take.
BCHM 421: R For Molecular Biosciences (Pete Pascuzzi)
I took this class because my previous classes had made me really like working in R. I took the class to continue on with that. If you do not have a basic understanding of R, it may be a slight learning curve. The class only met on Wednesday and Friday for 2 hours. There wasn’t a lecture every class, but there was usually some work to be done. All assignments were done through R and could typically be finished in the class period. If this wasn’t possible, it could usually be finished the next class. The class just showed different things in R, from graphics and data wrangling to how to process gene ontology. There were homeworks and labs, with labs being more involved. There was a midterm that was open resource and a project. The project was done at the very end with groups who put together code from previous lectures/labs to create an RShiny document. The class did have a final, again open resource, but any graduating seniors did not have to take the final. There was an opportunity for extra credit by creating an R notebook for all your notes for functions and lines of code. The professor was also nice, helpful, and willing to put in effort to match you.
ANSC 351: Meat Science (Yuan Kim)
This class is basically just biology plus some extra info for meat processing. If you have taken muscle biology (or just bio) you will do well. The class does have some busy work, tho. The first part of the class was solely muscle biology. After this, the class went into meat quality (including analysis, factors affecting quality, etc.), parts of production (packaging, freezing, heating), slaughter and that process, then into meat safety. The content was interesting to learn and easy to take in. The class did have several assignments. After every class was a lecture quiz, each week there was a reflection, and every so often there was a case study. Case studies involved reading a case and providing a response to address the cause of a problem and fix it. The whole semester, there was a project involving some topic in meat science (novel tech, meat in diet, lab-grown meat, alternatives, etc.). Groups got together at the beginning of the semester to make a decision on the topic. Then, throughout the semester, groups met with TAs, wrote drafts of a paper, critiqued other student papers, and made a presentation to show the class. Throughout the semester, you have to work 2 shifts at the butcher block or write a giant essay on a book, too. The class also required 4 exams and a final. If you showed up to every class, you were able to skip the final. Dr. Kim loves the topic and wants you to learn, but most of the grading will be done by TAs.

I am looking to streamline updates to a tool that i created for work. I keep trying to look up options, but i must not be wording it properly.
The tool: I have a spreadsheet that acts as a calculator of sorts. I can input the client’s name and input invoice details to see which policies apply and important dates. We have hundreds of clients, each with different contract provisions that change annually. The tool took off at the office and now I have the whole department with individual copies Now that i have so many copies floating around it is getting difficult to complete the contract updates and add new clients to the table in each copy.
Example: Client A has 2 subgroups. 1 - 30% discount for 6 weeks 2 - 10% discount for 2 weeks
I put in $100 starting 4/27. If selected: Sub 1 - shows $70 until 6/8 Sub 2 - shows $90 until 5/11
The questions: Right now i have 15 copies of the worksheet out there each one with their own tables that need to be updated individually . Is it possible for me to just have 1 document with 1 table stored in a cloud, and have 15 different copies in different locations pull data from the same table and calculate on their own?
What would be the easiest way to go about this?
I feel like it should be simple but there are so many instructional videos but I haven’t been able to find one for this.
Edit: Thank you all! I have some great leads!

I’m a mid-upper level accountant at a 150 million dollar a year company. Today I was asked to put together a financial audit for our insurance company for them to determine the premium rate. The insurance auditors requested pretty basic stuff: a P&L for fiscal year determined by them, a report detailing the work classification of employees, a payroll report, a list of any 1099 sub-contractors we use, a copy of our 941’s, and a copy of our general ledger.
I put this together for 8 of our stores which was requested by the auditors. After I compiled these reports the operations manager asked me to go over them for her. I was going through the tabs on the excel sheet and explaining each tab. When I mentioned that one tab was the 1099 sub-contractors, she said she wanted that tab to be removed from the worksheet and for the sub-contractor numbers to be removed from the payroll report. My immediate supervisor, the financial controller, told me to remove the numbers from the payroll report and to move the 1099 amounts to the miscellaneous expense account rather than the sub-contract labor account.
They both walked off and when he came back to his desk beside mine he said, “I hate doing that kind of stuff.” I said, “I know, me too”. He said “It’s not good.” I said, “It’s insurance fraud.”
I sat at my desk maybe 5 more minutes and got up and left without saying a word. Upon arriving at home I sent the controller a text letting him know I was uncomfortable and thought that I should go back tomorrow to get my stuff. He wanted me to call him and I did. I recorded a 25 minute conversation of him basically admitting that a lot of things are done incorrectly or in an unethical way but that he is trying to get things done correctly. He said he wanted me to consider continuing to work there and that he’d be more assertive in making sure things are done correctly by the operations manager. I told him I’d need to discuss everything with my wife.
A bit later I messaged him asking for the next 3 days off to think everything over. He was ok with it.
I guess I need to know what I should do. Should I report this to someone? Can I get unemployment for leaving for a legal reason? Etc.

I'm a substitute teacher who has been working for one district in particular since 2015. I got my credential (M.S.) in 2021. It's been a long, hard road for me. I've applied again and again for a full time elementary teaching position. I have been so dedicated and determined that I want to be a teacher. I've been offered a handful of long term positions that I put my heart and soul into. I've achieved a lot of mini things that get to be forgotten-it's been that long. I've experienced many ups and downs.
The culture has changed so much in the past near decade since I started. I can't believe I'm even still saying this is what I want to do. As a substitute I feel like I get the worst behaviors.
I started a "long term" sub position this week that is just one day over the start of being officially long term (pay rate wise). Originally I was supposed to start in February but the actual teacher came back. It was supposedly an unexpected return as the DO had requested me to long term and the school site estimated I'd be there until the end of the year.
It's a Learning Center class with one SDC student who stays all day and the rest come in for certain times. Their teacher has been absent most of the school year. These students have a really hard time with change and are struggling to accept that I will be there with them for a while. I WANT to help these learners. Before me I can't say these students have been served in their best interest.
The long term sub before me was there for 4 months. The principal loved her and even "fought so hard to keep her." I observed this sub for about a week and did not see her teach once. In about a week I saw her play videos, give worksheets, and talk. She made schedules and a list of duties for the PAs to carry out. She socialized with her favorite PA after giving the kids busy work, telling them to go on their computer, or watch the video. I had many questions about what she actually did besides give them busy work. I even stepped in as co-teacher when I was supposed to be observing. I asked the sub if she met with grade level or attended meetings and she said no. She even left whenever she was done printing out papers or looking for a video to update her slides. Before school the principal initially instructed me to do what the current sub is doing "because it's working." This sub babied them, let them have tantrums on the floor, and promised to buy them treats. Some of the worst behaved students were allowed to play on the chromebook or do anything they wanted just to avoid the behavior. Does the principal just want to never hear what is going on in the class?
I had a long term (3rd grade) for her school in the past. It was a great class. The kids learned, they were kind, they achieved. She walked in once and was taken back to find the kids quietly focused and on task (this is one of my major wins- this was how my class operated). Maybe the talkative one was absent that day or he was already switched to another class. The parent of the talkative one who needed more redirection complained about me to the principal and the principal put the student in another classroom. The student's behavior and performance did not get better according to the other teacher. Another student complained to her parent that I wouldn't move her seat (bet she didn't tell her mom she wanted to sit next to her friend) with the seating chart update. The parent complained to the principal so the principal moved ANOTHER student to a different classroom. Later, the friend made up a story that I made her stand in front of the whole class to recite the pledge of alliegance. That was easily disprovable. After the incident with the three different students, the class moved on. I still taught a kid to read when no one else would. He earned his first "A" ever and read his first book ever. :') This class had many of my achievements that are now forgotten and were never acknowledged. It's fine honestly I know what I did and can be proud. A boss COULD look for the positives but this one doesn't.
In the 3rd grade class I was never asked to attend trainings or meetings besides a weekly grade level meeting. I had a lot to do and knew what exactly the students needed and spent time after contract hours doing whatever I could to help my students.
This time around -my second time being asked for the same job- the principal has different expectations that were not communicated. On my first morning back I arrived early and the principal dodged me. I saw her see me and then put her head down. I already think she doesn't like me because of the past job, and the previous sub showed what the class was about (and was lacking ;p).
Yesterday was one of the school meeting days. I did not get an invite. I finished my work, kids were dismissed from school, I had work for the next day already set. I left before contract hour. I had nothing else to do since the kids were gone for the day. The principal came in after I left to talk to me. I didn't know she wanted to talk. I ASSumed she didn't want to hear from me and that I simply had to follow the lesson plan that was left for me. That is what a sub does.
Today I went to talk to the principal and could not find her. She must have been lurking around somewhere haha. Later she pulled me aside at one point and I addressed me not being there when she went to talk to me yesterday. She asked if I've done this type of class (SDC, LC) before which I have. *I've also done SPED mild/mod and mod/severe. *I've also done classes long term and during student teaching where SPED students mainstream. I've taught lessons and accomodated for SPED students in another long term this year! I said yes and she asked, "Can you even handle this job?" I said yes. She asked why I sent a student out and informed me that the students are required to be accomodated BY LAW. I told her I did not send a student out. Yesterday behavior support was there for a student who was being disrespectful and not letting me help him. The support saw what was happening and I said I won't help him with the work if his behavior continued. I honestly checked the sad faces on his smiley chart since he did not work toward his goals. The support said she would take him to the support room. I never sent him out. He had maybe five minutes left officially and if he needed to calm down in another room, I don't see the problem when support is with him. Anyway, I told the principal I can't think of how I did what she was accusing me of. She asked if I needed support and I said sure. She also said I'm required to go to meeting and training since I am long term.
One month compared to the four month sub in this particular class. I get micromanaged and told I need to do abc... The other one didn't get micromanaged and did not get in trouble for leaving early or playing videos that didn't support academic goals (especially for the ones in class all day).
I'm confused. The principal has a strong insistence that I do so much more than her preferred sub ever did. How do I stand up for myself? I'm not being treated fairly and it seems like the principal has had it out for me. In my bones I had a feeling she would find something to put on me and it only took a few days. At this point I want the steady job, the income. I obviously need money to survive. In my head my responses may come off as argumentative or sarcastic. Any advice for this kind of situation?
-Forgot to mention this sub did not even have a bachelor's degree or a credential. Funny how things work out for unqualified people sometimes. I started applying for full time before getting my credential now 8+ years later I'm still a sub. Meanwhile someone unqualified gets treated like they made all the difference. -

found via indeed : Service Manager / Administrator - Remote - Indeed.com

Full job description

Job Description
We have a rare opportunity to join our well-established business who specialises in specialist cleaning services. At DS Cleaning Solutions Limited we work mainly with corporate clients providing a variety of reliable and professional specialist cleaning services. The role is based from home with full training and support from day one. Continued training and support is a key part of our business ensuring you feel part of the team. Due to continued growth, our business is now seeking an experienced administrator to work with our teams across the UK.
Job Title: Service Manager / Administrator
Job Type: Part Time
Salary: £14-£15.00 Per Hour (depending on experience)
Start: ASAP
Location: Home Based
Hours: 5 days per week (20 hours) Monday to Friday working 1pm to 5pm
Benefits: 10 days annual leave, company laptop and company mobile
Company Culture: Relaxed and professional environment
Role:
This is a fantastic opportunity to develop a career within a successful company, with good prospects and progression for the right candidate. The role will require the administrator to complete a variety of tasks which include:

• Assisting the managing director and contract manager with the day to day tasks
• Responding to client emails and requests
• Answer incoming emails
• Provide excellent customer service
• Gain and maintain good working relationships with clients and cleaning operatives
• Completing site reports (Full training provided)
• Completing worksheets for cleaners and sub-contractors
• Completing sales quotations
• Sending sales response and enquiry emails
• Completing RAMS and health & safety forms (Full training provided)
• Scheduling cleaning services with our client base
• Liaising with cleaners and sub-contractors to update availability
• Updating an on-line scheduling system on a daily basis
• Updating weekly timesheets
• Scheduling fleet (vehicles) annual MOT and servicing
• Placing orders for materials and stock

Do you have the required skills and attributes?
· Previous administration experience; minimum of 1 year
· Previous cleaning experience; minimum of 1 year (Would be advantageous)
· Able to work independently or as part of a team
· Customer focused
· Excellent attention to detail, good written communication skills
· Able to work under pressure, be flexible and be responsive to challenges
· Well organised, self-motivated, reliable and efficient at managing their time
· Must have experience using Microsoft Office, Excel and Word
· Self employed applicants are welcome to apply
Due to the large numbers of responses, we receive, despite our best efforts it is not possible to respond to every application. Therefore, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for this particular role and if you haven't heard from us within 14 days please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. We thank you for taking the time to apply for this position.
Job Type: Part-time
Salary: £14.00-£15.00 per hour
Expected hours: No more than 20 per week
Benefits:

• Work from home

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Supplemental pay types:

• Loyalty bonus

Education:

• GCSE or equivalent (preferred)

Experience:

• Customer service: 1 year (preferred)
• Administrative experience: 1 year (preferred)

Language:

• English (preferred)

Work Location: Remote
Reference ID: DSC-004

I'm not yet old enough to enlist, but I'm planning on doing so once I turn 17. I've done lots of research, and I think I want to be a 12b. As an engineer MOS, I'd assume it's a male-dominated area. I'm female. What's the situation like for a female soldier in a predominantly male field?
Also, would it be better to join an ROTC in college before enlisting, or go to a military academy, as opposed to being an enlisted soldier?
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What’s the quality of life for a 68W wanting to be stationed in Hawaii? I’ve got an Option 19 on my contract and my wife and I are trying to decide a good location for her to be able to work and also enjoy not being stuck in BFE like we have most of our lives. 24M if that matters at all. Thanks in advance!
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I am a college student, graduating in 8-14 months, for Management Information Systems. I have a lot of corporate software internship experience but I am looking to join the army because I can't imagine doing a desk job (at least at this point in life). Given my education I am only considering Intelligence or Cyber, and most likely 17C. As far as I've been informed nothing is as technical (software not hardware like 35T) or translates to post-service. I am looking to sign an option 40, spend a year in a Ranger Battalion, then go for special forces after I've given my time there. I've seen that Rangers are open to 17C enlistments. I am not signing a 18x contract because I have no experience with the military and I think would be better off taking it slow and acclimating both physically and mentally. I did not do army ROTC and at this point it is too late for me to join up. I am only interested in joining the army to go for Ranger or SF. Hopefully I can integrate my college and work experience into it, but if I had to make a decision I would prioritize RangeSF over getting the ideal technical MOS. I took the picat and got 99th percentile, not sure about line scores. Soon to go to MEPS. I am physically fit, but not at the level of rucking 100lbs for 8 hours. TLDR- I want action in the army as well as technical stuff, so I can do high priced contracting or maybe three letter work after I get out. Few questions: Is 17C my best bet? Should I look at OCS and how does that work (what part of the process)? What is the minimum time for a contract like this? Does this whole plan make sense? Please let me know if I am missing any information or if there are any different or better ideas. (Or ask me any questions)
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What are the differences between 35L and 35M? How do I know which one is best for me to reclassify as?
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Hello all! I am writing to get some clarification on MEPS. I am 22 years old and ready to serve my country. I have met with my recruiter and was asked about my medical history. I had a diagnosis of ADHD in high school, which I have now outgrown. I was also prescribed an antidepressant in 2018 (during high school) and again in 2021. I refilled both prescriptions twice in my life. I have been transparent with the recruiter and he suggested I fill out a waiver for the ADHD. I have obtained my prescription record which corroborates that I only refilled an antidepressant RX twice and have not taken medication or seen a doctor since 2021. As I entered adulthood I have learned to cope by eating healthier, staying active and educating himself on importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. My question is will MEPS disqualify me based on my history with depression from 3 years ago? Will I be ok to enlist? Have you had a similar experience? Thanking everyone in advance for your anticipated suggestions and guidance.
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Im graduating high school in the summer and plan on enlisting in the Army. I've got around 5 months left for my braces and I saw online that you can't go to basic with braces. Should I visit my recruiter and pick a ship out date (after hashing everything out, including taking the ASVAB) or should I just wait until then and maybe get a bonus for shipping out within 30 days then?
Also the MOS that I want, 27D has an ASVAB score recuirement of 105 Clerical, if I don't achieve that score on the first try, can I retake it or is it one and done?
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Does the Army have a plan for deploying units during mobilization? Many armies have reserve units that will be deployed in the event of a major conflict, filled with equipment taken from storage and mobilized soldiers. Do such units exist in the US Army? As far as I know they existed before 1991, but I don’t know the current situation
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I am 16 years old, waiting to enroll once I’m 17. I currently take EMS classes, and I’m interested in being a Flight Medic in the Army. If anyone is a Flight Medic, then I’d like to know what it’s exactly like being one? I’m also open for any advice on how to decide between all of the careers. I love to help people and work with trauma patients, but I’d also love to be on the ground and much closer to the combat, possibly in it too, but I don’t know if I’d want to take that big of a risk.
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I'm enlisting as a 68D in May. What is your day-to-day like? Is this job transferable to the civilian side?
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Info on mos 13f
Was just curious on the everyday life and the goods and bads. My Asvab score allows me almost any job but this one has stuck out the most.
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How do you Army Chaplains like your job? Do you have any extra info or tips on what they do and how you become one? And is it possible to reclass into one?
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Fort Meade (Civilian)
I have a family member who just moved to work at fort Meade as a civilian and I looking for others who live on base to get to know and hang out with (bonus points if they’re on or close to Reece Crossings!) It was a huge change and he moved so far from home and is trying get to know some new people. Any social media groups or advice is super helpful!
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Can anyone offer any insight on being an Army Guard infantry officer? Looking for overall job satisfaction, pros & cons. I know it’ll differ state to state however any kind of insight would be appreciated. My husband is prior service AD army, 11B. He’s currently deciding between enlisted air guard eod & army guard infantry. There’s many pros and cons to both, but right now we just don’t have any contacts to get in touch with to get an honest feel for what officer life in army guard is like so it’s making the decision difficult. I’ve been air guard for 10 years, so we’re very familiar with the unit & are able to talk to the shop directly. Right now commissioning is appealing, and it’s much easier process in army than air guard. He’s fully qualified, done with Meps and we’re really just at the deciding stage. Any thoughts are appreciated!
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What MOS should I pick?
So I’m thinking of joining the Army, and since they’re the only branch I qualify for, I was wondering what my options are.
Why do I want to join? Well, there’s not a lot of opportunity for me at home. Most jobs available are not only dead ends, but I can’t even get one single fast food job because they’re all taken.
I have no money to go to a university, and since I can’t get a job, I can barely pay for community college. Financial aid doesn’t cover my costs either.
I scored a 69 on the ASVAB. Here are my line scores:
GT106 CL108 CO105 EL104 FA106 GM102 MM99
OF103 SC106 ST107
For jobs, for starters, I’d love to travel a lot. I think that would be pretty fun. Initially I wanted to do fixed wing aviation in the Air Force or Navy, but they won’t take me, and I’m not really into Army aviation.
I thought about doing 19K (tanks), that seems pretty fun, but it doesn’t seem like they travel all that much. I thought about infantry for the guns…but I hear they’re not really going anywhere either.
So far, none of the jobs really interest me. I don’t really find most career fields interesting in general. I was always into artsy stuff like music or videos. I love creating things independently, but it’s also twice the fun when you create and finish together with a team.
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Hello, I'm make this post to ask if I would be allowed to join the army if I have constipation issues. My GI doctor told me to take Miralax for it and I've been taking it for 3 years now and can't go to the restroom without it. I've been interested in joining the army and I'm talking to a recruiter right now and he said I might be good. I'm going to take the ASVAB in a few days. Would I be allowed to join the army If I'm taking this medicine and would I be allowed to continue taking it if I were to be allowed to join. Like would I get it from the army pharmacy at basic or could I take it with me from home?
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I’m going through about a decades worth of old army documentation I’ve had in a dusty old container and kept moving forward between duty stations “just in case I get a random statement of charges”. I’m now shredding almost everything.
Is there anything I 100% absolutely should not shred?
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Which 91 series MOS should I join
Which 91 series MOS should I join I'm currently working on enlisting and have qualified for several 91 series jobs based on my immigration status and ASVAB scores. I'm very conflicted on choice between 91P, 91S, 91B and 91M (My prefered shortlist). Some insight on the daily life and satisfaction rate of these specific MOS. I would love some outside experienced opinions to help direct me to a better army career. My goal is to serve in the 91 series for a short time while I wait for a 15 series opening, or better till I can get a warrant packet in. Also I'm doing it for citizenship and college. Thanks for reading
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Overweight, Looking to join.
I guess I'll start this off by saying I know I'm nowhere near ready to join and probably far off the fat camp aswell, But I'm really interested in becoming a 17C. I'm 23 ATM but by time I feel like I would have lost enough weight probably 24 1/2. I weigh 338 pounds at 6ft. My questions are, What weight can I be at for the fat camp and do you think it is realistic to lose 100 pounds in a year.
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How is the 91P life in the army?
I'm planning on enlisting with the 91P mos, and I'm just doing my research and comparing other 91 series jobs I'm interested in.
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I used to love my garmount NFS, but have changed jobs and need black boots, what's the closest boot in similarity to an NFS, something that I can run/ruck in?
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Has anybody ever met or been a 12W in the 75th in this subreddit? I know the mos is small and then making it to regiment is a tall task on it's own. I'm wanting to join as a 12W Option 40 because I'd get the benefit of lifelong skills and being an elite soldier (if I make it of course) but I know it's a slim chance of me getting that MOS paired w Option 40 so I was just wondering if anybody has even heard of or known somebody to have a beret and be a 12W and what their job looks like in regiment
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I’m curious about the fspc course I’m 5 10 and 220 pounds and can’t really find any info about it I’m trying to talk to a recruiter I’m trying to figure out if I qualify or what ever
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i cant choose which one 11x or 13f i got a buddy who is 11b so i got a little info on that and i do as much research as i can on 13f but i don't know any of them to talk to personally, i think i'll be fine with either, i have a pretty good mindset but i just can't decide, i want to shoot guns and do all that fun shit (ik i'll hate it don't worry, that's the point) i don't know if i'll get enough of that in 13f but i also hear infantry people don't even do any of the actual shit 90% of the time so idk, could someone help me decide?
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Joining USAR Medical Corps as a physician
Hey guys, I’m looking to join the USAR as a medical student in the reserves. I have a few questions about retirement and career progression opportunities.
I’ll be getting off active duty with 5 years in the Marines and I’ve got a DD368 ready to prevent a gap in service from active Marines to Army Reserve. I’ve been accepted to medical school and it looks like the MDSSP program will be the best for my situation as I’m not interested in remaining full-time on active duty, don’t want to completely end my military career, and I want to keep Tricare for my family. The Army is the only branch that allows students to drill and draw stipends while only obligating them to reserve service after.
1) I’m planning to go for 20 years minimum. I’ll be at 11-16 years of total service (depending on how much financial assistance I accept) once my service obligation is up. Can anyone imagine a situation where they wouldn’t let me hit my 20 so I could get a reserve retirement? How long would they theoretically let me stay on as a physician in the reserves?
2) How often will reserve physicians be able to deploy, and are they truly 90 day deployments?
3) What are the penultimate career goals as a reserve physician? What are some career milestones you’d recommend I aim for?
4) How difficult would it be to serve on active duty orders? I’d be very interested in voluntarily picking up active orders from time to time.
5) Would I be able to apply for programs such as FAO, Congressional Fellowships, senior level schools/PME, and other broadening tours in the same way as active duty officers?
6) Would my career progression follow closely to the active duty timing once I join the Medical Corps? (Major at ~10 years, LtCol at ~17 years, etc)
7) For current and former reserve docs, would you do it again?
8) USAR and the Guard both have the same program. Is it worth considering the guard?
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What’s the difference between a 35L in the 75th ranger regiment and a 35L that’s not?
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Can family transport you from Basic Training at Fort Sill to AIT at Fort Sam Houston following graduation day? Getting mixed info.
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I’m a smart, capable student, in my senior year of high school, graduating in the top 5% of my class. I’m bound for UT Austin next school year but am now questioning if that’s the right move for me. I’ve gotten no scholarships and though my parents are willing to help, I’ll inevitably be forced to take out loans and likely won’t be financially stable for some time, if ever. I intend to study anthropology because that’s what truly interests me but I know there’s not much money in any career pertaining to that degree. Throughout high school, there’ve been recruiters coming into my classes, promising many appealing benefits such as paying for my college in full as well as my rent while I live at the city I attend college in. I just need to be in the army at least 3 years. Something that also appeals to me is the fact I can go into a career where I gain experience as an automotive mechanic, which is something that interests me and I find much value in. I consider myself fairly resilient and healthy and don’t feel incapable of doing what will be expected of me. With all these benefits, mechanical experience, basically free rent and college, and the opportunity to accumulate savings, the army sounds like the smartest, but not the most glamorous, option for me. My question to you all is: is joining the army worth it for me? Would I actually be able to go for three years, accumulate savings, and return to UT Austin to complete my higher education? Or is the recruiter painting too pretty a picture and though I may receive some benefits, it won’t be worth it in the end, sacrificing three years I could instead spend in Austin, living the traditional college life in a new, exciting environment.
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My friend just found out today that he will be doing basic training at Fort Sill instead of Fort Jackson. If anyone has graduated from there recently, I'm curious what your experience was like, and any advice you have for people going there. I'd also appreciate any advice on how to support him while he's there. Particularly, what should I expect with communication? I gave him envelopes and stamps so he can write when he is able. Are there certain things I should or should not include in letters? Thanks!
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Is 2-2 infantry division/ 8-1 cav still dog shit?
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Im in the process of joining as an E-4 and doing very well, asvab wise and everything else except a major thing, I had a suicide attempt almost 2 years ago and end it up in the hospital, I requested my medical records to see what they wrote, they put it down as intensional overdose and depression, I had a therapist prior but I’ve been treating myself with a psychiatrist since then, they I wasn’t sent to psychiatry because they didn’t consider me a risk for myself of others so I was never committed and just asked to follow up, also wrote down that I have very good coping mechanisms as though why I don’t require medication, does this means that I have no chance at joining the army and should just give up before going to meps? I told my recruiter about the depression but not the suicidal attempt, he says most likely I’ll need a Letter from my therapist.
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At the risk of seeming petty and impatient... How long does it take to get a call back after submitting the required documents to the recruiter?
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25H
I was originally going looking towards 25B but found 25H and seems interesting. Any 25H that can give some more information on this mos ?
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35M or 35P, which is better
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Hey everyone, kind of searching for some advice here.
I’m in my lower 30’s and signed an 18x contract - I ship in June. I’ve spent the last year preparing and am just now finding my stride and really hitting the running times I need to be competitive. I left my previous career in preparation of this and have been thinking about SOF since 2019.
I haven’t had any issues with training or my body up until recently. I played hockey and football growing up and have the wear and tear to show for it. Most notably, from separate incidents, I fractured a vertebrae and I had a back surgery for a herniated disk - both injuries not too far from each other in my lower back.
My problem is while I haven’t had any issues in a while (at least a year or two) I recently had a bad flare up that started as back pain and transitioned to sciatic pain. Both of these things have been pretty manageable in the past and pain is something I’m pretty accustom to.
With that all being said - I’m more self aware with this pain. I’m currently in the best shape of my life so far, and haven’t been able to train in four or five days because of this flare up. I know the training ahead of me is going to push me way harder than I ever could and wonder how my body will handle it. I’m aware of breaking away from the DEP, but it really bothers me to even consider that.
I just wonder if I missed the train and take this as a sign to refocus? Do I press on and hope for the best? What would you do?
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Should I take Continuation pay on my next re up? Career counselor is strongly advising. Guessed it because he says it's going to take away from our retirement and hinder me later on
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I have a safety razor with replaceable razor blades. Would I be able to bring that basic training
or will they take away the razor blades? Will I be better off just buying a disposable razor?
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How is Schofield (ARMY)
Anyone have any experience or information they know about 25th INF DIV 3rd BCT ? How’s life like for people who just joined ? Especially those in Signal mos. How is the deployment rate ?
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Is 35T the only 35 series job that doesn't have the language school requirement or has less language requirements than the other 35 jobs?
Also do any of the 2 year contract combat jobs have good day to day job duties? I only know the 11B Job (Infantry) so maybe there's a good job I'm missing in those
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how does joining without credit work? i’m getting married soon, and want to rent off base whenever i join. am i able to do that without credit? i don’t know how to adult :(
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Did 4 years AD, Then went IRR for 8 months, then reserves now in a will train slot where the school has been denied like 3 times now. Tired of waiting. Wanting to go back active duty reclass as a 19C(Seen that SWEET tier 9 bonus for E4) Previously I was a 13F in a ABCT. Is it just a whole new contract or? Has anyone does anything like this similar?
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I'm thinking of joining the reserves. I'm 33 married with kids. I have a job with local government, however I've always wanted to serve. It's been on my heart lately to talk to a recruiter and get it started. Anybody out there with advice as to what the initial steps are and what to expect. Thank you.
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Thinking of enlisting and I need guidance?
I'm gonna be graduating in the summer and originally planned on going to a 4 year college. I've gotten mostly waitlisted at almost all my colleges and might have to go to community college if I want to stay on that track. I live in a very affluent and rich area so the community college is good but I'm not sure if I want to go along with that and don't feel like taking a gap year.
I want to end up being a lawyer one day but I also want to be independent right now so say I hypothetically don't get off these waitlists, it's either CC or the military in my eyes. I only want to do 4 years because I still would have to attend undergrad and law school and I want to raise a family before I turn 35-ish. The army sounds the best to me because of the wide variety of jobs to choose from. The MOS 27D, paralegal specialist sounds pretty good as well.
I also want to live a full life and I understand that all the "jumping out of planes" and "shooting large guns" is mostly just a selling point, but it seems like enlisting in the Army is what makes these once in a lifetime experiences possible. There are so many benefits but at the same time, I would be re-entering civilian life and hopefully going into undergrad at 21, which seems crazy. I would be academically behind my peers by 4 years.
I'm really at one of the greatest cross roads of my life, does anyone have any advice, or have been in the position themselves? How is enlisting? What should I expect?
Thinking of enlisting, in need of guidance!
I'm gonna be graduating in the summer and originally planned on going to a 4 year college. I've gotten mostly waitlisted at almost all my colleges and might have to go to community college if I want to stay on that track. I live in a very affluent and rich area so the community college is good but I'm not sure if I want to go along with that and don't feel like taking a gap year.
I want to end up being a lawyer one day but I also want to be independent right now so say I hypothetically don't get off these waitlists, it's either CC or the military in my eyes. I only want to do 4 years because I still would have to attend undergrad and law school and I want to raise a family before I turn 35-ish. The army sounds the best to me because of the wide variety of jobs to choose from. The MOS 27D, paralegal specialist sounds pretty good as well.
I also want to live a full life and I understand that all the "jumping out of planes" and "shooting large guns" is mostly just a selling point, but it seems like enlisting in the Army is what makes these once in a lifetime experiences possible. There are so many benefits but at the same time, I would be re-entering civilian life and hopefully going into undergrad at 21, which seems crazy. I would be academically behind my peers by 4 years.
I'm really at one of the greatest cross roads of my life, does anyone have any advice, or have been in the position themselves? How is enlisting? What should I expect?
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Hello, I'm a recruit going in as a small arms repairman for the army. I am going to Fort Sill Oklahoma for basic training and then will be sent to Fort Campbell. In all of this, I am very confused as there is very little concrete discussion or evidence that I can find that tells me all the contact points I will be able to get with my loved ones. I know I can send and receive letters, but I don't know, how to go through that process, where if any i can acquire the materials to write the letters, and how soon I can expect to receive letters from my loves ones once I get in. I understand that at some point later in the training, to the drill sergeants discretion, that I will be able to gain access to my phone, but I haven't found concrete numbers as to how long and under what restrictions or if that is also to the drill sergeants mood and demeanor for the day. I also do not know how I will be able to get my address or other information to my loved ones so that they will be able to send letters to me or if there's a separate process for that as different in sending letters. I also do not realize much if any about how family day will work, under what restrictions, when it is, or how many can come.
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I realize this is a long, contrived, and possibly stupid list of questions. I also realize that I may sound quite dumb in asking them, but I am very close to my small circle of loved ones and would like to take any steps necessary to be as connected with them as possible while I am not there, which includes seeking all the information and resources I can on the matter, even if I'm an idiot for asking. Even just answering one of these questions would be a huge help and I would genuinely greatly appreciate it, thank you.
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So I’m graduating high school in May and for the longest time have been wanting to enlist in the military (every since i was little).
Now I’ve been thinking Navy (I love the ocean), but Army is starting to interest me more as I more than likely wont end up on a ship. The other reason for Navy is that the Navy recruiter seemed willing to help me as I will need waivers compared to the Army recruiter who didn’t seem interested.
I’m not in the best physical shape i will say, but i’m hoping to change that for when I can enlist. I do have a history of depression and anxiety which has been resolved. I’ve been off meds for 4 months for one, and 3 months for the other (i know i need to wait a year) I’m stable off of them. I know some people are gonna think i’m dumb for wanting to enlist due to past mental problems.
What’s your thoughts on army? is it worth it?
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Have been debating on "rejoining" the army again for some time now. (I say rejoining cause I went in 2017 when I turned 18 but quit due to Tiny Heart Syndrome) Anyway.
I am 25 now and have matured a lot over the past few years but something has always worried me about rejoining. A lot of the things I see not get answered is the niche stuff about the army. The weird almost stupid sounding questions. Where do I go when I get to my first unit? If I need to talk to an officer outside, do I stand at attention and talk to him, even if he keeps walking? Do I follow him? I'm Sure the questions I'm asking will be answered by someone close to graduation, but its anxiety I have about the weird niche questions.
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I guess my big question here is: Does it just come naturally after a while? Does it all just click and make sense at some point? I wanna feel like Ill eventually know what I'm doing and it will just become normal at some point. I don't wanna be the shitbag PVT who either doesn't make it or worse turns into a shitbag SGT eventually.
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Army Tattoo Question
Im a high schooler planning to do ROTC (shooting for a contract) then going active duty. Would you guys recommend just waiting to get tattoos until i’m in and contracts are signed just to be safe, or as long as I follow Army policy, I should be safe?
Anything to consider or anything i’d be automatically disqualified for with having those identifying marks on my body?
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I’ve enlisted already, leaving in July. Got MP for 5 years. I’ve got a couple of questions.

1. My training and boot camp are going to be combined (so 5 months). I know boot camp has a graduation, but since mine’s combined will I have one after trainings over? How will my living space be arranged? (I saw that some people going through AIT had more of a college dorm space.) Will it just be sorta like a switch from boot to AIT in the middle? Basically what’s different then just normal boot camp? (Other than length)
   
2. I’m going in as an E-3, are there certain things I should know more about? Will I be treated differently?
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I have tinnitus but my hearing is fine. Only thing that sorta worries me is boot camp at night. Is it completely quiet? Or is there a little noise. I think I will be ok but still is decently loud when it's completely quiet.
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Im about to turn 24 and have dreams of serving in the ranger regiment one day, however, i went through a break up almost 2 years ago that had really affected my mental health. It was a rather abusive relationship. My mother being a nurse practitioner really pressured me into seeing a doctor (not psychologist) about me being depressed. They prescribed me some anti anxiety medication that I never took. I'm actually rather against the practice of handing out medication like that to anyone off the street off of a 10 question worksheet. I found my stride again a couple months after that so needless to say, it's not a reoccurring issue. I'm wondering if this will disqualify me from joining up in a combat mos.
Tldr: doc said I was depressed, found my stride again and hasn't been a reoccurring issue. Will this disqualify me from a combat mos?
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I want to go into the Army after I finish high school and I plan on becoming an 11B or, if possible, try for 18 series. However, I am an only child and I have been told that I can't go into any combat roles. Is this true? If so, is there any way I can get around it with a waiver or something?
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Wondering which one is the current fitness test, ACFT or APFT?
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I failed my psych eval and Im wondering if anyone has any knowledge if l'm able to apply to another branch I was Appling to army and just got the word today that I failed and id be able to apply again next year is it possible 1 get a different evaluation from a different doctor or maybe I'd be able to apply to another branch and be able to be accepted I assume since I've been denied by the army I wouldn't qualify for any other branch but I'm not for sure does anyone know?
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Need some serious advice
Hey everyone, I'm in a bit of a pickle.
Its been a dream of mine to go into OCS and handle artillery, especially regarding laser weapons (Valkyrie comes to mind).
I've studied Physics and went into laser physics, currently working in a company as a manufacturing engineer (again working with high power pulsed lasers).
I'm 24 and my GPA is 2.7, from this point on I will list the problems. I can score 88 on the ASVAB btw
I've never lived in US despite being a US citizen. All my studies are abroad and I currently live in a country that allows me to do all the paperwork, contract included without leaving here. I'm already in talks with the recruiter and he said this wouldn't cause problems with clearance.
I have an ADHD diagnosis from 5 years ago, took ritalin for 2 years, been off for 26 months. This info doesn't show up in the records that I can reach. I also had an OCD diagnosis but that is completely off the books and I'm not medicated for it.
I know everyone is gonna tell me to be honest, but translating all the records, proving that I'm capable etc would be an herculean task and my dad (AF officer) as well as his friends are advising me to not mention it and just choose "no" on everything. They say that even with Genesis, they can't reach foreign records in that country.
I want to be honest, but I also want to accomplish my dreams without getting older. What would you do in my shoes?
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I will be leaving for boot camp in 2 weeks at Ft. Sill any tips? Also, my mos is 35G is this a good mos for post-military? How is promotion as a 35G and how is it day to day?
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Today I got the response that my moral waiver was approved. I want to do either 35L or 35M, I’m talking to a disciplinary counselor Tuesday. Has anyone with the experience got advice about the waiver for the 35L or 35M? Will I need one? If so whats the process? And what do I need to do?
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Was told by mod to post this here:
Yesterday I finished the last thing I needed to do in order to enlist (eye consult) at MEPS. I passed my exam & my recruiter said I should expect to enlist next Thursday/Friday. This has been a long time coming and I’m excited to start this new journey.
I’ve narrowed down the jobs I believe I would enjoy doing to 35L, 35F and 25B. I meet the requirements for all three but I’m genuinely having a tough time picking one. My goal after the Army is to do bigger picture law enforcement, and yesterday having spoke to many people in intelligence they said 35L would be the perfect MOS for me.
If I do go to MEPS next week to sign a contract I’m a bit worried they will try and fuck with me and try to persuade me to do something else. I plan on staying strong and not settling for anything else besides these three.
I guess what I’m asking is if anyone can give me insight to these three jobs, personal experience or things they’ve heard. Are these jobs hard to get? How is the quality of life? Are they interesting and fulfilling?
Is there a big difference between 35L & 35F?
Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
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Going to fort Eisenhower as a 25b wondering if I can volunteer for airborne while I’m there,and what would I have to do to get it?
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How do I volunteer for recruiting
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I'm not yet old enough to enlist, but I'm planning on doing so once I turn 17. I've done lots of research, and I think I want to be a 12b. As an engineer MOS, I'd assume it's a male-dominated area. I'm female. What's the situation like for a female soldier in a predominantly male field?
Also, would it be better to join an ROTC in college before enlisting, or go to a military academy, as opposed to being an enlisted soldier?
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What’s the quality of life for a 68W wanting to be stationed in Hawaii? I’ve got an Option 19 on my contract and my wife and I are trying to decide a good location for her to be able to work and also enjoy not being stuck in BFE like we have most of our lives. 24M if that matters at all. Thanks in advance!
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I am a college student, graduating in 8-14 months, for Management Information Systems. I have a lot of corporate software internship experience but I am looking to join the army because I can't imagine doing a desk job (at least at this point in life). Given my education I am only considering Intelligence or Cyber, and most likely 17C. As far as I've been informed nothing is as technical (software not hardware like 35T) or translates to post-service. I am looking to sign an option 40, spend a year in a Ranger Battalion, then go for special forces after I've given my time there. I've seen that Rangers are open to 17C enlistments. I am not signing a 18x contract because I have no experience with the military and I think would be better off taking it slow and acclimating both physically and mentally. I did not do army ROTC and at this point it is too late for me to join up. I am only interested in joining the army to go for Ranger or SF. Hopefully I can integrate my college and work experience into it, but if I had to make a decision I would prioritize RangeSF over getting the ideal technical MOS. I took the picat and got 99th percentile, not sure about line scores. Soon to go to MEPS. I am physically fit, but not at the level of rucking 100lbs for 8 hours. TLDR- I want action in the army as well as technical stuff, so I can do high priced contracting or maybe three letter work after I get out. Few questions: Is 17C my best bet? Should I look at OCS and how does that work (what part of the process)? What is the minimum time for a contract like this? Does this whole plan make sense? Please let me know if I am missing any information or if there are any different or better ideas. (Or ask me any questions)
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What are the differences between 35L and 35M? How do I know which one is best for me to reclassify as?
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Hello all! I am writing to get some clarification on MEPS. I am 22 years old and ready to serve my country. I have met with my recruiter and was asked about my medical history. I had a diagnosis of ADHD in high school, which I have now outgrown. I was also prescribed an antidepressant in 2018 (during high school) and again in 2021. I refilled both prescriptions twice in my life. I have been transparent with the recruiter and he suggested I fill out a waiver for the ADHD. I have obtained my prescription record which corroborates that I only refilled an antidepressant RX twice and have not taken medication or seen a doctor since 2021. As I entered adulthood I have learned to cope by eating healthier, staying active and educating himself on importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. My question is will MEPS disqualify me based on my history with depression from 3 years ago? Will I be ok to enlist? Have you had a similar experience? Thanking everyone in advance for your anticipated suggestions and guidance.
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Im graduating high school in the summer and plan on enlisting in the Army. I've got around 5 months left for my braces and I saw online that you can't go to basic with braces. Should I visit my recruiter and pick a ship out date (after hashing everything out, including taking the ASVAB) or should I just wait until then and maybe get a bonus for shipping out within 30 days then?
Also the MOS that I want, 27D has an ASVAB score recuirement of 105 Clerical, if I don't achieve that score on the first try, can I retake it or is it one and done?
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Does the Army have a plan for deploying units during mobilization? Many armies have reserve units that will be deployed in the event of a major conflict, filled with equipment taken from storage and mobilized soldiers. Do such units exist in the US Army? As far as I know they existed before 1991, but I don’t know the current situation
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I am 16 years old, waiting to enroll once I’m 17. I currently take EMS classes, and I’m interested in being a Flight Medic in the Army. If anyone is a Flight Medic, then I’d like to know what it’s exactly like being one? I’m also open for any advice on how to decide between all of the careers. I love to help people and work with trauma patients, but I’d also love to be on the ground and much closer to the combat, possibly in it too, but I don’t know if I’d want to take that big of a risk.
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I'm enlisting as a 68D in May. What is your day-to-day like? Is this job transferable to the civilian side?
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Info on mos 13f
Was just curious on the everyday life and the goods and bads. My Asvab score allows me almost any job but this one has stuck out the most.
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How do you Army Chaplains like your job? Do you have any extra info or tips on what they do and how you become one? And is it possible to reclass into one?
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Fort Meade (Civilian)
I have a family member who just moved to work at fort Meade as a civilian and I looking for others who live on base to get to know and hang out with (bonus points if they’re on or close to Reece Crossings!) It was a huge change and he moved so far from home and is trying get to know some new people. Any social media groups or advice is super helpful!
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Can anyone offer any insight on being an Army Guard infantry officer? Looking for overall job satisfaction, pros & cons. I know it’ll differ state to state however any kind of insight would be appreciated. My husband is prior service AD army, 11B. He’s currently deciding between enlisted air guard eod & army guard infantry. There’s many pros and cons to both, but right now we just don’t have any contacts to get in touch with to get an honest feel for what officer life in army guard is like so it’s making the decision difficult. I’ve been air guard for 10 years, so we’re very familiar with the unit & are able to talk to the shop directly. Right now commissioning is appealing, and it’s much easier process in army than air guard. He’s fully qualified, done with Meps and we’re really just at the deciding stage. Any thoughts are appreciated!
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What MOS should I pick?
So I’m thinking of joining the Army, and since they’re the only branch I qualify for, I was wondering what my options are.
Why do I want to join? Well, there’s not a lot of opportunity for me at home. Most jobs available are not only dead ends, but I can’t even get one single fast food job because they’re all taken.
I have no money to go to a university, and since I can’t get a job, I can barely pay for community college. Financial aid doesn’t cover my costs either.
I scored a 69 on the ASVAB. Here are my line scores:
GT106 CL108 CO105 EL104 FA106 GM102 MM99
OF103 SC106 ST107
For jobs, for starters, I’d love to travel a lot. I think that would be pretty fun. Initially I wanted to do fixed wing aviation in the Air Force or Navy, but they won’t take me, and I’m not really into Army aviation.
I thought about doing 19K (tanks), that seems pretty fun, but it doesn’t seem like they travel all that much. I thought about infantry for the guns…but I hear they’re not really going anywhere either.
So far, none of the jobs really interest me. I don’t really find most career fields interesting in general. I was always into artsy stuff like music or videos. I love creating things independently, but it’s also twice the fun when you create and finish together with a team.
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Hello, I'm make this post to ask if I would be allowed to join the army if I have constipation issues. My GI doctor told me to take Miralax for it and I've been taking it for 3 years now and can't go to the restroom without it. I've been interested in joining the army and I'm talking to a recruiter right now and he said I might be good. I'm going to take the ASVAB in a few days. Would I be allowed to join the army If I'm taking this medicine and would I be allowed to continue taking it if I were to be allowed to join. Like would I get it from the army pharmacy at basic or could I take it with me from home?
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I’m going through about a decades worth of old army documentation I’ve had in a dusty old container and kept moving forward between duty stations “just in case I get a random statement of charges”. I’m now shredding almost everything.
Is there anything I 100% absolutely should not shred?
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Which 91 series MOS should I join
Which 91 series MOS should I join I'm currently working on enlisting and have qualified for several 91 series jobs based on my immigration status and ASVAB scores. I'm very conflicted on choice between 91P, 91S, 91B and 91M (My prefered shortlist). Some insight on the daily life and satisfaction rate of these specific MOS. I would love some outside experienced opinions to help direct me to a better army career. My goal is to serve in the 91 series for a short time while I wait for a 15 series opening, or better till I can get a warrant packet in. Also I'm doing it for citizenship and college. Thanks for reading
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Overweight, Looking to join.
I guess I'll start this off by saying I know I'm nowhere near ready to join and probably far off the fat camp aswell, But I'm really interested in becoming a 17C. I'm 23 ATM but by time I feel like I would have lost enough weight probably 24 1/2. I weigh 338 pounds at 6ft. My questions are, What weight can I be at for the fat camp and do you think it is realistic to lose 100 pounds in a year.
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How is the 91P life in the army?
I'm planning on enlisting with the 91P mos, and I'm just doing my research and comparing other 91 series jobs I'm interested in.
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I used to love my garmount NFS, but have changed jobs and need black boots, what's the closest boot in similarity to an NFS, something that I can run/ruck in?
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Has anybody ever met or been a 12W in the 75th in this subreddit? I know the mos is small and then making it to regiment is a tall task on it's own. I'm wanting to join as a 12W Option 40 because I'd get the benefit of lifelong skills and being an elite soldier (if I make it of course) but I know it's a slim chance of me getting that MOS paired w Option 40 so I was just wondering if anybody has even heard of or known somebody to have a beret and be a 12W and what their job looks like in regiment
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I’m curious about the fspc course I’m 5 10 and 220 pounds and can’t really find any info about it I’m trying to talk to a recruiter I’m trying to figure out if I qualify or what ever
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i cant choose which one 11x or 13f i got a buddy who is 11b so i got a little info on that and i do as much research as i can on 13f but i don't know any of them to talk to personally, i think i'll be fine with either, i have a pretty good mindset but i just can't decide, i want to shoot guns and do all that fun shit (ik i'll hate it don't worry, that's the point) i don't know if i'll get enough of that in 13f but i also hear infantry people don't even do any of the actual shit 90% of the time so idk, could someone help me decide?
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Joining USAR Medical Corps as a physician
Hey guys, I’m looking to join the USAR as a medical student in the reserves. I have a few questions about retirement and career progression opportunities.
I’ll be getting off active duty with 5 years in the Marines and I’ve got a DD368 ready to prevent a gap in service from active Marines to Army Reserve. I’ve been accepted to medical school and it looks like the MDSSP program will be the best for my situation as I’m not interested in remaining full-time on active duty, don’t want to completely end my military career, and I want to keep Tricare for my family. The Army is the only branch that allows students to drill and draw stipends while only obligating them to reserve service after.
1) I’m planning to go for 20 years minimum. I’ll be at 11-16 years of total service (depending on how much financial assistance I accept) once my service obligation is up. Can anyone imagine a situation where they wouldn’t let me hit my 20 so I could get a reserve retirement? How long would they theoretically let me stay on as a physician in the reserves?
2) How often will reserve physicians be able to deploy, and are they truly 90 day deployments?
3) What are the penultimate career goals as a reserve physician? What are some career milestones you’d recommend I aim for?
4) How difficult would it be to serve on active duty orders? I’d be very interested in voluntarily picking up active orders from time to time.
5) Would I be able to apply for programs such as FAO, Congressional Fellowships, senior level schools/PME, and other broadening tours in the same way as active duty officers?
6) Would my career progression follow closely to the active duty timing once I join the Medical Corps? (Major at ~10 years, LtCol at ~17 years, etc)
7) For current and former reserve docs, would you do it again?
8) USAR and the Guard both have the same program. Is it worth considering the guard?
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What’s the difference between a 35L in the 75th ranger regiment and a 35L that’s not?
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Can family transport you from Basic Training at Fort Sill to AIT at Fort Sam Houston following graduation day? Getting mixed info.
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I’m a smart, capable student, in my senior year of high school, graduating in the top 5% of my class. I’m bound for UT Austin next school year but am now questioning if that’s the right move for me. I’ve gotten no scholarships and though my parents are willing to help, I’ll inevitably be forced to take out loans and likely won’t be financially stable for some time, if ever. I intend to study anthropology because that’s what truly interests me but I know there’s not much money in any career pertaining to that degree. Throughout high school, there’ve been recruiters coming into my classes, promising many appealing benefits such as paying for my college in full as well as my rent while I live at the city I attend college in. I just need to be in the army at least 3 years. Something that also appeals to me is the fact I can go into a career where I gain experience as an automotive mechanic, which is something that interests me and I find much value in. I consider myself fairly resilient and healthy and don’t feel incapable of doing what will be expected of me. With all these benefits, mechanical experience, basically free rent and college, and the opportunity to accumulate savings, the army sounds like the smartest, but not the most glamorous, option for me. My question to you all is: is joining the army worth it for me? Would I actually be able to go for three years, accumulate savings, and return to UT Austin to complete my higher education? Or is the recruiter painting too pretty a picture and though I may receive some benefits, it won’t be worth it in the end, sacrificing three years I could instead spend in Austin, living the traditional college life in a new, exciting environment.
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My friend just found out today that he will be doing basic training at Fort Sill instead of Fort Jackson. If anyone has graduated from there recently, I'm curious what your experience was like, and any advice you have for people going there. I'd also appreciate any advice on how to support him while he's there. Particularly, what should I expect with communication? I gave him envelopes and stamps so he can write when he is able. Are there certain things I should or should not include in letters? Thanks!
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Is 2-2 infantry division/ 8-1 cav still dog shit?
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Im in the process of joining as an E-4 and doing very well, asvab wise and everything else except a major thing, I had a suicide attempt almost 2 years ago and end it up in the hospital, I requested my medical records to see what they wrote, they put it down as intensional overdose and depression, I had a therapist prior but I’ve been treating myself with a psychiatrist since then, they I wasn’t sent to psychiatry because they didn’t consider me a risk for myself of others so I was never committed and just asked to follow up, also wrote down that I have very good coping mechanisms as though why I don’t require medication, does this means that I have no chance at joining the army and should just give up before going to meps? I told my recruiter about the depression but not the suicidal attempt, he says most likely I’ll need a Letter from my therapist.
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At the risk of seeming petty and impatient... How long does it take to get a call back after submitting the required documents to the recruiter?
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25H
I was originally going looking towards 25B but found 25H and seems interesting. Any 25H that can give some more information on this mos ?
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35M or 35P, which is better
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Hey everyone, kind of searching for some advice here.
I’m in my lower 30’s and signed an 18x contract - I ship in June. I’ve spent the last year preparing and am just now finding my stride and really hitting the running times I need to be competitive. I left my previous career in preparation of this and have been thinking about SOF since 2019.
I haven’t had any issues with training or my body up until recently. I played hockey and football growing up and have the wear and tear to show for it. Most notably, from separate incidents, I fractured a vertebrae and I had a back surgery for a herniated disk - both injuries not too far from each other in my lower back.
My problem is while I haven’t had any issues in a while (at least a year or two) I recently had a bad flare up that started as back pain and transitioned to sciatic pain. Both of these things have been pretty manageable in the past and pain is something I’m pretty accustom to.
With that all being said - I’m more self aware with this pain. I’m currently in the best shape of my life so far, and haven’t been able to train in four or five days because of this flare up. I know the training ahead of me is going to push me way harder than I ever could and wonder how my body will handle it. I’m aware of breaking away from the DEP, but it really bothers me to even consider that.
I just wonder if I missed the train and take this as a sign to refocus? Do I press on and hope for the best? What would you do?
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Should I take Continuation pay on my next re up? Career counselor is strongly advising. Guessed it because he says it's going to take away from our retirement and hinder me later on
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I have a safety razor with replaceable razor blades. Would I be able to bring that basic training
or will they take away the razor blades? Will I be better off just buying a disposable razor?
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How is Schofield (ARMY)
Anyone have any experience or information they know about 25th INF DIV 3rd BCT ? How’s life like for people who just joined ? Especially those in Signal mos. How is the deployment rate ?
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Is 35T the only 35 series job that doesn't have the language school requirement or has less language requirements than the other 35 jobs?
Also do any of the 2 year contract combat jobs have good day to day job duties? I only know the 11B Job (Infantry) so maybe there's a good job I'm missing in those
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how does joining without credit work? i’m getting married soon, and want to rent off base whenever i join. am i able to do that without credit? i don’t know how to adult :(
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Did 4 years AD, Then went IRR for 8 months, then reserves now in a will train slot where the school has been denied like 3 times now. Tired of waiting. Wanting to go back active duty reclass as a 19C(Seen that SWEET tier 9 bonus for E4) Previously I was a 13F in a ABCT. Is it just a whole new contract or? Has anyone does anything like this similar?
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I'm thinking of joining the reserves. I'm 33 married with kids. I have a job with local government, however I've always wanted to serve. It's been on my heart lately to talk to a recruiter and get it started. Anybody out there with advice as to what the initial steps are and what to expect. Thank you.
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Thinking of enlisting and I need guidance?
I'm gonna be graduating in the summer and originally planned on going to a 4 year college. I've gotten mostly waitlisted at almost all my colleges and might have to go to community college if I want to stay on that track. I live in a very affluent and rich area so the community college is good but I'm not sure if I want to go along with that and don't feel like taking a gap year.
I want to end up being a lawyer one day but I also want to be independent right now so say I hypothetically don't get off these waitlists, it's either CC or the military in my eyes. I only want to do 4 years because I still would have to attend undergrad and law school and I want to raise a family before I turn 35-ish. The army sounds the best to me because of the wide variety of jobs to choose from. The MOS 27D, paralegal specialist sounds pretty good as well.
I also want to live a full life and I understand that all the "jumping out of planes" and "shooting large guns" is mostly just a selling point, but it seems like enlisting in the Army is what makes these once in a lifetime experiences possible. There are so many benefits but at the same time, I would be re-entering civilian life and hopefully going into undergrad at 21, which seems crazy. I would be academically behind my peers by 4 years.
I'm really at one of the greatest cross roads of my life, does anyone have any advice, or have been in the position themselves? How is enlisting? What should I expect?
Thinking of enlisting, in need of guidance!
I'm gonna be graduating in the summer and originally planned on going to a 4 year college. I've gotten mostly waitlisted at almost all my colleges and might have to go to community college if I want to stay on that track. I live in a very affluent and rich area so the community college is good but I'm not sure if I want to go along with that and don't feel like taking a gap year.
I want to end up being a lawyer one day but I also want to be independent right now so say I hypothetically don't get off these waitlists, it's either CC or the military in my eyes. I only want to do 4 years because I still would have to attend undergrad and law school and I want to raise a family before I turn 35-ish. The army sounds the best to me because of the wide variety of jobs to choose from. The MOS 27D, paralegal specialist sounds pretty good as well.
I also want to live a full life and I understand that all the "jumping out of planes" and "shooting large guns" is mostly just a selling point, but it seems like enlisting in the Army is what makes these once in a lifetime experiences possible. There are so many benefits but at the same time, I would be re-entering civilian life and hopefully going into undergrad at 21, which seems crazy. I would be academically behind my peers by 4 years.
I'm really at one of the greatest cross roads of my life, does anyone have any advice, or have been in the position themselves? How is enlisting? What should I expect?
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Hello, I'm a recruit going in as a small arms repairman for the army. I am going to Fort Sill Oklahoma for basic training and then will be sent to Fort Campbell. In all of this, I am very confused as there is very little concrete discussion or evidence that I can find that tells me all the contact points I will be able to get with my loved ones. I know I can send and receive letters, but I don't know, how to go through that process, where if any i can acquire the materials to write the letters, and how soon I can expect to receive letters from my loves ones once I get in. I understand that at some point later in the training, to the drill sergeants discretion, that I will be able to gain access to my phone, but I haven't found concrete numbers as to how long and under what restrictions or if that is also to the drill sergeants mood and demeanor for the day. I also do not know how I will be able to get my address or other information to my loved ones so that they will be able to send letters to me or if there's a separate process for that as different in sending letters. I also do not realize much if any about how family day will work, under what restrictions, when it is, or how many can come.
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I realize this is a long, contrived, and possibly stupid list of questions. I also realize that I may sound quite dumb in asking them, but I am very close to my small circle of loved ones and would like to take any steps necessary to be as connected with them as possible while I am not there, which includes seeking all the information and resources I can on the matter, even if I'm an idiot for asking. Even just answering one of these questions would be a huge help and I would genuinely greatly appreciate it, thank you.
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So I’m graduating high school in May and for the longest time have been wanting to enlist in the military (every since i was little).
Now I’ve been thinking Navy (I love the ocean), but Army is starting to interest me more as I more than likely wont end up on a ship. The other reason for Navy is that the Navy recruiter seemed willing to help me as I will need waivers compared to the Army recruiter who didn’t seem interested.
I’m not in the best physical shape i will say, but i’m hoping to change that for when I can enlist. I do have a history of depression and anxiety which has been resolved. I’ve been off meds for 4 months for one, and 3 months for the other (i know i need to wait a year) I’m stable off of them. I know some people are gonna think i’m dumb for wanting to enlist due to past mental problems.
What’s your thoughts on army? is it worth it?
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Have been debating on "rejoining" the army again for some time now. (I say rejoining cause I went in 2017 when I turned 18 but quit due to Tiny Heart Syndrome) Anyway.
I am 25 now and have matured a lot over the past few years but something has always worried me about rejoining. A lot of the things I see not get answered is the niche stuff about the army. The weird almost stupid sounding questions. Where do I go when I get to my first unit? If I need to talk to an officer outside, do I stand at attention and talk to him, even if he keeps walking? Do I follow him? I'm Sure the questions I'm asking will be answered by someone close to graduation, but its anxiety I have about the weird niche questions.
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I guess my big question here is: Does it just come naturally after a while? Does it all just click and make sense at some point? I wanna feel like Ill eventually know what I'm doing and it will just become normal at some point. I don't wanna be the shitbag PVT who either doesn't make it or worse turns into a shitbag SGT eventually.
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Army Tattoo Question
Im a high schooler planning to do ROTC (shooting for a contract) then going active duty. Would you guys recommend just waiting to get tattoos until i’m in and contracts are signed just to be safe, or as long as I follow Army policy, I should be safe?
Anything to consider or anything i’d be automatically disqualified for with having those identifying marks on my body?
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I’ve enlisted already, leaving in July. Got MP for 5 years. I’ve got a couple of questions.

1. My training and boot camp are going to be combined (so 5 months). I know boot camp has a graduation, but since mine’s combined will I have one after trainings over? How will my living space be arranged? (I saw that some people going through AIT had more of a college dorm space.) Will it just be sorta like a switch from boot to AIT in the middle? Basically what’s different then just normal boot camp? (Other than length)
   
2. I’m going in as an E-3, are there certain things I should know more about? Will I be treated differently?
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I have tinnitus but my hearing is fine. Only thing that sorta worries me is boot camp at night. Is it completely quiet? Or is there a little noise. I think I will be ok but still is decently loud when it's completely quiet.
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Im about to turn 24 and have dreams of serving in the ranger regiment one day, however, i went through a break up almost 2 years ago that had really affected my mental health. It was a rather abusive relationship. My mother being a nurse practitioner really pressured me into seeing a doctor (not psychologist) about me being depressed. They prescribed me some anti anxiety medication that I never took. I'm actually rather against the practice of handing out medication like that to anyone off the street off of a 10 question worksheet. I found my stride again a couple months after that so needless to say, it's not a reoccurring issue. I'm wondering if this will disqualify me from joining up in a combat mos.
Tldr: doc said I was depressed, found my stride again and hasn't been a reoccurring issue. Will this disqualify me from a combat mos?
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I want to go into the Army after I finish high school and I plan on becoming an 11B or, if possible, try for 18 series. However, I am an only child and I have been told that I can't go into any combat roles. Is this true? If so, is there any way I can get around it with a waiver or something?
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Wondering which one is the current fitness test, ACFT or APFT?
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I failed my psych eval and Im wondering if anyone has any knowledge if l'm able to apply to another branch I was Appling to army and just got the word today that I failed and id be able to apply again next year is it possible 1 get a different evaluation from a different doctor or maybe I'd be able to apply to another branch and be able to be accepted I assume since I've been denied by the army I wouldn't qualify for any other branch but I'm not for sure does anyone know?
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Need some serious advice
Hey everyone, I'm in a bit of a pickle.
Its been a dream of mine to go into OCS and handle artillery, especially regarding laser weapons (Valkyrie comes to mind).
I've studied Physics and went into laser physics, currently working in a company as a manufacturing engineer (again working with high power pulsed lasers).
I'm 24 and my GPA is 2.7, from this point on I will list the problems. I can score 88 on the ASVAB btw
I've never lived in US despite being a US citizen. All my studies are abroad and I currently live in a country that allows me to do all the paperwork, contract included without leaving here. I'm already in talks with the recruiter and he said this wouldn't cause problems with clearance.
I have an ADHD diagnosis from 5 years ago, took ritalin for 2 years, been off for 26 months. This info doesn't show up in the records that I can reach. I also had an OCD diagnosis but that is completely off the books and I'm not medicated for it.
I know everyone is gonna tell me to be honest, but translating all the records, proving that I'm capable etc would be an herculean task and my dad (AF officer) as well as his friends are advising me to not mention it and just choose "no" on everything. They say that even with Genesis, they can't reach foreign records in that country.
I want to be honest, but I also want to accomplish my dreams without getting older. What would you do in my shoes?
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I will be leaving for boot camp in 2 weeks at Ft. Sill any tips? Also, my mos is 35G is this a good mos for post-military? How is promotion as a 35G and how is it day to day?
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Today I got the response that my moral waiver was approved. I want to do either 35L or 35M, I’m talking to a disciplinary counselor Tuesday. Has anyone with the experience got advice about the waiver for the 35L or 35M? Will I need one? If so whats the process? And what do I need to do?
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Was told by mod to post this here:
Yesterday I finished the last thing I needed to do in order to enlist (eye consult) at MEPS. I passed my exam & my recruiter said I should expect to enlist next Thursday/Friday. This has been a long time coming and I’m excited to start this new journey.
I’ve narrowed down the jobs I believe I would enjoy doing to 35L, 35F and 25B. I meet the requirements for all three but I’m genuinely having a tough time picking one. My goal after the Army is to do bigger picture law enforcement, and yesterday having spoke to many people in intelligence they said 35L would be the perfect MOS for me.
If I do go to MEPS next week to sign a contract I’m a bit worried they will try and fuck with me and try to persuade me to do something else. I plan on staying strong and not settling for anything else besides these three.
I guess what I’m asking is if anyone can give me insight to these three jobs, personal experience or things they’ve heard. Are these jobs hard to get? How is the quality of life? Are they interesting and fulfilling?
Is there a big difference between 35L & 35F?
Any insight is greatly appreciated! Thank you.
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Going to fort Eisenhower as a 25b wondering if I can volunteer for airborne while I’m there,and what would I have to do to get it?
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How do I volunteer for recruiting
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Hello everyone. I (F22) am a recent graduate with a degree in social studies education. I was unable to find a job this year because wages went up in my area, social studies jobs are scarce, and I'm not a coach. I became a sub instead and was really focused on getting to know the schools in my area and trying to build relationships.
It worked and I ended up getting a long term job for a teacher that quit education completly. She left on good terms, she just needed more money and was offered something outside of education that she couldnt turn down. I am in this posion for the rest of the year and they have even offered me the contract for next year. I was left with some of her resources, but not many since her main teaching methods was pdfs of textbooks or crash course videos with worksheets. She never lectured or did activities.
All in all, I love the school and the kids, but being a first year teacher and planning for 4 preps just feels insane. I teach 8th grade state history, psychology, economics, and high school US history (1900-now). It's a small public charter school with 7-12th grade.
I have a good handle on 8th grade and high school US, but I have no idea what to do for psychology or economics. Especially econ. If I'm going to be honest, I barely understand the basics myself so even deciphering lesson plans that I find is difficult. Im also the type of teacher that loves to bring in real exampes, games, and activities so i hate that i have been relying heavily on worksheets and lecture because I physically don't have the time to find/make it. Especially since I'm also have to teach the concept to myself first.
I honestly don't even know what I'm expecting here; perhaps just a place to rant, but if you have any resources that you could link or suggestions of where to start or advice, feel free to share.
Thank you!

As many are waiting for results for next year's cohort, I decided I would share my full honest experience of TAPIF this year. I wish I had more testimonies to read throughout my application process.
This will be long but I will try to stay to the point. TLDR at the bottom. 3 sections total.
Section 1: Administrative details
To start, some background about me. This is my first year in the program, 2023-2024. I graduated college in 2022 with a major in Neuroscience and minor in French. I was very much science & medicine focused. It just so happened that on my graduation weekend I ran into a french prof and she told me I should apply for this program. After graduating, I worked as a CNA and a waitress for about 13 months before I left for TAPIF. I was living with my parents, so this put me in a really great spot to be able to save money.
In terms of the application, I only had experience teaching or with children through a group I was part of in college that helped refugees in our area learn english and prepare for a citizen exam. I really leaned into this since I had no formal background in education or working with kids. I did not take any sort of French exam, I got a recommendation from a french prof. I picked Bordeaux as my top academy, although I picked these quite randomly. I didn't want to get hung up on going one place then not get accepted there. I preferred a larger town and older students.
Fast forward, I get accepted. My acceptance came on April 20, 2023. I received my arret de nomination in May. I was accepted into the Académie de Bordeaux (check) in a high school and middle school (check) in a small town of a few thousand (not checked). My small town is only 30 minutes by train from Bordeaux and feels lively for such a small town so I actually ended up loving this aspect. I will say there are not many young adults here but I've found myself making many friends with people much older than me lol. My advice is do NOT be afraid of small towns. In my opinion, it's how you get the best authentic experience.
During the summer, I connected with my prof ref; introducing myself, asking about housing, dress code, and if there was anything she wanted me to bring with. She basically said; there is a free apartment in the high school available to you, simply dress correctly, and that I could bring what I wanted lol. I also found out I would have a roommate from Spain who would be doing spanish classes at the same school.
Over the summer, I honestly didn't do too much to prepare. I downloaded Duolingo. I bought outlet adapters. Blah, blah, blah. But as soon as I could, I made a visa appointment. Make sure to literally just print every document and bring it just in case. Triple check you have everything. I invested in a fire/water safe document folder that I use to store all my important documents. I actually bought my flight before I got my visa back even though you aren't supposed to. But it would have been too late and tickets would have skyrocketed so I bought them 5 days before contract date and hoped my visa would cover it. It worked.
Advice - make sure you know exactly what you are going to do when you touch down in France. Those first few hours with all your bags are frantic. Here's my advice: as soon as you land, connect to the airport's wifi and download a temporary esim (I used Airalo and it worked great). I used this esim for 3 days until I went to a Free Mobile store to get my permanent plan. Now you can use data. Get through customs and get your bags, then take 5-10 minutes to gather yourself in a corner and figure out your next moves. I skipped this step and ended up paying 40 euros for the wrong train ticket and ended up having to pay double. If you come from a place with no public transport in the US like me, the Paris metros can be a doozy. Consider paying for a pricey Uber this one time for your first arrival. I wish I did this.
After I flew to Paris and took a train down to Bordeaux and my town, my prof ref was nice enough to pick me up from the station, help me get settled in the apartment, and take me back to her house for dinner. The next day she took me to the grocery store. The next week she set up and went with me to my bank meeting. To be honest, this is about the extent of what she's done for me this whole time I've been here, but it was also the most important. I am so glad she helped me got settled. Ever since then I've been on my own lol. More about that later.
I had about 5 days to settle in before work started. I took this time to walk every street of my village to get a feel for the place. Found the grocery stores, boulangeries, laverie, running path, marie, etc. I also took the train into Bordeaux one day to go to the Free Mobile store to get my plan set up. HIGHLY RECOMMEND going in store to do this. Online you need to provide a french phone #, which you probably don't have yet. On one of my first nights in town, there was a big communal meal and music fest right next to my apartment. It was an end of summer evening, with colorful flags, cool music, and everyone dancing. It made me so excited for my experience to come.
Within the first 2 weeks I had the main 3 figured out; housing (free & provided), phone plan (Free Mobile in person), and bank (prof ref set up, I use Banque Populaire and very happy with them). I also signed up for the required civil insurance (assurance civile ? I think) through my bank. It's like 4.72 euros a month. Everyone has to get this. The only other thing I needed to do was the social security/health insurance paperwork. I had to do this myself, so I basically gathered all the listed paperwork, and went in person to the CPAM office in Bordeaux. I basically just handed her the dossier and said I need to apply for the sécu and carte vitale and she took it and that was it. After doing so I heard nothing for a couple months. I eventually received my Carte Vitale and sécu paperwork in January. (It may take longer, maybe shorter). We are registered with Paris CPAM as assistants so they probably sent it to Paris for me. I did hear you could just mail the dossier straight to the Paris office. The health insurance is a bit of a waiting game but in the mean time, you can get reimbursed if you have to have an appointment.
*Note - I am very lucky with my housing situation. There are many high schools that may offer accommodation at a lower price, but I had a spacious apartment for absolutely free. This is an extremely rare situation from what I understand.
*I will also note I chose not to get wifi. With my phone plan of 250gb per month for 20 euros, I watch Netflix every night and don't even come close to reaching the limit.
In the first week of the contract, I had 1 orientation day with other assistants in my area. The first half of the day they reviewed administrative steps for the things mentioned above. The second half was brainstorming different lesson plans. TBH, it was nothing I couldn't have learned from 20 minutes on Google, but it was nice to brainstorm and meet people. Other assistants had a much more comprehensive training, but mine was not the same. If anything, it was a day to meet other assistants, but it was a little awkward trying to get to know so many people so quickly and all at once. I think I met up after with 1 single person that I met that day. Be ready to get your extroverted on if you want to meet people that day, but also join the groupchats are group resources that are set up!!
Section 2: The job/schools/lesson planning
So I was placed in 2 schools. A high school for 75% of the week (9 hours) and a middle school for 25% of the week (3 hours). They were 2 very different experiences. I will talk about the middle school first.
I went the middle school every Tuesday afternoon (3 classes). This was consistent the whole year. At the middle school, I was in the classroom with the teachers. At the beginning, I was creating themed presentations that they asked of me and presenting them during class. That turned into just showing up and helping with the teacher's lesson near the end. I would read things out loud, answer questions, etc. I communicated with the other teachers in a groupchat and it was often pretty unorganized. A lot of times I showed up and the schedule was not filled in for whose class I was assisting with so I would just go around and ask if I could join. The schedule was not consistent, but I did manage to get to know/recognize a lot of students. I am very grateful I was in class with a teacher at the middle school because I don't think my level of french was high enough to manage the classroom on my own. Comparing to high schoolers, the younger students are also just way more chaotic in general. Overall, I just had to be really flexible. I tried to send a message every week asking them if they wanted me to prepare something but we didn't always end up using it. The teachers were all very nice though.
Now for the high school where I spent most of my time. In the high school, I was alone with the students in the classroom (never more than like 12). I spent the first week observing many english classes (it was supposed to be 2 weeks but I probably observed like 20 hours of classes the first week so I chose not to say anything lol). After that, I was left to my own devices. Quite literally. No curriculum, no guidance, no training, no nothing. And remember I had no educational background. That being said, I took advantage of this opportunity and ended up loving the set up. I could literally choose to do my classes any way I wanted. We are not meant to be teachers. No curriculum is necessary. We are simply assistants helping students engage in our language. That being said, I generally would lesson plan like this;
Each week I picked a theme. I saw 9 classes every week and they were all different groups (for the most part). This meant I could use the exact same lesson plan for all 9 classes, adjusting as needed for their level. Then I would search the web for ideas and activities. Some of my best themes that engaged the students best were; idioms, USA food/restaurant culture, writing workshop (different story writing activities), poetry reading and writing, pronunciation workshop, and USA politics/election. I usually would create a powerpoint then my worksheets/games if needed and voila. At first I was doing a lot of presenting. It felt like public speaking all day. I changed my tactics to do more group work and interaction activities and this helped a lot. There are SOOOO many ESL resources out there, it doesn't take long to find them. It usually took me no more than 2-3 hours per week to plan my lesson. My schedule did change a few times, but I always had Mondays off and then of course Wednesday afternoons (all schools in France do this on Wednesdays). Then it was just a few hours a day the other days.
At one point, I did see a group twice a week. They had a higher level so I just planned a tangent lesson where we would dive deeper on the topic. For example, read and analyse a popular American poem, read a short story and discuss, watch a video and do oral comprehension, etc. I thought it was fun to really be able to have discussions in this class even though I had to plan a different lesson.
Advice - always have some backup games when you need to improvise or your lesson runs short. Taboo, 20 questions, charades are games you don't have to prepare for. I also love playing Wordle from the New York Times with my students.
I will say, although I did not receive any help with my lessons, I also didn't ask for it. I think if I had asked it would have been well received. I did talk to my prof ref one time about a behavioral issue with a student and she immediately had a conversation with him. I think they framed having a class with me as a kind of privilege. I will say also, the relation between teachers and students in France was MUCH more formal than I was used to. In my class, I was much more lax with the students. This is also because I didn't give grades or homework, so I had to find a way to incentivize participation (competitive games help too). It took a while for me to establish my presence in the classroom but I really feel like my students respect me and listen to me.
As I mentioned, I do live in the lycée I work at. It is free and therefore I have no complaints, however I will say if I wanted to go for a run or open my windows during the day I had to be weary of the fact that students would see me. TBH I just didn't care. I would go out in my running clothes or open my windows as I wanted LOL. But not comfortable for everyone. I am also in a very small town, so even outside of school I would often run into students if I was out. This never really posed any issues, just can be awkward at times.
Section 3: Social, Travel, Culture - Life in France
In general, I think I settled in pretty quickly. Everything is new at first so there's so much to explore. Try new foods, walk around your town, take day trips on the train. You have a lot of free time working only 12 hours a week. My goal was to cook! I rarely eat out, and cook most of my meals at my place. I also take lots of long walks and go running. In the beginning, I was spending a lot of time travel planning as well. Even if you are in a small town, discover what it has to offer!
My biggest advice is to GO PLACES!!! Become a regular somewhere - a bar, a cafe, art studio, weekly market, doesn't matter. Talk to the locals!!!! I honestly could have been a lot better about trying to meet other assistants but that wasn't my focus. I wanted to meet locals! Go places, and do not be afraid to go places ALONE!!! I got locked out of my apartment one night, and while waiting for the headmaster to open the door, I went to the bar next door, started talking to people and got invited to a concert the next day. Just get out there! It's ok to stumble over your French! Not every experience will lead to something else but you can always learn something.
A note on nightlife - Bordeaux was the closest place to me that really had a nightlife scene. But if you aren't living in the big cities, the trains don't run all night, so if I wanted to go to a club with friends, we would have to get a hotel. This was fine at first splitting with other people, but it added up fast and I don't do that very often now.
And now for travel... As I described above, I was in a great financial situation before this program. I was working 50 hour weeks and living with my parents so I was able to save a lot. That being said, I probably spent $5,000 out of pocket during the whole program (not including my international flights). Now, I did not have to pay rent so remember that. I also traveled to some expensive places (Switzerland & Iceland). If I wanted/needed, I could have spent much less. Besides rent, phone, and civil insurance, you really only need to think about food, public transportation, and activities/travel. I spent about 40 euros a week on groceries, and did not need transportation since I live at my school, so I had lots left over to travel. The travel part is all what you want to do and how you want to do it. There are lots of discount sites to find good prices on transport & accommodation. I should mention - I did travel solo almost exclusively. I wanted to do it that way. I also took some weekend and day trips outside of the vacances. The travel part is really what you make of it.
That concludes my review! One more word of caution....
Be weary of the groupchats, and discords, and reddit posts. Although they are a great resource to ask questions and meet people, just be aware that people having bad experiences are going to be much more outspoken than people having good experiences. Take it all with a grain of salt, including my post! EVERYONE'S experience with TAPIF is different, so go with an open mind!
Wishing you all acceptance and good experiences. It is truly a neat opportunity!!!!! I hope this encourages other people to share a comprehensive review of their experience.
Bonne chance :)
TLDR; I had a great experience in a small town with provided housing. I had a lot of independence with my classes and not a lot of guidance. Don't be afraid to go places alone and explore. Meet locals! Try something new! Fulfill your travel dreams! Just be realistic with your expectations.

Hello all,
Two questions:

• Do my contributions for 2024 depend on LAST years MAGI or this coming years MAGI? I am very confused.
• I am doing my taxes now (married filing jointly) and our taxable income is ~$120k (wife and I both started new jobs in August). Is that my AGI? Or is my AGI based on my W-2 amount + my wifes contract work (that was not taxed and we are paying taxes on now)? That would be ~$150k.
  • When I do my taxes next year (after a full year with my current employer and hers) our income before taxes will be ~$230k unless she gets a raise.

All I want is to continue contributing to my Roth while I can - I never thought I'd reach a ceiling for it. I didn't know there was one til this year lol. Good problem to have I suppose...
I am using Cash App Taxes and trying to use Worksheet 2-1 on the IRS website to calc my MAGI but cant figure if the taxable income I see on the Cash App Taxes site is the AGI I need to start the process. I contributed $6500 to my Roth at the beginning of last year.

This is the writeup I wish I had found as I was planning my wedding. I got married last september and I finally have enough bandwidth to do a writeup of how it went and lessons learned. I hope I never get married again, so these lessons would be wasted if I did not share them. I was never a person who spent much time imagining weddings but I have spent many years in the concert and event industry so I know the details that matter to making an event run smoothly (and they’re the boring stuff like bathrooms and trash cans and electrical cords and timelines). I’m pretty organized and was also not willing to shell out for a wedding planner so we tackled this thing ourselves.
And! I’m thrilled we had a wedding and that it was such a good one. I loved having our people all together for a weekend and it was worth it.Side note: I hated the bullshit marketing and expectations placed on being “a bride.” Planning a wedding is a chore and I can’t say how annoying it was to have all of my internet algorithms suggesting shapewear and weight loss scams to me for the whole wedding year. Fuck right off with that. Getting married was a joy but planning a wedding sucked and it was worth it anyway. But I’m never doing it again. I prioritized keeping my sanity through the whole process and it was still a lot of work.
Philosophy:
My partner and I are both pretty practical people and have fortunately sane families so it was up to us how we wanted to plan this thing. We read parts of A Practical Wedding by Megan Keene and it recommended choosing your top three most important things and focusing on those. The book also recommended a “vibe mission statement” . So we decided that ours were.

1. A Good Ceremony
2. Invite all our people
3. A Good photographer (we’re both such grubby outdoor people that we’re wearing helmets and sunglasses in every single photo of us and we wanted good photos of our one day dressed up)

And our vibe we wanted was “joyful, comfortable lawn party.” I imagined a big barefoot hobbit type party with trees and lights and comfy skirts.
These priorities made it SO much easier to disregard the shit that we did NOT care about. ‘Cause there was a LOT of that.
We did pay for several services that could have been done cheaper, but for me it was worth it to hire professionals so that I wouldn’t have to be event managing while I was trying to get married. I downloaded the wedding planning spreadsheets from a practical wedding and used those, but any would do fine. I mostly used them to keep track of budgets and payment deadlines.
I’ll break the planning down into categories in no particular order and sum it up at the end. Budgets are rough guesses. We’re in a medium-high COL location and we tried to balance budget considerations with subbing things out to keep us sane/help us enjoy the day.
Venue $5,800
Our venue was the most impactful choice we made and we absolutely loved ours. We wanted to stay local and to have a low-key vibe. We had originally put down a deposit for a local cider brewery, but we realized that it had no trees and too industrial of a vibe. Plus it would have been a sunny hell on a summer afternoon and needed us to bring tents and chairs and bleh. So we toured a local farm that met all of our criteria:
-Trees and Nature and outdoor spaces
-An indoor space in case of rain (fuck dealing with tents)
-Allowed 125 people (many farms had lower guest caps
-Allowed us to bring our own food/alcohol
-Close to home
It was stunningly beautiful and comfortable and had plenty of room for our guests to roam the property. We are all outdoorsy people so a farm was our happy place for us and our guests. The sunset was stunning and the wild grasses and flowers growing all over were just heaven. It had a few rules about quiet music and early ending times, but we didn’t mind at all. It was only 20 minutes from our house which saved a lot of hassle and hotel room complications. I would have hated having to drive more than an hour to our venue.
Timeline:
We got engaged in November, had a venue picked by January and a photographer by February and got married in September. It was fast but doable. My partner had said “well, no point wasting any time, we got engaged, let’s get married!” And I’m glad we did. Honestly, wedding planning sucked and making it last longer would not have made it better.
The day-of timeline was hard to piece together and our photographer and lead caterewaitstaff helped build it. The wedding was 3-9 pm and it was the right length for us.
HMU: 9-12
Get ready at venue: 1-2 (it was chaos)
2-3 First look photos
3:15-3:45 ceremony
3:45-4:15 Big family pictures
10 minute break by ourselves for snacks(this was SO nice)
3:45-5:15 Social hour with lawn games and bar burros for guests
5:30-7 ish Dinner, speeches, first dance
7-9 Dancing/playing outside by the fire pit
8? Cake
Ceremony/Officiant $1000 and so worth it
We are fortunate to have a close long term friend who is a unitarian universalist minister. Her wedding was the first one I had ever gone to that had memorable, AMAZING vows and so I asked her if she’d officiate and we were lucky she said yes. Local officiants were asking for 800-1000 for their time and so I offered to pay for her and her families flights out here plus some. This is her profession after all and she deserves to be paid for her training. We are not religious and we wanted joyful, genuine vows. We had been to some weddings with traditional vows or jokey casual vows and those were not for us.
She did 3-4 meetings with us before the wedding and sent us a questionnaire to help her write the ceremony. She also sent us a worksheet that helped us write our own vows.
She broke the ceremony down into parts. The opening greeting and centering, a community blessing for the audience to declare their support for us, a union ritual (flowers, I’ll explain later), the address explaining our story and philosophies, the vows , the ring exchange, and the recession.
Everyone cried, it was a great ceremony and easily my favorite part of the day. It was wonderful. I have our vows printed over a wedding picture on our wall.
Flowers and Flower Ceremony: maybe $100 in supplies and lots of gardening
This was one of our absolute favorite parts. We decided to gamble and grow our own flowers. We decided ahead of time that we were totally okay if it failed. Our goal was to grow enough for just our bouquets and if the garden didn’t work, we would go to trader joes instead. So we planted 150 sf of our garden with dahlias, gladiolus, cosmos and daisies. We got really lucky that they bloomed at the right time. The dahlias are an ongoing bloomer but glads are boom and bust and we just got lucky is all. I did stagger planting some of the glads by a few weeks as insurance which worked. I had done a lot of research and chose flowers that would bloom in early september ish.
For our union ceremony, instead of lighting a candle or combining sand, we chose to do a flower ceremony. My husband and I walked into the ceremony with our own bouquets made of a single flower type (pink dahlias for me, yellow dahlias for him) and we asked our wedding parties and parents to bring or choose a type of flower to contribute to our combined bouquets. So we had 2 vases set up at the altar. We put some pink and some yellow dahlias into each and then one by one, our people came up and put in their flower along with what it symbolized (daisies for a late grandfather, cosmos for flexibility, wild grass for tenacity, etc) and one of my bridesmaids arranged the mix into two stunning new bouquets and our celebrant bound them together with ribbon to symbolize our combining of families. This was my FAVORITE decision we made. I loved my finished bouquet so much and my husband loved his too. Men should get flowers more often, he looks so handsome in all our photos beaming and holding his flowers.
Website Free
We chose Zola because it had digital save the dates (we did pay for paper invitations) and it allowed cash funds and odd items from other websites on our registry. We did not need standard kitchen stuff, so we had things like power tools and outdoor gear instead.
Guests/Invites: $150ish
It was our priority to invite all of our people, community is important to us and it was such a joy to have all of our favorite people in one room. We had a 125 person limit at the venue and we invited 175 ish. We ended up with 121 people or so. We cut it a little close and it worked out fine. The vast majority of our families are local so they all came, most of the folks who did not come were honorary invites to older relatives out of town.
We did digital save the dates with a small handful printed at walgreens for non email people. Many save the dates got caught in spam filters. We printed paper invites through zola and it was nice to have the envelopes pre addressed. We also enclosed an empty recipe card with each invite and asked our guests to give us recipes. We got maybe 20% of them back. It was a fun idea. Some invites were slow or stuck in the mail, so I did end up sending out maybe 10 replacement ones. We had our RSVP deadline a month before the wedding so we had time to hunt down the nonresponsive folks with plenty of time before our 2 week catering deadline.
Food $2,200
Waitstaff and rentals $3,400
Bar $1200ish
Cake $200
Our venue allowed us to supply our own food/alcohol as long as we hired a waitstaff or full service caterer. Full service catering quotes were in the 15K and fancy food was not our priority. So we ordered chipotle catering and hired a lovely local company that provided waitstaff to move chairs and handle food/trash/ logistics/etc. The owner of this company was wonderful and coordinated everything from timeline to location of tables to making sure we had snacks in our dressing rooms after the ceremony. She also handled plate and tablecloth rentals. My mother’s only demand in the whole wedding was real forks, so fine, we paid for rental plates and silverware. This was the best arrangement for us, the food was delicious and easy and super darn affordable for as many people as we had.
For liquor, we bought wine at costco and ordered beer and ice delivery from a local liquor store. They accepted returns of unopened cases after the wedding. We had 2 simple cocktails at social hour which was the only hard liquor the venue allowed and it was fine. We also had tea and lemonade in dispensers.
We got our cake from a local bakery, we just did sheet cake and a small cutting cake. I almost ordered this at costco, but the local place had super delicious cakes. Our friends picked it up for us.
Photographer $4,000
I started by searching for photos of past weddings at my venue. That helped me find photographers who already understood the vibe I wanted (joyful, outdoor) and it helped me scope out their styles ahead of time to sift out what I did not want (posed, stuffy, heavily filtered). I found a photographer who was funny and put us at ease and who did not speak to me like I was some frilly tik tok “girlie”. I have to hang out with this person for my whole wedding day and I had to find someone I liked enough to spend a day with. She also shared some full wedding galleries which I appreciated so I could see how her photos looked at candid moments, indoors and outdoors. Most photographers only show their highlights which anyone can do well. I asked to add a delivery date for photos in the contract and she delivered right on time since it was so clearly in writing. We also added a second photographer for 3 hours for the getting ready, ceremony and family photos which helped them all happen faster.
I wrote out a detailed family shot list for her and mentioned certain photos that were high priority for me. Critical photos for me were with my grandma, a wide landscape shot to hang on my wall and a single simple straight on shot for our thank you notes. I was glad we put this together ahead of time so we didn’t waste time on the day to try to improvise boring family shots. She got through the posed ones in 30 mins or less which I appreciated. Prioritize the photos you’ll really cherish over the obligatory massive family posed pictures. I wish I had more pictures of just my mom, sister and I but we were so busy that we only have a few.
Day of coordinator $750
She was recommended by the venue and had worked there before. Her duties overlapped some with the catering staff. I hired her so I would not have to do any event managing during the day and she handled things smoothly. I have no idea what exactly she did all day which is perfect! She brought us drinks, fetched missing boutonnieres and handled boring hiccups and I never had to get involved, so it was well worth it.
Clothing: Total probably $2000ish
My husband got his suit made at indochino in green which looked great.
I tried maybe 4 dress shops before I found a used dress at a local bridal consignment store. I liked the consignment store because it offered unique dresses that were different from the trends of the year. That said, I was totally wrong about what I thought I wanted (classic, clean, no deep v, structured, no train) and I ended up getting a stunning sparkly dress with a deep v that fit well right off the rack and it was stretchy! Turns out I was just waiting for a comfortable dress. And I surprised myself that I loved the fabric pattern so much that I kept the train. I opted for both a wrist loop and simple bustle. The wrist loop was elegant and made pre-wedding pictures easy. Having a cheaper, pre-used dress helped me enjoy the day more because I gave myself permission not to baby the dress. So I tromped through grass fields and petted farm animals and carried toddlers around and I had such a blast. And I used good lines boob tape which worked really nicely. I practiced with it several times before the wedding which was important. And I wore comfy shorts under my dress. No chafing and no squeezing was important to me.
I way overthought jewelry but I loved the back necklace I found on etsy, it looked stunning with my low back dress. And I made a day of decision to keep my tiny bee stud earrings in. I wear them every day and I love that they’re my wedding earrings now. I also got gel nails done the week of the wedding and it was fun to still have my wedding nails for weeks after the wedding.Oh! And I wore comfy, cute red leather ankle boots with a 1” heel. Hardly anyone could see them PLUS I get to wear my wedding shoes all the time now. They were comfy af and let me run free.
The only real craft project I did for the wedding was to make bouttonieres for the men in the family. I had a loose dandelion theme (wishes and all) and I made yarn poofballs in dandelion colors. They looked great and never wilted.
Wedding Party
We each chose 3-4 of our closest people for our wedding party. I asked the ladies to wear anything they wanted in green, blue or purple. And then men ended up wearing whatever suit jackets they already owned. I didn’t care at all about matching dresses and I’m glad I avoided the hassle and expense of it.
HMUA maybe $800 for me plus 3?
I found a local hair salon that would do hairstyles and a makeup artist who would come to the salon. I offered to pay for my 3 bridesladies if they wanted to join. It was expensive but it was nice to have a really chill quiet morning before the chaos of the wedding started. I did do a trial with both hair and makeup which I’m glad I did because I edited a few things. I am blonde and relatively fair and the makeup artist ordered brown false lashes for me which looked so much more natural.
Bar Burros $700
This was our one ridiculous silly splurge. We hired 2 bar burros to distribute drinks and bubbles for kids during social hour. They wore flowers and our guests totally loved them. It was silly and we loved it. It loosened everyone up and set a fun mood for the rest of the wedding.
Dancing Lessons $400ish
We took some dance lessons at a local studio and they helped us choreograph a dance to “House of my Soul” by Langhorne Slim which is maybe the best wedding song I’ve ever heard. These dancing dates were one of our favorite parts of wedding planning and helped us remember to have fun. It was so worth the money.
Music $1200
The venue had a list of recommended DJs who knew the decibel limit rules. I told the DJ the vibes we wanted and which genres to avoid and he was lovely. Our families aren’t huge dancers so the poor guy ended up playing music to a pretty empty room while we all watched the sunset but it was not his fault at all. It was worth having him instead of an ipod since he had all his own gear and he could queue things during the ceremony.
We walked down the aisle to a cover of “This must be the place” by Kishi Bashi. It made me cry the first time I listened to it and I could not have found a more perfect procession song. Our recession song was “All I want is You” by Barry Louis Polisar.
Rings $2300 total
My husband had proposed to me using my grandmother’s gold wedding band which happened to fit me perfectly and it was so special to me. I had a local jewelry shop drill in a tiny tiny flush set diamond to make it my own. They did it for $50 and I love it.
We both work a lot with our hands and appreciate craftsmanship. A prong set ring is not my style at all. We found a local jewelry maker who made us matching oxidized damascus steel wedding rings. Mine has some scattered flush set diamonds and his has a narrow gold ribbon to match my engagement band. . They’re stunning and unique and we’ll love them forever.
Other events
We did a welcome event on friday night at a local brewery and a bagel brunch at a park shelter the next morning. I’m so glad we did these so we could spend more time with our people outside of the wedding itself. We were fortunate that our parents offered to handle the food for these. Plus we were able to serve/distribute wedding leftovers and the sunday brunch.
I did have a casual bachelorette weekend at a cabin on a lake about 6 weeks before the wedding. We read books and canoed and wore cute overalls. It was lovely.
Prenup $2,500ish
This is rarely talked about, but it counts as a wedding expense. We’re practical people, we have no intention of getting divorced but things happen. We each had some assets coming into marriage and we already owned a house together but had no legal agreement about it. It’s important that this is complete at least a month ahead of the wedding for enforceability. It covers things like how joint money is and is not used, how inheritances will work and considerations about catastrophic or end of life decisions. The overall process maybe took 6-8 weeks because lawyers are busy people and prenups are not emergencies. It was boring and a chore but it got done and we moved along.
Name change $500?
We chose to take one syllable from each of our names and combine them rather than hyphenate. Imagine he was Sonson and I was smith. We combined to Smithson. What we didn’t realize is that legally its easy and free to hyphenate OR take the husbands name. But since we smushed into a new name we needed a court order before social security would change our names. This involved fingerprints, background checks and a bunch of paperwork. It was a pain, we’re hoping that all the name change admin is done by our first anniversary. It was important to us to share a name in an equitable way so it will be worth it but it was a pain.
MiscBubble favors for send off, , smores, lawn games, fans, seating chart
I used the local “recycled wedding” facebook group to source things like a card box and seating chart, buying them new is a ripoff and no one needs them for more than a day anyway. I paid maybe $100 for miscellaneous wedding junk and made almost all of it back when I sold it after the wedding.
Honeymoon: $5000
The honeymoon is what I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid and it was so important to me. AND it would have been impossible for me to plan it and a wedding at the same time. So we did a micro-moon for two nights in a mountain cabin near home the day after the wedding and we waited 6 months or so and then took a 3 week trip to Japan. I’m so glad we waited. I had time to plan and had enough bandwidth to enjoy it fully. We felt so weird and exhausted after the wedding and I’m glad we only had to go an hour away to chill.
Overall Conclusions:
It was fun and so worth it. Time FLEW. I felt like I was on a strange time conveyor belt for our whole wedding weekend and I couldn’t stop it. I held onto my husband's hand and slowed down at every opportunity to breath and look around. Having our people with us in a beautiful place was an almost otherworldly experience and nothing like it will probably happen again. It was blissful and happy. We were able to do the hard work and logistics ahead of time and by the time the wedding came, we accepted that the work was done and that whatever happened was okay. That was critical. Weddings are chaos and tapping into some major acceptance helped us not worry on the day. It was perfect and messy and a joy.

Hi everyone, I have a question I have not been able to get clarity on and wanted to see if I could get some help here. My wife and I file MFS and I am trying to understand if I need to fill out the two jobs/spouse works worksheet. It mentions that you only do this if you have two jobs (I'll get to this) or if you are married filing jointly. That is correct, right? I would not account for my wife's job on my own taxes because we are separate.
Regarding the two jobs, I work for a university (VA) as a full-time salaried position. However, I used to contract for said university as a camera operator for athletics. They recently had an HR dispute where a secondary position was created for me to get paid correctly and keep working with the athletic department. Does this qualify as a second job then? Also, the payments come through payroll deduction along with my salary position and taxes are greater when I work a game, but they are lump sum payments instead of a rate. Because I only work about 6-12 games per year (ranging from $250-350 per game), it's hard to calculate how much I make from this position because it's so variable.
Long story short, because it's already coming out through payroll, do I need to account for this on my W4 or leave it be? Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone. I am a General Contractor, not an excel expert, and I’m looking for advice or even to know if what I’m looking to create is possible.
First part of the equation that I’m trying to solve: I have unique projects, with unique quantities and types of subcontractors with unique pricing and job requirements. I’m thinking that for a specific project, I’d like to create a table for the subs with contract number, contractor name, contract amount, etc. for each sub. When I insert a new row to enter the info, I’d like a new worksheet to be created with the info from that row as the heading, and the worksheet name match the contract number. Additionally, I’d like the worksheet that is created to be pre-filled with prompts for a more detailed set of information to be completed. If successful with this, I’ll try to add in interdependencies between worksheets down the road.
I know this is very broad and generalized, I apologize. I hope it makes sense.

I am a first year theatre teacher at a title 1 middle and high school. My first semester I was at the “rich kid” middle school, and my second semester at the “bad” middle school. I spend the first half of my day at the middle school and second half at the high school that the 2 middle schools feed into.
My first semester at the “rich kid” middle school (I do not consider it rich, but that is what everyone calls it). I planned amazing lessons for my kids, and 95% of them participated. They were so excited to be there. I built so many connections, and despite there being some behavioral problems, I had an amazing time with the kids.
Now it is the 2nd semester, and I am at the “bad” (what they call it) middle school. I did not come into this new middle school with a different mindset than my last. I had high expectations and wanted to build connections. However, these kids are completely different and it’s screwing up my mental health. They are horrible to me, to each other, and to the class. We set expectations week 1, signed contracts, etc.
I cannot even teach lessons to these kids because of the behavioral problems. Admin does not help. Referrals do not matter. I am being worn thin. I cannot get most of the kids to participate, and the kids who likely would participate, are not going to. They fear being made fun of and judged. I have tried everything: going over the social contract, calling parents, writing referrals, having whole class behavior meetings, etc. and nothing is changing. It is a theatre class, yet I have to give worksheets because of how poorly these kids behave. They cuss at me, cuss at each other, and are downright disrespectful to everyone involved. Our behavior specialist came and observed my class and said I was doing everything right, the kids nowadays are just horrendous.
I hate being the teacher that stoops to giving worksheets, but that is the only thing they will do. And half of them don’t even do them.
I am just looking for any advice or reassurance at this point. I consider quitting every day. The only thing keeping me going is knowing I will return to the good middle school in the fall semester. But I am exhausted.

I work as a high school math teacher in Thailand. About a month ago we got a new English teacher to replace the one that quit(a whole other story filled with drama but not boomer related.) We will call this new teacher G-man. G-man is an older white man originally from New Zealand (lest you think boomers are just an American problem) who has been teaching in different countries for the past 20 years.
When he first came here things were… fine. He seemed to lack some social awareness and would try and talk to the other teachers in our shared office when we clearly did not want to be bothered, but he was still polite and kind in general. However even from the beginning there were warning signs, like complaining to anyone who would listen about the water in his apartment not being hot enough. He left multiple 8 minute long voicemails with our supervisor just about the water and even had the gaul to request intervention from the director of our agency. He would talk trash about his landlord and her husband, whom I have met many times and are wonderful people. Most apartments in Thailand don’t have central hot water, the shower is heated through a wall mounted unit. If you turn the water on at full blast, the heater can’t keep up, so the solution is to have it running at about 40%. But no, apparently this is “not enough to have a shower” (it is, I do it every day.) Side tangent: his second day here he asked me to turn off autocorrect on his Samsung tablet. I had never seen a Samsung tablet in my entire life, but I was able to figure it out in 5 minutes; this dude did not even try.
Things started to really go down hill after two weeks. The agency periodically comes and observes all the teachers that work for them. He emailed HR and claimed the feedback from his observations was “untrue.” Students also began to tell me they were scared of him. Apparently he would regularly yell and berate the students, calling them lazy and stupid. He was unable to control his anger in class and broke the door handle to a classroom in a fit of rage.
Yesterday was the last straw. All of our classrooms have CCTV cameras so I was actually able to rewind and see everything for myself. In one class he told a student to pass out a worksheet. About 3 minutes later he was ready to start class and realized none of the worksheets have been passed out. He walked over to the students desk and started yelling at her for being lazy and playing “computer games.” He banged on desks to get everyone’s attention, then yelled at her again, saying the same thing over and over, how she had created a “big problem” and how she was very lazy. The anger was evident in his voice and he was shouting loud enough for the camera to pick up his voice from the opposite side of the room.
Now, as a teacher it is always annoying when kids do not listen. However, instead of handling the situation in a calm manner, his boomer instincts kicked in and he became infuriated immediately. By the end of class the student was in tears, and her friends were trying to comfort her. She went downstairs to our office to talk to the Thai teachers. If he had calmed down, apologized for his outburst while still asking the student to follow directions next time I’m sure things would have turned out fine. But you already only that’s not what happened.
I first became aware of the situation as I came back from lunch and saw a massive group of students outside the office door. One of them explained what had happened and I walked inside to an absolute shitshow. G-man, the 4 Thai teachers, 1 foreign teacher, and 3 of the students from M2 were gathered in the back of the office. Unfortunately our shared office does not have a private meeting area so I heard everything.
G-man was yelling again, exclaiming that the students needed to change their behavior and stop being lazy. He threatened to leave and go to Malaysia or China where he would be appreciated. He accused the students of complaining about him to the Thai teachers. The boss of our program tried to calm him down and explain that his behavior was unacceptable. However, he just pushed right past her. He said he would not change his behavior unless the students changed theirs. “I am not going to say I love you I love you and just let you sit there and play your computer games!” The students from the incident earlier were sitting in front of him crying while this was happening.
The foreign teacher told G-man to lower his voice as he was becoming increasingly agitated. G-man claimed he was not shouting, he never shouted at the at the students, and he was just raising his voice. They said he sounded angry, and he claimed he was not (he was). The Thai teachers tried explaining that in Thai culture it is not appropriate to single out students (the concept of face is very important in many Asain societies) and that teachers should communicate in this way. He kept arguing with them! “In Germany or England what I am doing is fine.” The boss responded “we know you have traveled and taught around the world, but here it is not OK.” By this point I had had enough and left the room.
When I came back about 10 minutes later they were still arguing, but G-man was at least speaking at a normal volume. They were still going around and around in circles about wether or not he had been shouting earlier. The foreign teacher tried to talk to him but he walked away. FT said “G-man, come back here I’m trying to talk to you. The students are very on edge so the Thai teachers and I feel it would be best if you went home for today and cooled off.” G-man declared that was rubbish and refused to leave, sitting at his desk, speaking to no one the rest of the day. Last night we received word that his contract was terminated.
This man truly displayed all of the classic boomerisms. He took absolutely no responsibility for his actions, behaved like a complete child, and was condescending towards our boss for being a women/ younger than him/ nonwhite. The level of entitlement he displayed throughout his time with us was unreal. The best part is, he came to our office this morning (despite being specifically told not to) because I think he still expected us to beg him to stay. News flash asshole: all 3 foreign teachers were coving for English classes just fine before you came along. I seriously hope our agency stops hiring these boomers who are unable or unwilling to adapt to Thai cultural norms and instead decide to remain the same bitter, egotistical, shell of a person they always have been.