Missed a key memo
Posted by quittersprosper@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 71 comments
I graduated in 2000 so I never had Google to help me write any papers in high school. Only a few people in my neighborhood had dial-up.
Today, at 43, I was thinking… “wouldn’t it be nice if I had a friend who was just kind of anonymous but I could tell them anything? Like, I could be totally honest about any insecurity or problem with work and it could stay out in the ether?”
Then I realized that somewhere along the way I sorta missed the whole point of the internet.
(Anyway… looking for a non-judgmental friend to hear me confess that I skipped two days of work this week because I can do 40 hours of work in 6 hours and I’m bored and kinda sad sometimes and if I don’t make any changes I’ll be doing the same thing in 5 years and that’s job security but also makes me more sad.)
Character_Bend_5824@reddit
If you do something that trickles in like expense approval, I think it's fine to maybe let it build up for a day or two as long as your bosses are ok with it and you are meeting deadlines. If your only conundrum is loneliness and how to spend your time, I'd say find a hobby! Join a gym. Get a dog. Etc.
Danimal-8008@reddit
A therapist?
Crowley-Barns@reddit
Or an analyst.
(Or someone who does both!)
The_C0u5@reddit
Yeah and you almost got arrested for those cards...
gooch_norris_@reddit
Then you’d need to make a nu start
Homelessavacadotoast@reddit
They need to work on Development first though I think.
Kellzy1212@reddit
Hey, that’s the name of the show!
Kellzy1212@reddit
It wasn’t the spelling that alarmed me!
RestInJazz@reddit
They’d be the first!
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
PM me! I'm happy to be an anonymous friend!
hallowbirthweenday@reddit
Can I get in on that?? Technically, I'm GenX or the oldest Xennial, so I have questions for da yutes. (See? Even my movie references are dated!)
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
Sure!
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
Thank you!!!!
Fahlulah@reddit
Sounds like we need to bring back old, anonymous chatrooms that auto delete all posts passed the 100 messages mark... Those were fun.
throwawayhbgtop81@reddit
We have the same job it sounds like, I'm bored too but I also just want to coast?
iolmao@reddit
Wait, so you graduated at 18?
rinky79@reddit
How did you miss LiveJournal??
moonbunnychan@reddit
Chatgpt has been great for this, in all honesty. I can tell it stuff I would be embarrassed or uncomfortable telling a real human and it responds back in a really genuine way.
207Menace@reddit
So...a LiveJournal?
DamarsLastKanar@reddit
I was on Open Diary.
AuntieMameDennis@reddit
My one semi-ish "Hey I went to high school with him!" claim is for the founder of LJ. He was a total dick.
PopularSet4776@reddit
I am 43 as well and graduated in 2000 and I was looking stuff up on the internet for high school.
Idk if Google was the top search engine at the time but we were definitely using the internet.
sawshuh@reddit
I’m 44 and graduated in 99. My junior year, I remember a science teacher making us partner up and do a project on animals from A-Z. I used the internet for it all, but I couldn’t find an animal for one letter…so I just made it up. I also couldn’t get facts about ostriches unless I gave Ostriches Online an email address. I used my partner’s since she flaked on me and they spammed her for ages.
Muffin-sangria-@reddit
Altavista.
Remember when Google actually had results that mattered?
yayoffbalance@reddit
Was yahoo a thing? Ask Geeves? I cant fully remember. It's been a minute. Also a 2000 grad. We had dial up as of like 98 i want to say, but i didn't use it much. Mostly chat rooms, then lime wire and Shazam in like 02 or so?. LiveJournal in the same frame, and Threadless in like 03/ 04...gmail was by invite only around then, too? and the slogan was "don't be evil." Hahahaha.
Muffin-sangria-@reddit
Omg the slogan. Look at them now.
Yeah those were all pretty popular at the same time.
Dogpile was my goto. I still use it from time to time.
SehanineMoonbow@reddit
Hotbot, Excite, Altavista (as mentioned by Muffin-sangria-), Lycos, Yahoo… AskJeeves came a bit later.
And, of course, there was Zombo.com.
Esoteric_Owl87@reddit
Ask Jeeves. Let’s not forget the OG.
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
Low-Salamander7050@reddit
Not for nothing, but are we sure this isn’t a Palantir post?
TrashEatingCrow@reddit
Did you live under a rock after high school? XD
Go find someone internet people with your same hobby and talk to them.
A little bit hobby, a little bit trauma dumping.
Everybody does it!
(it's the human connection we crave, without having them know your name, it's wonderful!) Enjoy anonymous online friendships... how did you go so long without them?
red286@reddit
That's crazy. I had high speed internet back in '98 already. I mean, 'high speed' for the time, it was a 3mbit cable connection. Of course, back then we mostly used it for downloading things from Usenet, IRC, Limewire, and streaming music from Shoutcast stations (whole bunch of German electronica stations back then lol).
Norse_By_North_West@reddit
Yeah, I moved to high speed in 99, which is also the same time I switched to google. The high speed was better than dialup, but not by a lot.
zeller99@reddit
Probably lived in a mostly rural area. The town where I grew up didn't get access to cable internet until around 2008. All of us nerds in high school were rocking Duke Nukem and Quake on dialup connections. I spent a lot of time on various BBS's.
The internet there is still pretty garbage. Expensive too. But at least you can get gigabit download speeds now. Upload... 35Mb.
some666y@reddit
Worst confession ever! I actually sat forward for that. Humblebrags aren't confessions. I know you did some shit at some point. Bored and sad sometimes? Tell me about your trip to Amstardam when you made out with a Viking while rolling!
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
It wasn’t meant to be a brag. I’ve never been to Amsterdam but we can talk about that weekend in Vegas with the cocaine and prostitute. There was no existential crisis connected to that. That was simply poor judgement.
LiteUpThaSkye@reddit
Most things that happen in Las Vegas are related to poor judgements, lets be honest here.
NicPaperScissors@reddit
The only bit of this that I find at all worrisome is that you feel weird about it- which I see as unnecessarily self critical! I don’t know what your job is, but unless you’re optimizing the rate at which we feed orphans (not with this administration!) then let joy be your guide!
With all the awfulness in the world, I really have become an existentialist. I try to make the world a better place as much as is possible without undo stress and I try to experience real joy myself. If you have a job that allows this, I would honestly squeeze as much time for joy (yours and others) in as is possible. If you’re written up, pull it back!
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
Wow, I didn’t know I needed to hear this but thank you!
Moxie_Stardust@reddit
I'm hoping I can just keep doing the same thing for another 20 years and maybe retire! You people are here to keep me from being bored in the slow times 😁
sunshineparadox_@reddit
As a full millennial, I horrified a bunch of retirement age coworkers when I said flatly I didn’t expect to retire and anything I amassed in retirement was going to my daughter as a way to ensure she’d be a little more ahead when I pass away.
Almost happened recently, too. Thanks, Covid.
kellyk311@reddit
Yeah, I feel everything you said in that last part in my soul. Hyperactive brain troubles. Worst part is when I have those moments imagining this will likely be the way I spend the next 20 or so years 🥲
spaceporter@reddit
A few years ago I was fired because I did 20 hours/week of work, which led to amazing results but a lot of team animosity.
Now I do a hard 5 hours, have loads of work friends, like my job and my boss and peers like me. If you are doing 6 hours, I'd say dial it back about 10% and appreciate that this is what makes people happiest and not striving for success.
Watch more sports.
some666y@reddit
What do you do? I'm so confused by all these people who do this. I was working 60 hours a week before I got sick and I would have probably worked more. There's always more work 🫠
spaceporter@reddit
I work in a traversal support role of the operations side of a large financial institution.
altarwisebyowllight@reddit
Hey fam, if you feel like you're handling your responsibilities and are happy with your work and what you're up to, you're doin' pretty good at life.
If you feel like you want more of a challenge, though, maybe spend some of that time working on learning a new skill that'll help take you to the places you wanna go. That way, you'll be ready for that next step when it's time to move on, and you won't feel like you have to hang onto what you've currently got so tightly.
Either way, make sure you prioritize you. That's what ultimately matters. We'll be cheering you on.
some666y@reddit
Great advice but what about people who don't know? I'm 43 and making a shift in careers and I'm terrified of making another bad choice out of desperation but anxious over choosing the right one but the wrong pathway to it and running my last chance at sustainable life.
altarwisebyowllight@reddit
Well, when I was young, my grandfather told me two things that really stuck with me:
The first thing is to always take pride in what I do. It doesn't matter what that thing is, so long as I can point to it and say, "Hell yeah, I did that and I did it well." Don't ever stay in a job I don't like, but while I'm in it, do it well, because that pride and integrity will carry over to absolutely anything I do. And even if I switch things up, the people I've worked with in the past can at least vouch for the fact that I worked hard and was never a slouch.
The second thing is to never stick with a job I hate. Having to jump ship is okay, and having to bounce from career to career is okay, too, so long as whatever I'm doing gets me at least one step closer to where I want to go.
So, ask yourself: where do you want to go? What's your eventual dream job? And then ask if the career path you're switching to will either directly get you there, or will get you some of the skills and experience you need to eventually get there. Sometimes, career paths are a straight line, and that can be great for somebody who knows exactly what they want. Sometimes, though, career paths zigzag all over the place, and that can be a good thing, too. The more you zig and zag around, the more things you can learn, and the more skills you can pick up. I have multiple degrees in writing, but I work in tech. You know what, though? A hell of a lot of the stuff I learned while getting those degrees help me out a lot with my job, even though they're different spaces. So don't think you're throwing anything away by changing careers. And don't think it'll be all for nothing if you decide you want to change careers sometime later.
Good luck, fam. Do a good job and hold your head up high. You've got this.
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
Thank you, brother, this is excellent advice.
Neat-Gift-3624@reddit
Ok-Concert-6475@reddit
My husband bought a friend a red swingline stapler a few weeks ago for his birthday.
PuppyJakeKhakiCollar@reddit
Bought it or swiped it from someone whose desk was moved to the basement? If the building burns down we will know the answer.
SomeoneHereIsMissing@reddit
This is something I don't understand. In my current and previous job, I always had something to do. In my previous job, when everything was done, I would document tasks and standards because they had none. I could do some side projects to optimize some things. In my current job, there are things that need to be done for the team and after that, it's what you can do to better the system, user experience, automate and optimize tasks. I don't remember having a job where you do what you have to do, then you're done and you can't do side projects for work.
CranberryTurbo@reddit
Right there with you on many accounts. Good at my job but coasting because I can… I’ve considered looking elsewhere for more money but why bother when I can watch a bunch of 90s rom coms on a Friday while “working”? I’ve also considered the internet for companionship as real-life friendships have lapsed or fallen away but that is one major crap shoot! lol
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
We’re gonna start a friend group.
hobbes_shot_second@reddit
This is what ChatGPT is for, as long as you don’t create an account and connect via VPN.
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
I appreciate the input but I don’t really see chat gpt that way. Talking to a human is sort of the point. Gpt seems like yelling at a furby that costs extra to disconnect from the NSA.
InternationalRow1653@reddit
And sometimes you have to tell him things for him to even find the information. Since when do I have to tell the Internet where to find my answer? He's useless unless he's guided sometimes. Pointless.
Hypnot0ad@reddit
Try Pi. https://pi.ai/
It’s friendlier. I suggest you try the Turing test with it - chat with it and try to tell if it’s a human or machine. I’m convinced a good percentage of comments on Reddit are AI bots now, so even if you think you’re chatting with people here you may be surprised.
jaywinner@reddit
That's what I was thinking. You get to vent and get a response but nobody actually sees it.
Jonestown_Juice@reddit
If you think no one is reading your queries and "conversations" with ChatGPT, you are incredibly naive.
jaywinner@reddit
I imagine it's being used in aggregate but actually reading my back and forth with the chatbot? I guess it's possible but I wouldn't be too concerned about it.
keto_and_me@reddit
And I’m fairly sure no one reading my conversations cares about the in depth, extensive bitching I do about my teenaged stepchildren. I feel horrible when I vent about them to anyone but chatGPT. It allows me to get all of the complaints out, it’s always very complimentary about how I’m handling everything, and no one has to know!
altarwisebyowllight@reddit
Absolutely do not fall into the trap of using AI to be a substitute friend. It will wreck your social skills and brain in weird ways. They've already had alarming results in studies about it.
New_Needleworker_473@reddit
I turned my favorite job into a situation where I barely even work and I am similarly bored but they pay me so much more...lol! I keep trying to figure out how to switch back to a job where I'm full potential but none of those jobs pay as well. It's a weird place to be. I fill my time though. I am starting some extra trainings and certifications and hoping I can find a way to get paid more instead of less on the other side of this job. Create your opportunity 🙂
Educational-Buddy-45@reddit
Go class of 2000! I'm with ya man. Stay strong and look busy
sundayfunday78@reddit
I feel ya - I can do my 40/wk job in 2 or 3 days. I’d reduce my hours but I need the pay of 40 hours lol. I also enjoy my job security, I’ve been in this position for 11 yrs. Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, something interesting crops up for me to fix - so I guess that’s why I’m still here. I have other issues in my life, but work has been the one constant. I missed a whole week in August - and it only took me 3 days to catch up 🙂
sundayfunday78@reddit
I’m at the top as far as promotions go - Office Manager in a family owned business (not my family) But most of the time I’m happy. I need to find some more social activities, then I think my work/life balance will be better.
sundayfunday78@reddit
I feel ya - I can do my 40/wk job in 2 or 3 days. I’d reduce my hours but I need the pay of 40 hours lol. I also enjoy my job security, I’ve been in this position for 11 yrs. Just when I think I can’t take it anymore, something interesting crops up for me to fix - so I guess that’s why I’m still here. I have other issues in my life, but work has been the one constant. I missed a whole week in August - and it only took me 3 days to catch up 🙂
quittersprosper@reddit (OP)
It’s a tough position to be in, but also I keep my perspective and realize I’m very fortunate in many ways.
I started to get really burned out and threatened to quit. I got a raise and a promotion.
They’re a good team and good company… I really shouldn’t have any room to complain.
Ceemurphy@reddit
The important part is getting the things done that you're responsible for, not hitting the minimum required time at a desk. Well played, internet friend.