mattm

84 ms·

931.
by mattm 16y ago
Agreed with the cost of living. No matter where you go in the world, if you want to live an American lifestyle - car, big house/apartment, western products - you will pay just about the same as living in the US. However, if you can live l
932.
by mattm 16y ago
I also lived in HK a number of years ago for 5 months but I didn't have much exposure to the business environment. IMO, HK is definitely more by the book and easier for foreigners to do business there. These elements exist but much, much
933.
by mattm 16y ago
I lived in Suzhou - just outside Shanghai.
934.
by mattm 16y ago
Sure, it happens in the US too. It's just more prevalent in China. When it comes to cultural differences, you can find the same examples in every culture. People steal from their companies in the US too. It's a matter of if these aspect
935.
by mattm 16y ago
I lived in China in 2008 and while I'm no expert on China, you will learn quite quickly that some of your perceptions about China are not true: - In china, you can pay a programmer 600€ a month Sure, for average programmers. For good ones,
936.
by mattm 16y ago
Of course there are differences among Asian countries just like there are differences among African countries or any other region. However, an American with Japanese cultural understanding would be much better at consulting with a Korean c
937.
by mattm 16y ago
I would recommend you read "Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco" It's an eye-opening book about just how removed upper management of a public company can be. Although I don't have much anecdotal experience to back it up, I thin
938.
by mattm 16y ago
I'll get downvoted for this, but what the heck. Comedian Louis CK on Bill Gates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95fNgx8aCS8 "You know what you could do with 85 billion dollars? You could buy every baseball team and have them all wear dres
939.
by mattm 16y ago
If you have the money saved to support yourself, take a few weeks off. You'll get so bored that your mind will start coming up with lots of ideas about things you can work on. Then pick the best one and start work on it.
940.
by mattm 16y ago
I can't really add anything to what others have mentioned. The only thing you may want to do is talk to those 2 people who quit and ask for their advice. Perhaps they saw this disaster coming...
941.
by mattm 16y ago
The site wasn't actually Craigslist but a similar local buy & sell that is much more reliable in my city to use than Craigslist. I've listed a number of things to sell and usually haven't had a problem. It was only in this one instanc
942.
by mattm 16y ago
No, that wasn't what I meant at all. The value of this printer was very little since it was old so instead of offering it for free, I offered it for it's value.
943.
by mattm 16y ago
A couple months ago I wanted to get rid of an old Dell printer. My uncle gave it to me for free so I thought I would just give it away for free on Craigslist. I had a total of 9 people contact me saying they were interested in it. Many p
944.
by mattm 16y ago
In my city, the average family income is about $60k but housing is expensive to buy. One-bedroom condo's start at $200k so a lot of people rent. Unfortunately, since developers can earn so much by selling units instead of renting them, th
945.
by mattm 16y ago
Probably the same reason why men don't like shopping - too much standing around and not enough movement. I tried a self-made standing desk for a couple days but went back to sitting because I couldn't take the standing for long periods of t
946.
by mattm 16y ago
> No one was paid more than about USD25k/month I'm assuming that should be per year?
947.
by mattm 16y ago
Yeah, I know. Even three times a week isn't enough. Perhaps it's a goal that isn't really important to me.
948.
by mattm 16y ago
Become one of the world's top salsa dancers by 2020. Current roadblock is that I'm just not doing it enough. I get distracted by other interests of mine. I was previously practising 3 times a week (which probably still isn't enough) but l
949.
by mattm 16y ago
I agree but then universities are businesses. It's in their economic interest for offering these degrees. I still have university students in my social circle and I cringe everytime I meet someone that says they are studying political scie
950.
by mattm 16y ago
Also mentioned is that his schooling was entirely paid for along with his rent. I imagine that if his parents weren't still subsidizing his life, he wouldn't have had any thought about rejecting that job offer.
951.
by mattm 16y ago
Your post reminds of this article I read now and again - http://www.conversiondoctor.com/conversion-blog/jobs-are-fil... "Somewhere along the line the “American Dream” became having a “good job” that pays enough to be able to afford to “b
952.
by mattm 16y ago
I think there is much more pressure on young people today (me being one of them) that you must be doing what your love or working on your passion. While good advice, some young people don't realise that this is good long-term advice. It's
953.
by mattm 16y ago
Good point. Some people want money, some people want time and freedom (especially once their monetary needs are covered). There are other ways companies can compensate people beyond their salary.
954.
by mattm 16y ago
But you're saying the guys are leaving, they're not fired. Maybe after the talk they realise that their life is more important than being loyal to a company that won't let them take a little time off.
955.
by mattm 16y ago
> This author, like the founder of the failed YC company, is selfish Everyone is selfish.
956.
by mattm 16y ago
In my experience, it is actually better to be nonchalant about wanting to work for a particular company. People respond better to you if they know you're interested yet have other options.
957.
by mattm 16y ago
> This is just more propaganda from hiring managers with a financial stake in the hire. How are you going to negotiate salary after begging for a job for three months? Agree. Derek Sivers normally has good advice but this is biased. T
958.
by mattm 16y ago
Yeah, that makes sense. Give people the illusion of productivity rather than actual productivity.
959.
by mattm 16y ago
The thing I can't understand is that this goes against almost every productivity study I've come across. Most productivity articles I've read seem to state that yes, you can productivity work more than 40 hours but only for a few weeks. A
960.
by mattm 16y ago
>We'd like a thank-you note right away. They want a thank-you note for doing their job? Does the interviewee also get a thank-you note for taking time out of their day to go see them?

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