I decided to group this gz-theme blogpost with related blogposts, so as to have a single tag. Not purist, I prioritize cross-linking.

I also put a link-only blogpost in the gz blog, so as to apply the categories and tags of the gz blog.

— other observed missteps on the job

• [dv] zed — One in a few hundred system alerts happened to be an important alert. I missed one. There’s a financial loss.
• [dv] zed — My Manila young colleague had a bigger mistake
• [v] Agilent — a Singaporean guy stormed out of the office after a heated argument with team lead
• [v] Agilent — 2 India-nationality contractors made a mistake and then deleted the logs. Both fired.
• [v] PWM — my technical oversight at month-end release causing some amount of commission payout to be delayed by a month
• [v] PWM — time bomb in my ErrorMemos code
• [v] PWM — Eric accidentally deleted a table in production
• [v=highly visible]
• [d=disaster in terms of (opportunity) cost]

— letter to an outside friend Zeng

This week I had a second breach of company compliance regarding personal stock trading. The first time was Q1 2020, slightly more serious, but perhaps compliance took a small part of the blame as they took too long to approve my account. On both occasions, my violation was reported (via email-cc) 5 levels up … from my manager to CTO.

The breach is about pre-clearance — For some stocks bought, I either forgot to seek approval or traded more than the approved limit. I didn’t feel like a convict. The amount this time round is below $100, but it’s a second offense. Receiving the compliance email, my recently promoted team lead called me and pointed out

• I am taking it too lightly.
• The compliance email briefly mentioned possible “monetary and non-monetary” disciplinary actions including bonus impact, but, as my team lead said, offenders could get fired for offenses like
• .. sending out source code
• .. sending out client information

I agreed with him 100% — if within 3Y my company has a cost reduction, then my compliance issues could be a perfect justification to single me out (severance not obligatory). Imagine if everyone has comparable performance and value-add, then this is an acceptable selection criterion. What a wake-up call. I will analyze it in terms of SWOT (Strength / Weakness / Opportunity / Threat).

Weakness: am not a star player, not even above average in my team. I see myself as vulnerable in a “cost reduction” situation.
.. Opportunity (minor): I can improve my value-add progressively. Even if it doesn’t really improve my vulnerability, it would build my self-esteem and reputation in the team. This kind of effort is often considered meaningless as in 内卷 (involution).

Weakness (minor): am older and slightly less in-demand on the job market, if I were forced to seek a new job, as Sachin.K was.
.. Strength: still confident about tech interviews. My skills are still relatively in-demand.
.. Strength (minor): I often forget that my degrees are well-recognized.
.. Opportunity: go back to the U.S. earlier (German.C), if the Singapore job market is unwelcoming or age-unfriendly.
.. Opportunity: convert this experience into motivation to improve IV competence

Weakness (minor): my wife has been a full-time mom. Am the sole breadwinner.
.. Strength: I have a cash reserve + low burn rate at the family level

Weakness: my trading style relies on many small trades, prone to this kind of breach. Also I don’t know any trading platform with limit check, but Rbh doesn’t.
.. Strength (minor): my trading style, on the flip side, tends to reduce amount of breach or trading loss

Threat: relying on the employer or particular managers … is always fragile and dicey 如履薄冰 — my long-standing perception of the reality. My compliance violations are minor in dollar amount and not a criminal offense, so I feel losing $10k of bonus (quite likely! Even $20k is possible.) or losing my job sounds like a gross overreaction, but those outcomes are not unthinkable because .. because the employer/manager is not caring and forgiving like our parents. On the global level, U.S. employers face fewer constraints than European employers in terms of layoff, but there are still many regulations protecting employees. (That’s why contract jobs are popular.) That’s why compliance violation provides a perfect justification for layoff without compensation. Now I come to the ultimate

Strength and Opportunity — build up self-reliance and  fortify it for the next 20Y, including interview competitiveness, wellness (stamina, stress-coping), strong family … Together they provide the ultimate protection for family livelihood. Any external support from the government, employer, charity (including friends) is valuable and “good-to-have” but not to be relied on in this case.

( In cases of systemic disasters, government support is the bedrock, such as pandemic, inflation … See ##fin protection: powerless against SOME blackSwans )

Since our last meet-up, my life has been too peaceful too comfortable, not sustainable. With a false sense of security, I have assumed I would stay in this company for 3Y-5Y. /Alas/, easy life always comes to an abrupt end. We always notice some worrying weaknesses, find new stressors, new threats… An easy life without challenges would be unrealistic and unhealthy, almost wasted (Burn/Rot). I have lived in a dream for a year, and this is a small but rude awakening.. 一盆冷水浇醒.