Welcome to the Lounge

dbrenth wrote:

I still get to design maps

std::map<int, char> design;

Mike Mullikin wrote:

Started as a mechanical engineer...

Mike Mullikin wrote:

...then moved to IT (networking, DB management, etc...), then C++ development, then PLC and HMI development - now I manage an electrical engineering department and keep my hands "in the game".

Michael Martin wrote:

So the next upgrades will be including what exactly?

Mike Mullikin wrote:

It's all very hush hush. The final truly amazing bits don't get activated until I get my 2nd knee done.

Let's just say that $6 million doesn't even begin to cover it.

From 1969 through May of this year, I worked in I.T., lastly for a mental health facility (queue the puns, jokes and comments.... ) Unfortunately, I was forcibly retired due to the seemingly imminent adoption of a third-party Electronic Health Record (EHR). Guess what? That still has not happened.

I miss being "in the game." However, on the bright side, I am working harder than ever, and am now in better physical shape, working on my wife's ranch. Here, I fix fence, haul feed, move livestock and so forth.

As you can tell, I live in a rural area. I have found that finding a nearby I.T. job at my age is akin to "Mission: Impossible." No one wants to hire an "old timer." At the same time, they bemoan that all the recent I.T. graduates are moving to the cities.

Jalapeno Bob wrote:

1969 through May of this year

kmoorevs wrote:

You should be enjoying your well earned retirement!

Retirement??? There is just no way I could enjoy sitting around doing nothing!

I had a sweet gig where I could go to an office and do my hobby for eight hours, five days a week and, believe it or not, they would actually pay me for it!

You would have to be willing to live in an area where Internet access is basically limited to DSL, HughesNet, or 4GLTE. 5G will not be available here – the low population density and antenna density requirements (and their costs) precludes 5G. To make that worse, cell phone service is spotty. One corner of my wife's ranch has no service except from our WiFi router which is located line-of-sight 0.15 miles away at the house (I know, this seems unbelievable! But, with very few other local radio sources, it is real. ). If you want to watch television, you will need a satellite dish – cable is not available and there are only four over-the-air stations available. You will also need to haul your own garbage, as garbage pickup is not available.

For your children, the nearest high school is almost five miles away. This being Texas, football is big here – over the last 100 years, this high school has produced three NFL players. The local community college is ten miles away.

My local post office is located in a very small town, with one "dollar store," one convenience store and gas station, one restaurant (German) and only one traffic light. That is all.

The nearest large town (population 25,000) has two supermarkets – WalMart and HEB, one liquor store, no new car dealerships, six convenience stores, eleven thirteen fast-food restaurants, four bars, three auto parts stores, two hardware stores, a few sit-down restaurants and not much else.

Working on a ranch is hard, physical work. My wife needs to be a hard taskmaster. There is always the proverbial mile of fence that needs to be repaired. Firewood needs to be cut, split and stacked (we heat with wood). Animals need to be fed, watered, inspected, cared for, and occasionally, hauled to auction. We get paid only when we sell livestock.

On the bright side, we get fresh eggs daily and can grow much of what we eat. Air pollution is minimal. Heavy traffic is three pickups waiting at the traffic light.

Ranch living is not for everyone, but we love it.

If you are serious, I suggest looking into buying farmland or ranchland here in the United States. By European standards, American farmland is relatively inexpensive to purchase. Think about what you would like to raise, pick an appropriate climate zone and talk to a real estate agent.

You will need to talk to an immigration lawyer about moving to the US. Since Donald Trump became President, the rules have changed only slightly but the interpretation of those rules is very different.

The hardest part of the transition is living with Americans. We tend to be independent, ornery and self-reliant. Think John Wayne. The days of the "wild west" may be over, but the attitudes that settled the West remain. Many of us, especially rural residents, want as little government in our lives as possible.

As a farmer or rancher, you will need to thrive in isolation. My nearest neighbor lives one tenth of a mile away as the crow flies, but three tenths of a mile away, if you take the road. My wife and I feel that he lives too close to us for our comfort.

Farming or ranching is a lifestyle commitment. It is hard work. It is not for everyone. If you are up to the challenge, welcome to our party! It is a lifestyle with its own rewards.