u/Equivalent-Emu1467

Hello, I've frequented this subreddit quite a lot in the past but never posted, it has been really helpful.

I'm 24 and have an on and off battle with carts. It's been over 1.5 months since my last hit which I am happy about. I've pretty much hit them all day since I was 17. I recently got a really good job after finishing my masters and realized it was time to lock in after sneaking to the batrhoom every few hours mid day in the office. I dont think it effected my work too much but definitely my social abilities and memory.

I quit cold turkey for 3 weeks and it was pretty smooth besides the beginning. I introduced it once per week and did that for 3 weeks. The vivid dreams kept going on even after 3 weeks but were not bad.

I dont go out much, but it was two of my best friends birthday recently. I sort of used this as an excuse to indulge and ended up smoking four days in a row. However that was 3 days ago and I haven't smoked since, which makes me hopeful for my future in moderation. It helps that I am conscious about my dose recently, as over those four nights I only had 1-2 small sessions each (like 4 puffs of a joint)

The only downside of this is that my sleep is definitely effected. I smoked last on Saturday, and had some crazy vivid dreams and kept waking up on monday and tuesday night. Definitely not as bad as the initial night sweats and insomnia, but not pleasant. I actually felt relatively well rested in the beginning of the day and was able to avoid coffee (the afternoon is always bad for me with an early wakeup)

I know it differs for everyone, but has anyone found a sweet spot for frequency in use? I've seen several posts but definitely would like some extra input for anyone still around on the subreddit.

I think going forward, my rule will be mostly 1 but occasionally 2 times per week, and not two days in a row.

I'd love to hear people's experience, thanks in advance!

I currently live in the NYC area and work as a Data Scientist at a small tech company.

I am considering the start of a new job search as my experience grows (hitting one year).

For some context, I have a masters degree in data science from a solid school (online). I have been at my company for 9 months. I currently make 90k annually.

I live at home in NJ, but I am looking to move to Brooklyn. I am 25 years old.

This may be the wrong subreddit for this is sort of data science specific, apologies if so.

My major reasons for looking to leave are

1. Salary: from my research, I am a bit underpaid for NYC COL.

2. Tech Stack: my company is relatively old and is not up to data science standards. For those in the industry: there is no docker, monitoring, or really any sort of ml ops for the models I produce. To be fair, it is not AS important with our data, but it hurts my career growth i assume. I am starting to make some changes, but it is hard.

3. Management: I love my direct manager, but the CTO i work with genuinely sucks. Comes from a cyber security background and does not know anything about statistics despite leading a data team. My team is just my manager and I right now.

4. Review Delay: I started 9 months ago, so I just barely missed this year's performance review period

However, there are some major reasons not to leave

1. Security: my job seems relatively secure as it is a well performing company and they kind of need me right now

2. WFH: i get to come in mostly two days, sometimes three. My commute is about 1.5 hours each way door to door, so this is great. Also, many of the higher paying jobs I have interviewed for expect 4-5 days in office (I am spoiled with the wfh)

3. WLB: I am utilized, but I am strategic about doing most of my work in office. Wfh days are very low stress and low workload. Never work past 5.

4. Visibility: I get to work with the CTO (who I dislike) a lot. They are looking to hire a director for the general data group

5. Creative Freedom: I own a lot of the projects I work on and get to have input in methodology

6. Enjoyment: I enjoy working with my manager and the work I do is interesting, and I do get praise which is nice.

I am scared of being left behind in salary and techincal skills mostly. I just want to know if it is worth it to put time into a job search (the last one was rough) when I do have something solid. And am I being ridiculous about putting so much weight on WFH? Should I try to get more experience and stick it out until the next review? Based on feedback and the size of my team I think thwre is growth potential. But my ultimate goal is big tech.

Thanks for any advice.