u/Floppedthenuts_

I’m 5 drinks in and wanted to talk about how this has changed my life. It’s definitely not permanent as I look to scale back but the financial freedom is real if you are smart with your money.

1. Have at least 2Js paychecks go directly into a fidelity or any investment account and keep buying index funds. Less likely to blow it if it goes there instead of your bank
2. Lifestyle creep WILL happen no matter what you think and that is okay as long as you continue to save. I clear 23k/mo post tax and my spend has gone up from 3k/mo to 8k/mo due to having a kid, upgrading home, automating things like cleaners/food delivery. I dislike cooking so having ready made healthy meals are +EV in my eyes and save me in the long run vs ordering doordash daily. I still dabble in uber eats/doordash but not as much.
3. There is luck involved. Each job has set team meetings that land on different days of the week. You cant script that. With 3J+ you will eventually end up tag teaming 2 calls at the same time but make sure its rare. The key is leveling up enough where you dictate when the calls happen but not high enough you’re the first one to be laid off due to a bloated salary or given too much on your plate
4. 1-2 of the Js should require less than 30 hours of real work a week. J1 is 10 hours tops, J2 is 15-20 and J3 is 40 which I simultaneously do with other ones but zero meetings. If all 3 Js were meetings heavy Id have to replace it.
5. Stack your PTO - take off all 2-3 Js if you can. The time off will fly by but it is well deserved
6. Don’t be paranoid about your teams/slack showing a different local time. I have to travel for work and I end up in different timezones at least 4-5 times a year. Your boss isn’t actually looking at what your time is. I travel with 3 laptops and manage. Key is use PTO for 1J and juggle the other 2 while you travel
7. You need to be an expert or known as an expert of your dept/team so you can get away with the times you aren’t fully there. You get away with so much when they know you crush it on a weekly basis that they wont sweat if youre a bit quiet on a random Tuesday
8. Be lovable. Again you get away with so much it you are easy to work with. I travel for all 3Js whether its Europe or South America. I am friendly with all colleagues over pints and easy to get along with. Nobody questions the nice guy. Say yes to work travel (not every time) and show face.
9. You will likely be under taxed so do everything in your power to reduce what you owe.
10. 3Js is the sweet spot if 1J has little to no meetings and is very achievable. If meeting heavy I would stick to 2. You become addicted to the paychecks/bonuses and it will be hard to quit. My comp went from 45k when I got into this industry to now 600k with 3J and I feel like I am doing less work and just showing face and giving high level answers to problems.
11. Share with your partner but try to limit it. People get jealous and love to yap. They also will expect you to buy rounds or make comments about how well youre doing and make things awkward. Learn from me - do not share with too many!
12. Use different last or middle names. I have a different last name for all 3Js. Nobody checks or cares. Those 3rd party companies who do background checks arent catching you.
13. I do this out of goodwill but I only opted in for benefits for 1J and left the other two. 2 of them use the same company so I didnt want to risk it
14. Get a whiteboard - I have one behind my desk and map out each week. Any overlaps I game plan when I can shift them or use an excuse (sick kid is a good one).
15. 99% of recruiters dont care if you OE.
16. I will just pull up teams out of habit on each work phone to go online at random times at night even if im up at 3am feeding the kid. People think I am on at all hours. I always have my phones with me and reply within 10-15 mins. You get a TON of wiggle room and respect when you are always “available”. Most of these jobs are paying for your availability.