May have to close my accounts

[Merlin]

Starbucks pays their people rather well...
My cousin (here to take care of her father's final expenses and such) is a barista for Starbucks. She has a bachelors' in accounting. She makes $30/hr + tips. She loves her job. Making payments on her own place, even helps to support her mother.

Flip it over - I have no college education, busted my arse to get the money to pay for certain courses and certifications in Java, Oracle and SQL, RedHat and more to became top in ecommerce development with management and corporate level experience. No one wants to hire me as I "know too much". I live on 'ohana property, helping out best I can with itty-bitty gigs and contracts; all of my money goes to the upkeep of the family estate. I love my chosen career, but am now on a DoD waitlist for trade work at Pearl Harbor.

If I moved back east, I'd have work in a New York minute making 6-figures again as a web developer (what I love) - but Hawaii is a totally different mindset and employers don't see the value in what I offer.

Every place and situation is different.

I will certainly agree that every place, person and situation is different. However... I just can't help my disdain for this new class of young people taking up the most ridiculous majors and then crying foul about not being able to pay their debts. Going far as demanding the banks have to forgive it. However, that's an entirely different topic though.

$30 bucks an hour before taxes at Starbucks, not including tips? That's quite a lot for a barista to make, nearly ~$63K per year. Is she a manager or something? If she is in NY/NJ/CT area and has an accounting degree, she should really pursue making use of her degree. Most entry level positions at my company are in the $60-$65K per year, more if you are coming in with CPA. Most accounting jobs very well paid - I hope she decides to make use of her degree.

Good luck with getting the Pearl Harbor job! My great-uncle was there on December 7, 1941... It's on my long term plans to get there some day.

 

[Kirthag]

Hope you are ready for some sticker shock and the island is great and new for the first 6 months to a year then island fever sets in and you can't wait to get back to the 48.

Yes, I know. I was born here, raised here, live here, struggle to stay here, miss driving across state lines (counties even) and do have a strong desire for very high mountains. Spent 12 years on CONUS (from Massachusetts to Florida and all states in between) and got my okole back home - because Dorothy was right, there is NO place like home. I watched rents go from $475/mo for a 3B/2BA home to over $3k for that same property in 10 years. I remember a gallon of milk being only 75 cent... now it is pushing $10. Commute from my little pineapple village to my once posh office job was around a half hour - now that is about 2 hours. Regardless of how under appreciated I am professionally, how crazy the land values are, how stupid the city planners can be, and how disgusted I get with tourists - this is my home. No, not Hawaiian by blood, but my heart and soul will forever call these itty bitty rocks in the middle of the Pacific HOME.

Believe me @Lord Frodo - I am more than aware... as are several other locals who actually play UO.

As for that education thing, @Merlin - aye, I am with you on that boat. These kids get a government guaranteed student loan (read: I pay for their college on their promise they will pay back) and then they do this. Our country is full of entitled people, from the career-welfare-mom to the guy so smart he runs circles around the disability/mental health/SSI folks and never works a day in his adult life. I know both kinds of people all over the country.

I digress - this thread is about @Jirel of Joiry and her issue. What I suggest - get that degree, even if it is "only liberal arts". UO is a game, entertainment, regardless of how passionate we all get about it. Pack up all you can, ask your most trusted friends to hold onto what you cannot, and come back when you able. Hopefully UO will still be here and you won't have to jump through gawdawful hoops when the account system changes (soon™).

 

[GarthGrey]

Ok, everyone I completely understand that you all have a personal relationship with the old staff, but there is no need to be bashing them, they are no longer on staff, so it might be best just to let the past be the past.

Regarding the earlier discussion about on topic and off topic posts, we are very aware that not everyone who posts on gaming forums want to talk about the game 100% of the time, and we are completely fine with you guys talking about other things as long as it doesn't completely derail the thread or anything like that.

Forums are designed to be places for the community to talk with their online friends and the rest of the community, if the posters would like to talk about things that are not game related, we do not see a problem with that and it actually helps build the community since it allows people to get to know each other on a deeper level, which helps friendships become stronger.

I don't have a personal relationship with the old staff. I fully expect Riyana to lock this one any time now

 

[GarthGrey]

I will certainly agree that every place, person and situation is different. However... I just can't help my disdain for this new class of young people taking up the most ridiculous majors and then crying foul about not being able to pay their debts. Going far as demanding the banks have to forgive it. However, that's an entirely different topic though.

$30 bucks an hour before taxes at Starbucks, not including tips? That's quite a lot for a barista to make, nearly ~$63K per year. Is she a manager or something? If she is in NY/NJ/CT area and has an accounting degree, she should really pursue making use of her degree. Most entry level positions at my company are in the $60-$65K per year, more if you are coming in with CPA. Most accounting jobs very well paid - I hope she decides to make use of her degree.

Good luck with getting the Pearl Harbor job! My great-uncle was there on December 7, 1941... It's on my long term plans to get there some day.

Pay stub or it didn't happen

 

[GarthGrey]

In regards to the old moderators, They did a great job.

You've had too much Moonglow Red...

 

[Zosimus]

and I stepped on a Kelmo...err..I meant ant earlier

 

[Zuckuss]

As with many of the old staff whom some of you have taken this opportunity to lash out at, it was a combination of Petra and kelmo whom I have learned from and continue to emulate myself after to this day. It's easy to sit back and throw stones with limited amounts of information. You all may get to see a thread get locked or a post disappear, but you don't get to see the other 95% of information used when making our decisions that we see. If you all got to see everything laid out on the table, perhaps the assumptions of flawed judgment and abuse would be put to rest. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, you do not get to see all of the information thus making the job of a moderator about as thankless as a social worker or a tow-truck driver. The best that any of us can hope is that we are being accused equally by all parties of bias and nepotism. It is about the time where we are getting accused equally that we can successfully evaluate that we are indeed doing our job correctly.

I think some of you will understand that. Others wont. Nevertheless, despite the continuous beatings we receive, we continue to come back for the purpose of benefiting you, the community.

 

[Gamer_Goblin]

As with many of the old staff whom some of you have taken this opportunity to lash out at, it was a combination of Petra and kelmo whom I have learned from and continue to emulate myself after to this day. It's easy to sit back and throw stones with limited amounts of information. You all may get to see a thread get locked or a post disappear, but you don't get to see the other 95% of information used when making our decisions that we see. If you all got to see everything laid out on the table, perhaps the assumptions of flawed judgment and abuse would be put to rest. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, you do not get to see all of the information thus making the job of a moderator about as thankless as a social worker or a tow-truck driver. The best that any of us can hope is that we are being accused equally by all parties of bias and nepotism. It is about the time where we are getting accused equally that we can successfully evaluate that we are indeed doing our job correctly.

I think some of you will understand that. Others wont. Nevertheless, despite the continuous beatings we receive, we continue to come back for the purpose of benefiting you, the community.

Please show us what there is to emulate from this post below. I've read the thread many times and I have no idea what he's referencing. Captn Norrington had already cleaned it up before he posted.

And this is why I no longer moderate.

And if he hadn't posted this we wouldn't even be having this off topic discussion in the thread.