A new chapter

[dias]

She will come around in the future, she will....

[dias]

20 hours ago, Jibralta said:

So are you gonna dish on what's going on?

You don't like a bit of suspense in a story?😋

[dias]

You already know the story Jib

On 5/7/2021 at 11:06 PM, dias said:

I had the final interview with another company today, they really pay sh*tload of money, more than double of what I make. It was interesting how things played out. In the first interview I rejected them because they are not using the technologies I want to use. They mentioned to contact them again if I change my mind as they believe I have a great CV. They also mentioned they want to use the new technologies but it will be in 8-9 months from now. I thought about it and I decided I wouldn't mind waiting 8-9 months to work on the projects I want since they pay a lot of money. I went back to them, we had an interview on Wednesday and the final one today. I didn't really screw up but I went off script and I was being too candid which is the worst. I know people say tell the truth and that kind of BS but in reality 99% of the time telling what you think is counterproductive. I just can’t help myself….

Anyway, the interview went well. They concluded "you seem extremely intelligent, you have the right attitude, you have a good CV, we like all your answers, you are very passionate BUT you seem more passionate in Data Science than Data Engineering". I corrected them by saying I am interested in both which is true. Unfortunately, my facial expression betrays what I think and feel. If I am interested in something I can't hide it because I get too excited but it works against me when I am not interested in something because even if my mouth says one thing my face says the opposite. 

 

They made an offer. A lot of money, a bit more than double of what I am making now. I accepted. I am gathering the documents for the pre-employment check right now. 

All these years I was looking to break this goddamn ceiling and it happened in a moment. I didn't have any connections, I didn't kiss any butts, I wasn't lucky, I was greatly undervalued all this time. It was about time, it had to happen, I tried and failed so many times, I deserved it. But believing that you deserve better is one thing, getting what you deserve in real life is another story. Moral of the story: keep chasing the dangling carrot until you get it. 

For a split second I got scared, the thought of buying a house crossed my mind, however I know very well I get complacent and miserable in comfort and it's not the time. Now it's time to give everything I got, the next decade is crucial. It's not the time for complacency, it's time for unrelenting and unwavering dedication and focus. 

This new job is not the "perfect" job, it's a difficult job, I have to up my game a lot, it's a lot more work but I don't mind. My gut feeling says there will also be a business opportunity down the road. And I do believe in my intuition. And if my intuition is right, I will have one chance to realize my childhood dream. I believe it's one of these once in a lifetime opportunities where the planets align and I am not going to waste it because of complacency. There will be plenty of comfort in the next life, in this one I realize my childhood dream. 

 

[Jibralta]

That's fantastic! Are you going to end up moving again?

[dias]

11 minutes ago, Jibralta said:

That's fantastic! Are you going to end up moving again?

Yes from September. Probably Leeds (up north again).This is what we call travelling up and down in a country lol. Well, I guess I found a way to satisfy my need for travelling whilst chasing dreams. Two for the price of one. 

[dias]

Dealing with the public health system is a pain in the *ss in every country. I need to see an ophthalmologist and it's kind of impossible. The walk-in center said go to the optician, the optician said go to the GP, the GP sent me back to the optician. Finally I booked an appointment with the optician in 3 months. Jeez. Go figure........

I had to go private, I booked an appointment with an ophthalmologist in 2 weeks. I have to know if these floaters are a sign of retinal detachment, I don't want to go blind, especially not now. 

Doctors ain't playing with the money, I would trade all these years of computer science studies for medicine. 

[dias]

I sent my resignation letter today. Next week will be my last week here. 

3 years and 8 months in the UK. 1 year studying, 2.8 years working. For 3 years and 8 months, I am not doing bad. 

But now is where things are starting to get interesting. 

Why there is only American dream? Why there is no European dream? Very discriminatory lol

I guess I have to go with the generic version, just the dream haha

 

 

[Jibralta]

1 hour ago, dias said:

I sent my resignation letter today. Next week will be my last week here. 

Is two weeks' notice not customary there?

[dias]

It's 1 week during the probation period (first 6 months) and after that it's 1 month. 

 

[Jibralta]

I see. Are they sad to see you go?

[dias]

1 hour ago, Jibralta said:

I see. Are they sad to see you go?

Yes but not surprised. They kind of expected it. We had some interesting conversations, my manager told me I should become a staff manager (because I have the consensus building mentality) and also someone who creates the vision for the company (due to my creativity). He believes this is the path I should take, not pure engineering. Given it's coming from a very clever person with a PhD in math, I am flattered.

He is right, I am not an engineer by nature, I don't have any natural inclination towards engineering. I am a bold  intuitive explorer by nature. The only difference is, I don't want to create the vision and the strategy for another company, I want to do it for my own company. For the time being though, I have to do the drudgery, it goes hand in hand with the vision unfortunately lol. 

[dias]

They asked me if I would consider staying with more money. Interesting. But no.

[dias]

6 hours ago, dias said:

my manager told me I should become a staff manager (because I have the consensus building mentality) and also someone who creates the vision for the company (due to my creativity). He believes this is the path I should take, not pure engineering. Given it's coming from a very clever person with a PhD in math

I knew he was genuinely a good person and I admired him from the beginning but one must be a really unique person to say things like that to someone who is leaving the company in 4 months and that he personally hired. 

There are not many people like this in this world. 

I have to say, I am appreciated by British a lot more than I was appreciated by Greeks or any other race. This says something......

[dias]

My housemate's mood follows the fluctuations of the crypto market. 

Cryptocurrency is the new stock market. It's pure gambling, it's like the casino. Of course though, everyone says it's not gambling if you know what you are doing hahahahahaha. It's even riskier than the stock market because in the stock market there is one more very important parameter, you trade stocks of a company that in theory provides some value to the society. How well the company does is to a large degree irrelevant to the share price who is driven mostly by the outside gamblers in many cases. 

Everyone is trying to get rich fast and everyone wants to be this one lucky bastard who bought bitcoins a few years ago and became a millionaire by pure luck. You know, you can make a lot of money by providing a service or by creating a product which adds value to the society. Oh wait, that requires many years of hard work, imagination, persistence and relentlessness. Hmm, yeah, not cool lol. 

They are like the average person who goes to the gym before the summer. Yeah it's never going to work. 

Funnily enough he is not satisfied with his fitness results either but he never asked me for advice, he likes to regurgitate all the fancy nonsense of the fitness "gurus". I guess what I am doing is too strict, plain and boring in order to work for him lol

 

[itsallgrand]

I'm pretty conservative fiscally, but I have dipped one toe in crypto out of pure curiosity. If it goes, it goes, it's small potatoes and purely for fun. I totally get what you mean... A lot of people are looking for that get rich quick scheme, or diet scheme, or some way to get around grinding it out. Like you said, doing the work is "boring", but that's the bulk of life?! 

I always remember my stepdads advice about life being 80% maintenance 20% new things... So if you can master maintenance and the basics (those things we have to do over and over and over), you actually make progress faster over the long haul than trying to cut corners. He was a carpenter, telling me to measure twice and me being impatient lol, but it applies to so much. 

[dias]

18 hours ago, itsallgrand said:

I always remember my stepdads advice about life being 80% maintenance 20% new things... So if you can master maintenance and the basics (those things we have to do over and over and over), you actually make progress faster over the long haul than trying to cut corners. He was a carpenter, telling me to measure twice and me being impatient lol, but it applies to so much. 

This is so true whatever your vocation. 

I also believe that ideally it's 80% action and 20% planning/thinking. Unfortunately I haven't found this balance yet, I am 120% action, -40% thinking lol. I am known for taking action but I am definitely not known for my wisdom lol. Hence my umpteenth mistakes that could have been avoided.  Thank God I have a lot of perseverance. 

If you invest in crypto for fun that's fine but expecting to make serious money is a waste of time. Even those who made money this way, they are not better than before, maybe they can afford a few things more but that's it. What truly matters is the character and the attitude you build during the journey. Nothing in the world can buy you confidence. 

[dias]

For the first time I will be making more than my brother and father. It's a very gratifying feeling lol. When they read the contract they both exclaimed "Oo that's a lot of money". Yeah it is, especially outside of London it is difficult to find salaries like this. Maybe I am the youngest in the family but I am also the boldest and with the most persistence. I bet they will be taking me more seriously from now on hahahahaha

The reason I was so hyped was not because of the money itself, my lifestyle won't change at all the next few years, if anything it's the opposite, now my belongings are crammed into two suitcases and I am trying to get rid one of them. I am moving around a bit too much to carry unnecessary stuff. 

However, the money is the verification that making my own footsteps is the right thing to do. I followed my intuition, I took an unconventional path and until now I was walking in uncharted territories not knowing whether what I was doing could actually work in real life. Now I know! This gave me such an immense satisfaction I can't describe. It means doing my own thing, doing things my way and trusting myself produces results in real life, not just in the imaginary world. It means I won't ever doubt myself again because I know now that what I am doing is the correct thing to do for me. It means I have a lot more confidence in myself. It means inner peace....

[itsallgrand]

Wow, congrats!! I'm so happy for you!! And you should hold that head up high, you're awesome. I'm glad you are following what you know is true to you. 

[dias]

Thank you IAG. I really appreciate your kind words, hope you are doing great as well 🙂 🙂 🙂 

I feel like Eminem in the 8 mile movie lol Correction: I felt until now, now things are different. 

 

[dias]

Dias in a nice semi-detached house in Leeds with a Mercedes. Hmm, no, it does not fit, it doesn't make sense, something is off when I try to picture it in my head. 

Dias in a white shirt with a super-yacht in Monaco smiling at meager Roman Abramovich. Yes this feels right, I can definitely picture this image in my head. 

If you are wondering, I am just trying to decide which path to take!

 

[dias]

Maybe I will end up in Monaco one day because this is my where my destiny lies but I will give back to this country. Not for the employment opportunities because they were not given to me(I haven't met anyone else who has chased that much) but because of the appreciation. Yeah recognition is just words as my housemate says but it matters to me, if someone is not able to show appreciation which is free, imagine how he/she would be with the rest. 

For this f*cking appreciation that most people in this world can't show.

[Jibralta]

That's really nice. And you're exactly right: it costs nothing to show appreciation, yet so many people can't seem to manage it! And some actually do the opposite. So strange, when you think about it.

Anyway, I'm not surprised that a Greek was particularly effective with Pegasus. 😂

[dias]

15 hours ago, Jibralta said:

That's really nice. And you're exactly right: it costs nothing to show appreciation, yet so many people can't seem to manage it! And some actually do the opposite. So strange, when you think about it.

Anyway, I'm not surprised that a Greek was particularly effective with Pegasus. 😂

Lol. I never thought about it from this aspect. The project was named by a Scottish colleague who loves Greek mythology. He gives names from Greek mythology to his boats and pets as well lol. 

I have found that people who do not show appreciation are takers. If somebody does not put even this minimum effort which does not cost anything,  it means he/she only cares to take. Takers do not provide any value in reality because they don't have anything to offer and if they give it's because they expect something back immediately. We move forward by providing value for each other, this is how it works. As a Chinese proverb says: "A little fragrance always clings to the hand that gives the roses."

I don't believe people are born givers, I believe people are born takers, it is survival instinct. Giving/giving back is an attitude you cultivate as an adult (if you want of course). It really takes a lot of maturity to understand that happiness comes from the act of giving. 

It translates in every aspect of your life that has to do with people...

 

[dias]

Confidence:If you have confidence, you feel sure about your abilities, qualities, or ideas.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/confidence

Very generic. You can only be confident in your abilities when you are doing something you have done before. For instance, you are confident you can solve a puzzle you solved before. You know the way to do it, then yes, you can be confident you can do it. 

However, you can't be certain you can solve a more complicated puzzle beforehand. This is fake confidence, you just don't know until you have done it. Many people appear confident about things they have never done before but they "know" and claim they can succeed. This is fake confidence. When you do something new or difficult you don't know the outcome beforehand. It does not work like this in real life. 

No matter how competent you are, you are always nervous and unsure when it comes to doing something new. It's human nature. 

Confidence does not matter, it just means you solved one puzzle. Courage is what matters. Courage to do new things without knowing the outcome. Courage is to keep trying and solving new puzzles.  There are so many people out there who try to appear confident (which works and other people believe them), I find it ridiculous. 

Maybe we need to redefine what confidence is. Or maybe people are focusing on wrong things....

[dias]

The very hot girl in the gym is a personal trainer. Ok now it makes sense lol