Adulting Is Hard and the Apple Store Didn't Help

Ever have one of those weeks where everything hits at once? This week on Laughing Through the Uncomfortable we are getting real about the messy, exhausting and sometimes hilarious side of adulting. 

A long overdue switch from PC to a brand new Mac turns into a full on customer service nightmare — two unhelpful employees, a laptop hitting the floor on day one, and somehow still walking out with a smile. 

Then the conversation gets real. Navigating a tough job market with a master's degree, why being overqualified can actually work against you, managing disabilities in the real world, and how to keep going when life just feels heavy.

And somewhere in between all of that… Chardonnay. In 90 degree heat. Out of a wine bottle repurposed as a water bottle, because why not.

If you have ever had a week where all you can do is laugh through it — pull up a chair and join the conversation. New episode out now! 

New episodes every two weeks. Follow us on Spotify, iHeart, and Apple Podcasts!

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

Hi, and hello everybody. Welcome to Laughing Through the Uncomfortable with Julie and Jeff. All right. It's uh it seems like it's been a long week. I don't know. It's been a long week. Yeah, I know that you have had you've had a long week because you're in school and you're going through finals.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Well, it's it's midterms, not finals, yeah. It's still uh seven more weeks, but I can't I can't really want I don't really want that, but it's full-time, part-time school, and and daily life is already adulting.

SPEAKER_05 0:34

Yeah, it's hard adulting. I meant midterms, sorry. I don't know why. Maybe because I'm wishing finals are here for me, you know, because I'm teaching. So I think it's interesting because last week when we were talking about your computer and you were up here at my house doing an assignment, you were kind of frustrated with your computer. So did your computer finally quit out?

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Yeah, I f okay. I know I know why it kind of broke, because the computer is very old. You know, it's like an old car. You kind of beat it to trying to make it work. I understand why the mouse and the and weren't working, because you can actually see there's a slight dent in the computer. So basically every time I traveled with it, it probably knocked something off. Uh I I put it underneath my carrying bag. It was probably when I was going to Kentucky with dad Ben and Surprising Logan, and I think it kind of got wrecked last year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

Oh, so didn't you carry it? Did you have a carry-on on the plane?

SPEAKER_01 1:37

I did have a carry-on, but the thing is I put it underneath. I was I was kind of a fool to put it underneath. I was carrying it around and also going trips to you guys. And for me, sometimes I forget that I put stuff underneath in my carry-on and I just toss it in my car. So in a way, I I kind of it's my fault for abusing it a little bit. I'm kind of glad I got the Apple. Thank you for your advice on fixing that. So I gotta I have an Apple product now, so slowly I'm transitioning to a phone now. So I'm happy with that.

SPEAKER_05 2:06

Yeah, I uh sorry for that. I uh it's funny because you're on the Android and I'm hoping that eventually you're gonna switch to Apple phone because when we're in our group text, when you text, something happens to the text messages and it's hard to get everybody on like WhatsApp. Uh you know, because I guess it's I don't know, it's people are just I don't know. Anyway, so you ended up, you and I, you called yesterday and we talked about what computer you're gonna use. And we went through all those questions, which by the way, I think it's really cool that Apple has, I'm sure most people have the what computer's right for me kind of AI, and you can figure out what computer's right for you. And so you figured out that you were good with the Apple uh MacBook Air or something like that because you're not doing yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

So you I got the midnight. So I like black. Black is one of my favorite colors. I'm so glad it's like this nighttime metal metal thing. I love it.

SPEAKER_05 3:03

Yeah, I know. You like black. It's okay, though. My computer's black. I mean, black is easy to clean and it's really I mean, it's a nice sleek thing. So you went into Apple and then So what happened? Did you order it? Did your did the tech help you or did you order it online? What happened?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Okay, so I I got the quote online and I just love people sometimes. They're just you don't know who you're gonna you're going to face an idiot, you're gonna face someone in kind, or someone's really having a really bad day, right? You don't know what you're gonna get into when you step into the retail shop. So after I got done talking to the person, not it not the AI, but I kind of told him what what you and I talked about. So that was that. He gave me the quote along with it, my student discount, without tax, it's gonna be like 1200 something. And I went in there, and the person basically just clocked in in their shift, and he was like, Hey, were you waiting long? I'm like, nah, like five minutes, but it's fine. I had at first I had two people point me to different directions, and so annoying. So this guy who just got clocked on, and I'm like, I'm very empathetic. I'm I'm told him like, hey man, I'm here to buy a computer. And he was very impatient. His body language was looking around, he was really impatient with me. And I kind of like took that as like, you know what? I'm gonna drag on this conversation as much as I can. Because I'm like, if you're impatient, I'm here to buy a computer. I'm like, I work in retail, dude. I'm like, I have to be waiting. I'm like, you're I don't give a sh I don't care. So I literally okay, so I'm there at the MacBook Air Pro table, right? And honestly, the 13 inch and the 15 inch was right there. So apparently they're both the same, right? Like it's like Yeah, we talked about that.

SPEAKER_05 5:00

We talked about the only difference is the screen size.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Yeah, I I didn't, I didn't I I didn't see it in person. So I saw it in person and I I had an idea in my head, like, okay, it's it's not that bad, right? I was like, but like seriously, like okay. He said I literally told I literally looked at him, looked him dead in the eye. I'm like, hey, I'm going to buy a computer. I do not know what to decide, 13 or 15, because I he told me, carry it. Do you like the 13? No, then let's get the 15. It's just the impatience on his face, and he was like, Eaman tapped on a computer. Oh my god, mom, I before I bought the computer, I was talking to him and like he asked me what I do, and I said, like, well, I I dress men for a living, I and stuff like that. And he said, like, oh well, you you obviously dressed the part. I was I was wearing one of my nice cashmere. Okay, first of all, I wore a cashmere sweater polo in 86 degrees.

SPEAKER_05 5:59

I was like, I know, I was gonna say, oh my god, wasn't it like 90 where you live?

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Yeah, yeah, it was 90, and I was wearing my pants. I was cupped pants, but I was wearing black pants, and I'm like, okay, what the fuck am I doing? I look stylish though, but it's fine. So he literally were talking. The guy after I purchased the laptop, and the laptop was still in the box, the guy literally slammed his hand in front of it and it just fell right there. And I'm like, yeah, it did, and it fell right there, and everyone looked. And I wanna I wanted to ask, like, hey, am I gonna get a disal discount on this? And like he said, I'm like, Hey man, I'm sorry, I'll get you another one. I'm like, no worries. I was waiting on the couch for like two minutes, waiting for the new computer, and this and the other employee gave gave the sales rep so much shit about, hey dude, don't, hey, dude, hey, don't drop this next time. And I heard it and I looked, and I'm like, ah man, oh, that was good, that was classic. And I left with a smile on my face. It was so good.

SPEAKER_05 6:58

And I just before you said that, I I I didn't mean to interrupt you, but so you walked in, I thought you had already pre-bought it. Didn't you already had the quote, so like online, you did the whole thing and they gave you the quote. So you had to go in and like pick out which color you wanted and what you know, and then then you got it.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 7:16

Okay. So why do you think he was so impatient? I mean, he must have just walked in. So maybe you had to go to the bathroom. Maybe you had to go to the bottom.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

You probably had to take a shit or probably really hitting his job.

SPEAKER_05 7:27

No, I meant like, you know, go to the bathroom, like urinate, like void, not like, you know, not that's happened again today.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

I look, Apple makes okay. I had, I never had, I only have the Apple TV, right? It's great. But the thing is, I never owned a I never owned an Apple TV, an Apple computer.

SPEAKER_05 7:50

Okay, so let's let our audience know. Wait, wait, before you go into this, hang on. We gotta let you gotta let your audience know. So like like everybody's Android, like everybody was Android in our family, like when you guys were younger. And then when Apple first came out, we all switched to Apple. I switched to Apple Mac. I switched to the MacBook Pro because of what I do for a living and all of my presentations and things that I have to create. And then we all went to Apple products and everybody was on Apple. Everybody's been on Apple since like I don't know, 2000s or whatever. Jeff, you are the diehard Android, like the die hard android.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Well, the thing is, I've always had the hand-me-downs from from dad. So I never really actually had like a my own phone. I was always got dad's phone. So dad used an Android first before he switched the iPhone. Yeah, like Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_05 8:44

Like your first phone in high school was dad got an upgrade and upgraded to Apple because of the text because of me and because of us together, and it's easier just go Apple to Apple when we text and stuff. So dad gave you the Android, but you in all honesty, we gave you an opportunity to get an Apple and you said no, no, I'll take Dad to Android. And and Dad, I mean, dad I was a simple kid.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

I didn't want the all the luxury shit.

SPEAKER_05 9:07

I wasn't always about the well, it's not only that, but um I think you are more comfortable with Android because it's like a Microsoft, like I don't, I don't it's not Macrosoft, it's not a Microsoft product, is it? I mean I'm not that Samsung.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

It's like a Samsung product.

SPEAKER_05 9:21

Yeah, okay, so now you are you have your first Mac product that you bought on your own.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah, and it reminds me when buying this computer, I remember that you and Dad on Christmas Day bought me and Ben, I think Logan not yet, because it was still young. It was still like in like elementary school. You and dad bought me and Ben our first like old Apple computer. It was like the bulkier one. Remember those back in 2013?

SPEAKER_05 9:54

Yeah, I think we bought you the first your first computer for school because you were going to high school.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

I was a freshman.

SPEAKER_05 10:01

Yeah, and Ben was in eighth grade, and we figured, well, Ben was gonna be going to high school that next year anyway. So might as well get you guys used to high, you know, gear computers. But you didn't like it. So we took it back and we ended up getting you the Microsoft brand.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

That's right. That's right. Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_05 10:18

Yeah, you were like, this is too complicated. And I'm like, Apple is too complicated, like that it's designed, and we got you the base beginning that was designed for kids in school, which was funny. So yeah, so then we took you back, and then we ended up getting you a Microsoft, like, you know, laptop, and then you've you've been Microsoft ever since.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Yep, ever since. And the same thing happened to me today when I drove to the Apple store again to get this UCB connector so I can connect this Bluetooth awesome PS5 headset so that way I can noise cans and headphones. Same thing. Horrible customer service, five fingers pointed to different directions, and like, dude, the fuck. I literally had to ruin people's conversations of like, hey, I need a device. Where? Here's $20. Literally, toss the $20 in their face. Buy me it.

SPEAKER_05 11:12

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Where did you go today?

SPEAKER_01 11:14

I went to the Apple store right after our conversation after my nap. Basically went to I was trying to find a UCB connector. I don't know the whole fancy terminology of it, but I have a connector here, Apple product. It's like to connect to the main computer to have allow the PS5 microphone headset to connect it.

SPEAKER_05 11:38

So like a USB.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

Yeah, yeah. It's like a yeah.

SPEAKER_05 11:41

Yeah, it's a USB for like for like a flash drive or you know, whatever it is. Yeah. So your computer, does it have um so you had to get an adapter then?

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 11:52

Okay. So then when you walked into the store, did you just say, hey, I just need an adapter for my computer so I could plug in my PS5 headphones?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yeah, I literally told him that. And the other guy was Yeah, dude, like they rule their eyes, man. They rule their eyes and they're talk they rule their eyes, they point me to this other area. I'm like, I'm like, where? Like, point, he point, he's pointing. I look and he vanishes, and I look around, I I do my arms around the uh in the air, and I'm like, I just don't care. And he points around is like in the corner. I'm like, okay, I go over there. It's the genius bar that repairs shit. I'm like, hey, I'm looking for this. I had to go to three different people, mom, to find this piece of product.

SPEAKER_05 12:35

So wait, wait, so the guy did the salesperson just pointed over in a direction like it's over there. Yeah. He didn't offer to get it for you. You know how many times I've gone and said, hey, I need a I need a new uh plug for my, you know, my my MacBook Pro or whatever it is, right? And they're like, oh yeah, here, let me show you. You know, and then oh here, let me do this. Or do you know I need this? And like, oh, it's over here and let me show you. Do you know how many times that people go, let me show you? They don't he didn't do that? I I didn't get that experience.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Two people did not get that experience. And I went over there, okay. I went over this other side. There's this big teacher, they're like, have this other genius person teaching old people how that how to iPhone.

SPEAKER_05 13:12

Hey, hey, hey, hey, be careful how you use old people.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Okay, fine. Go go march over there, and I found a table empty. I slam, I what?

SPEAKER_04 13:22

We say computer illiterate or the other more easy, the more, I don't know, seasoned generation.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Seasoned generation. I love that. So I went over to the bar, I went over to the other one, and I saw five people with blue shirts, right? I don't know what they're again, geniuses or whatever they're fucking called, right? I sit down and I'm waiting and I'm like, I'm like, where the fuck is this thing? And I look at her these these two women over there and two blue shirt people. And I go over there. I one of them looks at me, mom, and I look back. I look back again. I'm like, are you gonna help me? I'm like, I looked at her, I'm like, hi, I need some help. She never did. And then I had, I'm like, oh, I rolled my eyes. I literally went over like like David and shit's creak. Hi, hi. I'm so sorry to interrupt your conversation. I need I need some help. I'm kind of a dumbass right now, so I kind of need your help right now. Okay. Did you say that?

SPEAKER_05 14:20

Did you say, did you call yourself? You don't have to call yourself a dumbass.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

I didn't call myself a dumbass. I just, I was David in that moment. It just like, ah.

SPEAKER_05 14:28

And what did you say? Did you say I need help finding this adapter?

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Something like that. I never I didn't call it an adapter. I just like I showed him literally the physical UCP PlayStation 5, and this wonderful, nice, kind African-American woman helped me out. She's super patient, super nice. Like, hey man, let me help you out. Super like, super tomboy.

SPEAKER_05 14:49

Did you ask her if she had a boyfriend and if she would like to get to the book?

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Mom, that wasn't that wasn't the mission. The mission was to get it and get out. I literally had no and okay, okay, oh my gosh. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 15:03

What? I mean, even though that wasn't the mission, if you met a really nice lady or a nice girl, right? And she was super nice and she was helpful, you might say, Hey, my name is Jeff. Thank you so much for helping. And what time do you get off? Would you like would you like to get a cup of coffee?

SPEAKER_01 15:19

I didn't do that. I just got my shit and got out. I literally tossed a $20 bill. I literally tossed my credit debit card. I'm like, thank you so much. Bye.

SPEAKER_05 15:26

You got your credit card back though, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Yeah, I got my credit card. Well, the thing is, I think honestly, it's what okay. Okay. So I have my clutch bag. I think that is kind of of like something bad. It's a good fashion piece, but I think I need to get a new wallet because I don't want people to think that I'm kind of uh gay.

SPEAKER_05 15:44

Well, you're kind of what?

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Like, you know, a clutch bag, you know, those like European, like many wallets. Yeah, I have one, and I think I feel like I need to get a new wallet.

SPEAKER_05 15:54

Maybe that might be the Well people shouldn't be treating you differently just because you carry a clutch bag. I mean, I mean, we're in California. I mean, uh they shouldn't be treating you any differently.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

I know, but it's one of those things like people people like will look at you like to like I was I was wearing my red-ass shorts.

SPEAKER_05 16:12

They make assumptions, right? Obviously, because there's this stigma. I don't know with the clutch bag.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Either way, this is just me pro this is a me problem. Like, I just need to get a new wallet. I like my clutch bag. I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 16:23

It's just I don't is your clutch bag a crossbody?

SPEAKER_01 16:26

No, it's literally a hands held. Like you could it's like it's like a woman's wallet.

SPEAKER_05 16:31

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

But for men, it's leather. It's like genuine leather.

SPEAKER_05 16:36

Well, okay, but sometimes like your clothing, what you wear, you don't have your back pockets aren't big enough for a wallet. And your front pockets, you know, you don't have enough like room because it's kind of like a tight fit, or you know, whatever it is, you don't have room for your car keys. So some I mean, a clutch bag is I mean, I can see why men would wear it or have a clutch bag or a you know, a crossbody bag because you know, the your clothing or what you have, it doesn't accommodate, you know, wallets or keys or any, you know, sunglasses or anything like that. I just don't think somebody I mean, I obviously you you think that they they might have made an assumption about what kind of person you were, which I think is totally rude. It's horrible.

SPEAKER_01 17:15

Yeah, that's horrible.

SPEAKER_05 17:16

That's horrible. So so this nice lady walked up to you and said, I'll help you. So did you walk, did when you walked over to the section, was this was it actually in the area that this two salesperson pointed to, or was it in a completely different area?

SPEAKER_01 17:28

Yeah, literally.

SPEAKER_05 17:29

And then you paid and then you left.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Yeah, I left and I just I I I literally stared at the guy that pointed. I literally stared at him like he was talking to another he was talking to the security guard. Like, dude, I'm like, I looked at him, he looked at me, I looked at him, and I I walked out and then nothing. So yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:46

And then nothing. You were like, I'm out of here.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Fucking asshole, and I left.

SPEAKER_05 17:50

Hopefully, wait, wait, did you hopefully you didn't work cashmere today?

SPEAKER_01 17:54

I I did not. I wore I wore one of my undershirts. I wore one of my crew neck undershirts today. So it's hot, it's hot. It's 85. It's hot. It is hot. It is really good. My apartment's a hot box right now. I have all the windows open. I have my fan on, and and I woke, mom, I woke up sweating. From your nap? From my nap. I literally have a towel. It's drenched right now. It's just like I'm drinking, I constantly drink water. I literally, every time I drink a every time I drink a glass of Chardonnay, I have to drink water. Chardonnay, water, Chardonnay, water, Chardonnay, water.

SPEAKER_05 18:31

Well, is it because the Chardonnay dries your mouth out or because have you tried the Pinot? Does the same say this? Does it do the same thing? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Just makes me thirsty. Yeah. I chugged it. Like I can't sip it, Mom. Like every time I drank my Chardonnay today, I drank, I drank it, right? I didn't sip it. I drank it.

SPEAKER_05 18:47

Well, it's because you're neat, you're dehydrated. You probably need water.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

I'm like, oh, I need water. I need wine. I have I have Sharon A. I have rose. I'll just use that. It's fine.

SPEAKER_05 18:57

No, that doesn't hydrate you. You need put the put the wine down, young man, and get the water. Just drink the water. You're probably you're probably dehydrated, especially with how hot it's been the last few days here in California. I mean, it's like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yeah, I know what you mean. I filled up the the glass bottle that you and dad gave me for water.

SPEAKER_05 19:19

Oh, that's good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:21

My bougie ass filling. I filled it up like five times today. I just drank it right from the bottle. I'm like, I drank it. I literally just chugged, thinking chugging wine. I literally chugged the water. I use it as a water bottle.

SPEAKER_05 19:32

Well, no, so yeah, seriously, but that's what I do. Okay, listeners. I mean, if any of you do this, this is freaking awesome. This is like, I don't know. I okay. So I look for glass wine bottles that are clear, right? Or they have actually a glass cork. So there's this winery in the area that I live. I can't say the name because I it we they're not our sponsors, but they are rotating through this rose. Oh no, this white wine, or actually it was actually actually down in Monterey. So it's down in Monterey where I found this white wine and they were having a glass, like a glass cork that instead of a cork cork, and it's glass. So we bought like four bottles. And so now what I do is those bottles are empty. I washed all of the label off, and now they're my water bottles. So I always fill it up with water and I put it in the fridge, and it's really cool. And we gave one of those to you. And you just it's nice cold water, and it's like you said, it's bougie, but it's not like you're you know, it's like a different than water pitcher. It's it's it looks different on a table when you're at dinner, and it just looks different. It's really cool. It's not a craft, it's like a wine bottle. It's really cool. So you used it. So you filled it up and you're using it constantly. That is awesome.

unknown 20:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 20:53

So you got your so did you did you get everything good and squared away with your Mac when you like you plugged it in? You had to, you know, you had to start over brand new, all that stuff, plug all your email in and everything for that you got, you got it all set up?

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Yeah, I went right for Chrome. Like I mistakenly paid for a subscription for this family pack, and I'm like, and then suddenly I downloaded Chrome for free, and now I'm like, okay, how can I cancel this seven dollar subscription that I did not need? So yeah, I screwed it away.

SPEAKER_05 21:22

Well, you you know how to do that, right? Because you had to sign up for you had to sign up for the Apple account or whatever, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:27

I have I have all that.

SPEAKER_05 21:28

Okay, you know how to do it, right? You go up to your Apples and you go to subscription and then you cancel. You could see you go to Apple up in the corner, it says Apple, and then it says account, and you click on account and it and your account comes up, and then about halfway down the box it says subscriptions, and you click on subscriptions, and you can look at all your subscriptions and you can cancel them and or not cancel or re you know, and see which ones are renewing on their own or cancelled or whatever. That's how you do it. Is it a three month trial? Are you doing it right now? Don't do it while we're talking.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

I'm not doing it. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 22:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

I'm just I'm just trying to fix my volume here. I I you gave me Okay, so you gave me the app.

SPEAKER_05 22:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

And I downloaded everything and I'm like, I saw this cute like little like voice bar here. Just fucking with it right now, and it's like so cool. Sorry. Again, off tangent here. Yeah. Super cute. Super awesome.

SPEAKER_05 22:20

Yeah. I know. And then you get the voice box and you can like go with like how other people hear you and stuff, right? With your max stuff. With your max volume, right? Yeah. So you finish your midterms, which is awesome. And I'm sorry you had a really bad experience at Apple. I mean, usually I have a really good one. I don't think those guys are called geniuses. I think that isn't that like, isn't that Best Buy? Oh no, Best Buy's Geek Squad, right?

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Yeah, it's Geek Squad.

SPEAKER_05 22:45

So maybe it is Apple geniuses. Maybe they are the geniuses. But you didn't, but those aren't the guy, those aren't the people that, you know, it was the salespeople that the one guy. Was this was the guy that was there yesterday that was impatient? Was he this was he the same one that was there today that pointed you somewhere else?

SPEAKER_01 23:02

No, it was different.

SPEAKER_05 23:03

There's another one.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Some different guy in his 30s working at Apple.

SPEAKER_05 23:08

Well, you have to start doing this. Apple's good. Apple's good. Apple's good. I mean, Apple's a good job, you know? And if you are listening and you work at Apple, you need to be nice to your customers. I mean, that's how you get repeat business. But here's what I want you to do. I want you also to think about this. That nice lady that came over. Was she your age?

SPEAKER_01 23:32

No.

SPEAKER_05 23:32

A little older?

SPEAKER_01 23:33

Yeah, about 45.

SPEAKER_05 23:34

Okay. That's nice. Cougar. Woo-hoo.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

Oh my God.

SPEAKER_05 23:39

I'm just kidding. Well, you even though it's not that well, she was just trying to be really nice. Which I thought was awesome. And she probably saw your frustration. And I thought it was really cool. And that's really keen of her to say, oh, that this poor guy is super frustrated. And I thought it was really nice that she came in and swooped in as a savior. You should really give her like kudos. Go on the Apple website or whatever. And you know, I don't know if you could like give five stars to the salesperson if you got her name and just say, you know, Tamara was awesome and she helped me and she's amazing and whatever. I don't know. It might be worth, but anyways. Well, I'm glad you got your computer and you're all set up for for starting, you know, you're halfway through your semester and you get you're taking summer off, and then you get one more semester, and then you're gonna be a big boy with a master's degree, which is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Yeah, and oh, job market's so trash right now, mom. So trash.

SPEAKER_05 24:29

I know. Did you? I mean, we don't have time to talk about it, but Gerald Powell from the uh the the whole, I don't, he's the whole people are gonna be like on the podcast going, I can't believe you don't know he's a just the word just escaped me, and I don't want to bore anybody by trying to think about what he does. The interest rate guy and Trump's for trying to fire him. Um anyway, he was saying that the job growth was like zero percent. I mean, jobs are like really meek out there, and so I I think you're not the only one in the same, you know, in the same boat trying to find something else because a lot of people are complaining about and not having, you know, the ability or opportunity to have a job because there isn't any opportunity out there. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Well, what's strange is that my the jobs that I want and you know what's so weird is that I understand why I got rejected towards all my internships for the past year. I applied to five internships and I got all rejected because it was my master's program. That was the sole purpose why I did not get it.

SPEAKER_05 25:33

Because you're in a master's.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Yeah, because they want they basically what's so what's so sad is that they want free labor. They don't want higher education. I s I checked all these. So, for example, the company that I the the parent of the parent of the parent company that I work under, I did massive research and and I did LinkedIn and stuff and I looked at all the in interns. It's super scary how none of them have the experience. Well so scary.

SPEAKER_05 26:04

Okay, then stop stop saying, stop putting on your application that you're in a master's because technically you don't have a master's yet.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_05 26:10

Right?

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_05 26:12

So stop putting it on.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Okay. That's another thing.

SPEAKER_05 26:14

Because you don't have a master's and you can't say you have one. And even if like take it off your resume on currently in school for my master's, just take it off.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

Okay. That's a good that's a good idea, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:24

But you're not lying. You don't have a master's, you don't have a master's, and like if you apply for an internship in the summer, you're not really enrolled because you're not enrolled.

SPEAKER_02 26:34

No.

SPEAKER_05 26:34

I mean, and it's just and then when you're if you get awarded the internship, then you get awarded the internship. The internship is usually what, six months?

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:41

Yeah, you don't and at the end of six months, you're still not gonna get you're still not gonna have your master's.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

That's true.

SPEAKER_05 26:47

Right?

SPEAKER_01 26:48

And and what's so what's so so sucky about everything is that well, first of all, I just my counselor, my counselor loves to call me, and I'm like, I pick up one time and then she calls like another five times during the week. For your school? Yeah. So I finally applied for graduation. So well, I applied, well, I registered for my last two classes, thank God. And she'll then send information to have send to me, or my curator will send information about my spring 2027 walk.

SPEAKER_05 27:26

Okay. So yeah. Spring 2027?

SPEAKER_01 27:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:29

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Yeah, I have to wait all semester to walk.

SPEAKER_05 27:32

That's okay.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

That's fine. I did it, I did it for my uh sociology degree anyway.

SPEAKER_05 27:36

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fine. I mean, I'm glad you decided to walk. I mean, even if you just check you're gonna walk, and then in 2027, if you decide you don't say you get an internship in Paris or something, right? Let's hope. I can only hope you get an internship in Paris because then I will be visiting you there monthly.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:54

Or even Italy, you know, because then you can just make that decision then. But like I told you when I when I walked for my master's, that was the best thing ever. Because I mean, the master's degree, it's you know, it's funny because high school's super hard, right? And Ben was even talking about this, and you even said high school's super hard, but like the teachers are on you about assignments and da-da-da-da-and-do-da-do, and turning in, turning in, turning. And then your bachelor's degree, it's like they don't care.

SPEAKER_02 28:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 28:19

Oh, you're here in class. Who are you? What? Oh, I'm glad you showed up. Like they don't, like, they don't, it's like, okay, they they expect they expect that you're an adult and you show up or you'll do your work. And if you don't do your work, then they're not going to give you grades for it. And if you fail, you fail at your grade. It's your job. You did it, right? Well, the masters, I found that my professors, and it was, I, you know, I went to a law school to get my master's degree. They were really, really, really engaged and, you know, really like, okay, this assignment's due in a couple weeks. And if you need help, let us know. I mean, they're super engaged, and it was, it was just a different level of engagement and caring and really, really wanting the students to succeed. So I'm really glad that this counselor is on you saying, hey, you really need to walk because a master's degree is super hard to get.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:10

I really're working full-time.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Yeah, it's true. Well, honestly, I well, my professors in my program, some are pills, some are amazing, some are just outright weird. But it's it's you don't know what you're gonna get. That's it, that's the difficult part. You know, like damn.

SPEAKER_05 29:29

But that's good for you because then if you don't know what you're gonna get, that's always a good exercise for your brain and for your auditory processing and for you to like realize, you know, okay, is he sarcastic? Is he not? I mean, I think it's a good, it's an agility course for you.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

I I gotta say, honestly, if I did not have my accommodation, my professors would have treated me completely different. What do you mean? Well, about like extensions and stuff. Oh, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, it's just the I understand it's the whole like lawsuit and shit. But it's not a lawsuit.

SPEAKER_05 29:59

I know, but you know what? I teach, and I teach graduate students, and I have students emailing me all the time because I know that they work full-time. Most of them are married, and if they're not married, they have, you know, like you, full-time job. I mean, they don't get accomplished, these are the these are the students without accommodations, right? These are the students that, you know, don't have accommodations or they haven't applied for them. And if they email me saying, Oh my goodness, you know, I had this happen, this happened, like one of my students emailed me saying that his car was robbed and his computer was stolen. So what is he supposed to do? So of course I'm like, yeah, yes, yes, you you have an extension on this assignment. And I even told him, I said, I even have an old computer if you need one, you know, because they're going through school, they're working full-time. You can't, most students at your age are, you know, paycheck to paycheck, especially if you're living where we live. And so a lot of times you can't afford a new computer or you or you have something that happens. So I don't understand why your professors are so stickler on assignment due dates, especially if the student communicates saying, My computer broke, and I know that your professor was really kind and said yes, have the extension. But say you didn't have those accommodations and something happens that's traumatic in the student's life. You would think that that professor would want that student to be successful, right? And so try and support them as much as they can. I just don't get it. I just don't get it.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:25

You know?

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Me neither. It sucks having disabilities sometimes. I love, I love you. You can only use your disabilities in school, but when you're out in the real real world with the companies, oh god, if you have accommodation, sorry, we have to let you go.

SPEAKER_05 31:39

Yeah, that's not right either.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah, it sucks.

SPEAKER_05 31:42

Well, well, I'm gonna leave this. This is kind of like a dead, this is like a really like uh podcast, this episode, but no, it's good, it's a series, it's this is hard conversations, and this is why we're here, right? So you can talk through things and I can talk through things and we can have this hard conversation, but we have to find laughter, and somehow we have to find laughter and the fact that we're you know we're alive and we're breathing and that we're thankful and all of that. And yeah, no, I know it's hard sometimes, but I am glad that you got your computer. Yeah, and I'm glad you got your all of your your attachments and your accessories that go with it. I can't wait to see it. Can't wait to see it.

SPEAKER_02 32:21

I'll come on next week and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_05 32:25

Yeah, yeah, we need yeah, you need yeah, you need to come up next week. But other than that, I wish you a good day at work and a good weekend tomorrow. And thanks for our listeners who are listening. I'm sorry that's kind of like kind of a slow week today, but I'm sure everybody's feeling it with the exhaustion with what's going on in the world and everything. I'm sure everybody's just tired. So yeah, thanks for joining us with uh Laughing Through the Uncomfortable with Julie and Jeff. Yeah. All right. All right, you guys, we'll see you next week. And everybody have a great week.