5 ms·

I once took a break from software and applied to be a cashier at Barnes & Noble (just to get out of the house). It was entertaining to watch the manager hastil

I once took a break from software and applied to be a cashier at Barnes & Noble (just to get out of the house). It was entertaining to watch the manager hastily scan the application for a $7/hour, 10 hours/week job and then pause and try to find a polite way to break it to me that they weren't going to meet the $180k I made at my previous job.

giantg2 5y ago
I worked a second job at Lowes one summer/fall. Similar story there - tons of questions from coworkers and customers about what I'm doing working there.
- efsavage 5y ago
  Indeed, when I told friends/peers I was working at Barnes and Noble they almost universally assumed I was building their website.
  - giantg2 5y ago
    Haha yep. I had one customer tell me I should go to work for him in construction or go to school instead of working at Lowes. The look on his face was kind of funny when I told him I have a masters and work as a software dev. Then it stopped being funny when I realized how shitty it is to be working 40-50 hours at my main job plus 16-20 hours at Lowes and nor even make $100k. Masters degrees are such a waste of time.
Cthulhu_ 5y ago
Did you get the job? For a lot of jobs like that they will deny you for being overqualified. I know a guy who had a double doctorate, couldn't find a job anywhere for nearly two years due to being overqualified.
- abricot 5y ago
  He should write Jail instead of Yale when applying.
- efsavage 5y ago
  I did, and I really enjoyed it! It was not a sustainable financial option for me (I spent far more than I made there due to the employee discount) but was successful in that it gave my life a bit of cadence while I recharged for a few months. I almost did the same thing during my last hiatus, but as a parent I was not inclined/allowed to drift off into endless video game marathons. My limited/indirect experience on both sides of the "overqualified" thing is that it's usually a result of the employer feeling threatened this person will supplant them, or the prospective employee coming off as entitled or non-serious. Having a doctorate doesn't impinge on your ability to mow lawns, but if you're making sure everyone knows you're meant for better things, that's a problem.

giantg2 5y ago

I worked a second job at Lowes one summer/fall. Similar story there - tons of questions from coworkers and customers about what I'm doing working there.

efsavage 5y ago
Indeed, when I told friends/peers I was working at Barnes and Noble they almost universally assumed I was building their website.
- giantg2 5y ago
  Haha yep. I had one customer tell me I should go to work for him in construction or go to school instead of working at Lowes. The look on his face was kind of funny when I told him I have a masters and work as a software dev. Then it stopped being funny when I realized how shitty it is to be working 40-50 hours at my main job plus 16-20 hours at Lowes and nor even make $100k. Masters degrees are such a waste of time.

Cthulhu_ 5y ago

Did you get the job? For a lot of jobs like that they will deny you for being overqualified. I know a guy who had a double doctorate, couldn't find a job anywhere for nearly two years due to being overqualified.

abricot 5y ago
He should write Jail instead of Yale when applying.
efsavage 5y ago
I did, and I really enjoyed it! It was not a sustainable financial option for me (I spent far more than I made there due to the employee discount) but was successful in that it gave my life a bit of cadence while I recharged for a few months. I almost did the same thing during my last hiatus, but as a parent I was not inclined/allowed to drift off into endless video game marathons. My limited/indirect experience on both sides of the "overqualified" thing is that it's usually a result of the employer feeling threatened this person will supplant them, or the prospective employee coming off as entitled or non-serious. Having a doctorate doesn't impinge on your ability to mow lawns, but if you're making sure everyone knows you're meant for better things, that's a problem.