theDevNovice

           The holidays are just around the corner, and this time of year is a favorite for my girlfriend and our son. We tend to go all out, often splurging on decorations we don’t reuse and attending multiple Christmas events. Last year, we even took a weekend trip to Disney. This year, however, things will be a bit different. There won’t be any Disney trips, and my girlfriend and I decided to skip exchanging gifts. We're prioritizing our son’s holiday, but with money being tight, we’re cutting back on extras for ourselves.      This past weekend, we focused on a bigger priority—getting her a new car. Her old one was falling apart, so she purchased a compact SUV, which is more reliable but also more expensive. It was a necessary decision, but it’s put added pressure on our budget. We’ve also been talking about saving for a house, which feels more urgent since our apartment is becoming less livable. It’s cramped, expensive, and showing its a...

        It’s been two months since my last blog post, and finding time to write has been challenging. I’ve started a few posts, and saved them as drafts, but never managed to finish. I also took a break from coding and job hunting, as my day job has been especially demanding and has led to a tough bout of burnout. I work in inventory, and with our yearly audit just days away, there’s a major push to clear up any outstanding issues. This season is always stressful, compounded by an ongoing labor shortage. To me, it’s not just about a lack of workers but a lack of well-paying jobs. Where I work, the starting pay is minimum wage, and it’s a physically intense job. Many new hires end up leaving because they don’t feel the pay justifies the effort, which leaves the rest of the team under even more strain.    I took a few weeks off to give my mind a break and to step back from the constant cycle of either not hearing back from job applications or receiving generi...