Nancy Wilson (u/nancy391)

Posts

I was trying to switch from IT support to web design for 8 months with no luck.

I kept sending out my resume and a basic portfolio, but got zero calls back. The moment I saw a job ad asking for 'experience with Figma and responsive design projects', I knew my old, static screenshots weren't cutting it. What's one thing you had to add to your skills that finally got you an interview in a new field?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

nancy391•1mo ago

A near miss at the county fair forge demo made me rethink my apron setup

I was doing a public demo at the Springfield County Fair last month, working on a simple leaf keychain. I had my regular leather apron on, but it was a hot day and I had it tied kind of loose. When I went to quench the piece, a big drop of water splashed up from the bucket and hit the anvil, then bounced right up under the bottom of my apron and onto my jeans. It sizzled and left a nasty burn mark on my thigh through the denim. The guy running the booth next to me saw it happen and said, 'That's why mine goes down to my shins, brother.' I felt like an idiot. I've since switched to a much longer, heavier apron that I make sure is snug, and I stand farther back from the quench tank. Has anyone else had a close call like that from splash back? What kind of apron length do you all use for safety?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

nancy391•1mo ago

PSA: I just read that the first ASME boiler code was written in 1914, after a massive boiler explosion in a shoe factory killed 58 people.

Found that grim fact in an old trade magazine at the library, and it really drives home why we can't cut corners on pressure vessel specs, you know? What's the most important safety lesson you've learned on the job?

3 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

nancy391•1mo ago

My brother-in-law who's a teacher said mechanics are just parts replacers, not real problem solvers, and it's been bugging me.

He said it after I spent 4 hours diagnosing a weird electrical drain on a 2012 Civic, and now I'm wondering if the public really gets what we do or just sees the final bill.

3 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

nancy391•1mo ago

Rant: I tried to learn Python by reading a 900 page book before writing a single line of code

My friend told me to just start building a simple number guessing game instead. I spent three days trying to understand every single concept in the book and got nowhere. Then I opened a free online editor and followed a 10 minute tutorial, and I had a working program. The difference was actually doing the thing versus just reading about it. Has anyone else fallen into the 'over-prepare' trap when starting out?

2 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

nancy391•1mo ago

Heard a guy at the diner claim the moon landing film was shot in a desert near Vegas

Honestly, he was pointing at shadows and saying the angles were wrong for the sun's position. Ngl, it got me looking up old NASA photos for an hour. What's the strongest proof you've seen that it was real?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

nancy391•1mo ago

Showerthought: I tried using a $15 thermal camera attachment on a stubborn laptop and it showed me a hot spot under the keyboard I never would have found with my usual tools.

In my experience, that cheap gadget saved me from a pointless motherboard swap on a Dell Latitude last week, so has anyone else found a surprisingly good use for a budget tool you initially wrote off?

3 comments

Posts

I was trying to switch from IT support to web design for 8 months with no luck.

A near miss at the county fair forge demo made me rethink my apron setup

PSA: I just read that the first ASME boiler code was written in 1914, after a massive boiler explosion in a shoe factory killed 58 people.

My brother-in-law who's a teacher said mechanics are just parts replacers, not real problem solvers, and it's been bugging me.

Rant: I tried to learn Python by reading a 900 page book before writing a single line of code

Heard a guy at the diner claim the moon landing film was shot in a desert near Vegas

Showerthought: I tried using a $15 thermal camera attachment on a stubborn laptop and it showed me a hot spot under the keyboard I never would have found with my usual tools.

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