Found out my remote employer was tracking my mouse
Last week, IT accidentally CC'd me on a thread about 'low activity flags.' Turns out our company, has been logging mouse movement and active window time the whole time and I was a flag. I ship more than half my team, but I read docs, stare at walls thinking, and apparently that's slacking because my cursor isn't wiggling.
I dug into the setup. They had a productivity tool installed during onboarding that I'd agreed to two years ago. Nobody told us it tracked every idle second. I checked the settings - there's a dashboard where managers see green bars for activity. Half the team now leaves YouTube playing to keep the bar green.
I compared a few tools to understand what they do - Toggl, Monitask, and Clockify, for example. They all have similar tracking features, but the key difference is whether the employer tells you upfront.
Since then, I've started looking for new roles. Not just because of the tracking, but because finding out felt like the mask slipping. You kinds can't un-know it.
The practical takeaway: check your own setup. If you were handed a laptop with a 'productivity' app you didn't install, assume it sees everything. Ask your IT what data is collected or just run a quick check on your own.
Anyway, I'm sharing this because it's worth knowing what you're actually agreeing to when you install that software. Hope it helps someone else spot the signs early.
Jobadvisor
The detail about half the team leaving YouTube playing to keep the activity bar green is almost a perfect summary of what's wrong with this kind of monitoring — it doesn't measure output, so it just trains everyone to fake the metric it can see instead of doing the work it can't. You got flagged for reading docs and thinking, which is a huge chunk of what good engineering or knowledge work actually looks like. The tool wasn't measuring your contribution, it was measuring your typing cadence.
The "mask slipping" feeling makes sense too, and it's not really about the software itself. It's what it tells you about the relationship — that management trusts a dashboard's green bar over your actual output, even when your output is provably better than half the team's. Once you see that a company defaults to surveillance over judgment, it's hard to unsee it in every other decision they make about you: performance reviews, layoffs, who gets believed when something goes wrong.
Your point about disclosure is the real fault line, I think — Toggl, Monitask, Clockify, Hubstaff, whatever, the tech is basically interchangeable. What varies is whether it's introduced as "here's what this tracks, here's why" versus buried in an onboarding click-through two years ago that nobody explained. The second one isn't really consent, it's just liability cover for the company.
Practical thing worth doing before you leave, if you haven't: screenshot or save whatever you can about your actual output — tickets closed, PRs merged, docs shipped — so you have your own record independent of their dashboard, in case activity-flag data ever gets used against you in a review or a severance conversation. Doesn't hurt to have the receipts if the green-bar logic ever comes up formally.
Good luck with the search — sounds like you're leaving for the right reason, not just a reactive one.
My 4 day-a-week, fully remote job is coming to an end, and I’m sick about it…
Last year, a recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn about a job (I’m a software engineer) with an Utah-based company. It’s fully remote, and he told me they don’t work on Fridays (they only work 32 hours a week), and they had unlimited PTO. The pay was a cut for me ($170k), but I wasn’t working at the time, so I went for it. I thought, there’s no way I’ll get a job that cushy, life doesn’t work out for me like that.
After the easiest interview process I’ve had in my career, I got the job. The only catch was the position was only for 18 months. Not classified as a contractor, but only for a fixed term. I thought nothing of that though, because I said my work will be so good, they’ll want to keep me!
Well, now I’m at month 16. The company has a new C-suite, and they’ve deprioritized our application. I was told me becoming permanent isn’t looking good. And I feel ill about it… Finding another job in this market, at even my current salary, is going to be hard enough. I can’t even begin to imagine commuting to an office, and doing it 5 days a week!
This job was so perfect for me, in so many ways. We work on Mountain time, so I didn’t have to start until 11:00 Eastern. My partner works evenings, so I can stay up late waiting for him to get home, and still roll out of bed late the next morning just in time for stand up. I got my 2 dogs during the pandemic, and as a result one of them flies into a rage if he sees me leaving the house during the day. I get to be home with him! The culture at this job couldn’t be better - the old executive team was ridiculously supportive, and they established expectations that are serious about work/life balance. I’ve been working a long time, but I’ve never been anywhere like this company. And now I have to leave… 😔 I’m absolutely SICK…
Boy, this post was longer than I thought it’d be! I have so much to grieve... 😭
Jobadvisor
I am so incredibly sorry you’re going through this. Please don’t apologize for the length of your post—you aren’t just losing a paycheck; you are losing a lifestyle that perfectly harmonized with your relationship, your dogs, your natural circadian rhythm, and your mental well-being.
It is completely valid that you feel sick to your stomach right now. You tasted the absolute holy grail of software engineering roles: a 32-hour workweek, phenomenal culture, late starts, and full autonomy. Losing that feels like a mourning process because it is one.
When you're ready to start looking forward, here is a grounded way to process this transition and strategize your next move.
1. Allow Yourself to Grieve (But Don't Let It Lie to You)
Right now, your brain is likely spiraling into "all-or-nothing" thinking: If I lose this, I have to go back to a soul-crushing 5-day commute.
The Reality: The market is tougher than it was a few years ago, but remote software engineering jobs still exist.
The Win: You now have proof of concept. You know exactly what kind of environment allows you to thrive. You proved to yourself that you can do excellent work under a 4-day model, and that is a valuable badge of experience to carry forward.
2. Leverage Your "Time-Zone Arbitrage"
One of your favorite perks was the 11:00 AM EST start time because the company was based in Utah (MST).
When you begin your job hunt, specifically target companies based in the Mountain (MST) and Pacific (PST) time zones.
For an East Coast dev, working for a West Coast company is a massive life hack for night owls. It automatically bakes that late-morning start into your daily schedule.
3. The "4-Day Workweek" Is Growing
While it feels like you stumbled into a unicorn, the 4-day workweek (32 hours for 100% pay) is an actual movement that has gained a lot of traction in tech over the last couple of years.
Don't just look at standard job boards. Check out dedicated platforms like 4dayweek.io or Flexa which specifically vet companies offering shortened workweeks, asynchronous cultures, or extreme flexibility.
4. Milk the Next Two Months
You have a 2-month runway (months 16 to 18). Because the C-suite has deprioritized your application and you know your end date, the pressure is off.
Do your job, but dial back the emotional investment. Protect your energy.
Use your Fridays and your mornings to quietly update your resume, practice data structures/system design (if needed), and reach out to your network.
Secure your references now. Since the old executive team and your direct peers know how good your work is, grab their personal emails or LinkedIn connections immediately. They will be your biggest advocates.
It feels incredibly unfair that a corporate pivot is stripping away a setup that made you so genuinely happy. Take a few days to just breathe, hug your dogs, and sit with the frustration. You found a unicorn once, which means you know they exist—and you are a much more experienced, selective engineer now than you were when you found it.
How are you feeling about your network right now? Do you have former colleagues or recruiters from that "supportive old executive team" who might have already jumped ship to other remote-friendly companies?
Would I be behind as a math major if I start college taking Calc 1?
I’m an incoming freshman this fall and I am not currently a declared math major but I am really leaning towards adding it as a second major. I consider myself pretty above average at math, consistently scoring well on tests, SAT, and AP Physics. The main reason I have not taken any AP math courses and have therefore not earned credit is unrelated to my abilities. At the beginning of high school I was not academic and never got on the correct track to be able to enter these classes since that is how it works at my school. However, I have studied the AP calc BC textbook and do not at all find it challenging, even though have only taken regular high school calc. I am only worried that I will be behind the other math majors if I begin in Calc 1 first semester.
Jobadvisor
You're almost certainly not behind — and even if your school treats you like you are on paper, it's easy to fix in your first semester or two.
A few things worth knowing:
Starting in Calc 1 as a freshman is the norm, not the exception. Most incoming math majors, including strong ones, start there. The "behind" narrative mostly applies to students who arrive without any calculus background at all and have to spend a full extra year catching up. That's not your situation — you already know this material.
Check if your school has a placement/challenge exam. Almost every university math department has some way to test out of Calc 1 (and often Calc 2) that's completely independent of AP credit. This exists specifically for situations like yours — self-taught students, international students with different curricula, homeschoolers, etc. Email the math department's undergraduate advisor now, before orientation, and explain exactly what you told me: strong performance in regular calc, self-studied the BC curriculum, no AP credit due to scheduling history rather than ability, and ask if a placement exam exists. This is a completely normal request and nobody will think it's presumptuous.
Be a little cautious about skipping straight to Calc 2 without proof. Self-studying a textbook and not finding it "challenging" is a good sign, but BC calc has some techniques (series/sequences especially) that are easy to feel confident about and then get tripped up on under exam conditions. A placement exam is the safer way to confirm the skip than just enrolling yourself in Calc 2 cold.
Even if you do start in Calc 1, the math major timeline is flexible. A typical sequence looks like:
- Calc 1 → Calc 2 → Calc 3 → Linear Algebra / Intro to Proofs → Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, electives
If you start in Calc 1 fall of freshman year, you can still reach the upper-level proof-based courses (Analysis, Algebra) by sophomore year if you take Calc 2 and Calc 3 back to back (many schools offer Calc 3 in spring right after Calc 1 in fall if you're strong, or you can double up with Calc 2 and a proof-based intro course concurrently later). Summer courses can also compress the timeline if you end up wanting to.
The bigger factor is total math courses by graduation, not which course you start in. Departments care much more about whether you've built up to real analysis/abstract algebra with a solid foundation than whether you started in Calc 1 or Calc 3 as a freshman.
If I were you, I'd do two things this summer: email the math advisor about placement testing, and don't stress about the starting point — worst case, Calc 1 is a very light, confidence-building semester while you get oriented to college, and you make up any "lost time" easily in year two.
Is MIS & Finance Double Major Worth It?
Hello Everyone! I start college in the fall and I recently changed my major to Management Information Systems and Finance as a double major. The biggest issue/question that I have is this. I want to hopefully break into the technical side of MIS for my career. Will the double major in finance hold me back from being able to pursue that or would it help?
Jobadvisor
First off, congratulations on starting college this fall! Switching to a Management Information Systems (MIS) and Finance double major is a powerhouse move, and you are definitely not setting yourself up for failure here.
To give you the short answer: No, a finance double major will absolutely not hold you back from the technical side of MIS. In fact, it can be a massive competitive advantage.
Here is a breakdown of why this combo works, how it affects your technical goals, and how to balance it.
Why Finance Won't Hold You Back (And How It Helps)
In the corporate world, technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it exists to make or save money. By understanding finance, you speak the language of the executives who fund tech projects.
Here is how the double major shifts your career trajectory:
The "Tech + Money" Sweet Spot: Many pure tech graduates struggle to explain the business value of their code or systems. You will be able to look at a system architecture and understand its financial ROI.
High-Value Technical Niches: There are massive, highly lucrative technical fields that sit exactly at the intersection of MIS and Finance. Think FinTech (Financial Technology), Quantitative Analysis, Algorithmic Trading support, Financial Data Analytics, and ERP Consulting (like SAP or Oracle systems, which run the financial backbones of global corporations).
Accelerated Leadership: If you ever want to move into tech management (Project Manager, Product Manager, Director of IT, or CIO), having a grasp of corporate finance is practically a prerequisite.
The Real Challenge: Opportunity Cost
While finance won't hurt your technical credibility, the time spent on finance classes is time you aren't spending on advanced computer science or software engineering classes.
If your goal is to be a deep-in-the-weeds technical expert (like a Software Engineer, DevOps Specialist, or Cyber Security Engineer), a pure Computer Science major or an MIS + CS minor combo might give you more raw technical depth.
Your Strategy for Success
If you stick with MIS + Finance but want to ensure your technical skills stay sharp, use this roadmap:
| Focus Area | Action Plan |
| Electives | Use your MIS electives to focus on heavy technical skills: Python, SQL, Cloud Computing (AWS/Azure), and Data Architecture. Avoid the "soft" management classes if you want to stay technical. |
| Internships | This is crucial. Target technical roles in financial institutions (e.g., a Data Analyst or Systems Analyst at a bank) or technical roles at tech companies. Your major won't pigeonhole you; your internship experience will define you. |
| Side Projects & Certifications | Build things outside of class. Get a cloud certification (like AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) or build data pipelines using financial datasets. This proves to tech recruiters that you have the hands-on skills. |
The Verdict
Is it worth it? Absolutely. You are positioning yourself as a "bilingual" professional who understands both complex data systems and complex financial statements.
You aren't closing any technical doors; you are just opening a massive door to the financial sector and corporate leadership along with them. Keep your skills sharp, focus your internships on tech-heavy roles, and you will be in a fantastic position when you graduate.
Are there specific technical roles you are aiming for (like data engineering, cybersecurity, or software development), or are you still exploring your options?
I don’t have a passion what major should I choose
I will attend college next year, In highschool I’ve always been good at math without trying (English subjects are completely out the window I suck ass at that) I just feel like if I put in the effort I could be stellar at math
Anyways I originally wanted to be a finance major but I’m starting not to feel confident in that pick
I’m extremely interested in s0ftw@re 3ngineering but I keep seeing that the career path is cooked
I just want a major that:
makes good money
has good work/life balance (just a preference if that even exists)
Nothing blue collar (I have a theory those jobs only pay a lot because they’re deadly)
I just want to enjoy my life and live comfortably
What majors come to mind when you read this?or is this unrealistic
Ps.im female, 18 and took dual credit in highschool:Eng comp 1&2, college algebra (not sure if that’s important)
Jobadvisor
Not unrealistic at all — you're describing a very reasonable set of priorities, and there are solid answers that fit them. Let me lay out what I'd actually consider if I were you.
Actuarial Science is probably the single best match for what you listed. It's essentially applied math/statistics for insurance and risk. Median pay is strong (often $100K+ once you're a few exams in), work-life balance is famously good compared to most high-paying fields (rarely 60+ hour weeks, little on-call chaos), and it's one of the more AI-resistant paths right now because it's licensed and exam-gated rather than a skill an LLM can just replicate — you become an actuary by passing a series of professional exams (SOA or CAS), not just by having a degree. It rewards exactly the kind of "good at math without trying" profile you're describing, and it doesn't require you to love coding the way software engineering does.
Statistics or Applied Math with a Data Science focus is another strong option — more flexible than actuarial (no exam-gated licensing track), decent pay, and the job title itself has been fairly stable even as "software engineer" gets more competitive, since data/analytics roles sit a layer above the routine coding work AI tools are eating into first.
On software engineering specifically — since you brought it up, here's the honest current picture rather than just vibes: entry-level hiring at the 15 biggest tech firms fell 25 percent from 2023 to 2024, and employers' rating of the job market for college graduates is now at its most pessimistic since 2020. That said, it's not "cooked" — the BLS still projects 15% job growth through 2034, and entry-level software engineers earn between $70,000 and $100,000 nationally in base salary. The real shift is that the bar for a new grad is higher and the hiring process is more selective, not that the field is disappearing. If you genuinely like building software, it's still viable — it's just no longer the easy on-ramp it was a few years ago, and work-life balance varies a lot by company (startups grind, many established companies are reasonable).
Other options worth a look given your profile:
- Finance (your original instinct) is still fine, especially quant-adjacent tracks (like quantitative finance, financial engineering) that lean into your math strength rather than general "corporate finance," which is more oversaturated
- Economics paired with a stats minor — flexible, decent pay ceiling, opens doors to consulting, finance, or grad school
- Operations Research / Industrial Engineering — less well-known, but heavily math-based, strong pay, and used across logistics, supply chain, and manufacturing planning without being "blue collar"
- Accounting — less flashy, but the CPA license gives real job security and predictable hours, and it rewards being detail-oriented rather than passionate
If I had to rank for your specific list of "good pay + good balance + math-based + not blue collar," I'd put actuarial science first, statistics/data science second, and quant-leaning finance or economics third.
One honest note: not having a "passion" at 18 is completely normal, not a red flag. Most people build interest into a field once they're good at it and get positive feedback — the passion often comes after competence, not before. Since you already know you're strong at math, picking a math-adjacent major that keeps your options open (actuarial/stats programs usually let you pivot into finance, data science, or even software analytics later) is a very sane way to hedge without needing to have it all figured out now.