u/Objective-Custard-65

I’m curious if anyone here started with a pretty standard EFZ apprenticeship and later managed to work their way into a much higher-level position with a relatively high salary just through work experience.

I’m especially interested in people who did this without Weiterbildung, additional certifications, university or any other formal education after the EFZ. Basically: you finished your EFZ, started working, gained experience, took on more responsibility, changed roles or companies and eventually worked your way into a much better position.

I have a feeling a lot of these career jumps probably happen either through Vitamin B / connections, or by getting into the right company, proving yourself internally and then slowly climbing higher and higher. But I’d be interested to hear how it actually happened for people who managed it. Basically looking for examples of people in Switzerland who started with a normal EFZ and managed to get quite far purely through experience and proving themselves on the job.

I’m not talking about men who tried dating, got rejected repeatedly, had bad experiences, or eventually gave up.

I mean men who are approaching 30 and have never had a girlfriend, never kissed or touched a woman romantically, are completely sexually inexperienced—and, most importantly, have never really done anything to change that.

No dating apps, no approaching women, no flirting, no asking anyone out, no actively meeting new people and seemingly no real attempt to improve their chances.

I have a friend in this situation, and what confuses me is that he did not stop trying because he never actually started. Years keep passing, but he still does not take any steps, even though he sometimes talks as though he would like a girlfriend.

For men who are or were in this situation: what prevented you from ever starting? Was it fear, low confidence, lack of motivation, social anxiety, feeling that it would happen naturally, or simply not wanting it badly enough?

At what point, if ever, did you realize that nothing was going to change unless you actively did something?

I’m asking out of pure jealousy.

At my company, we don’t even get one single work-from-home day. Meanwhile, some of you are fully remote, working in sweatpants, avoiding traffic, sleeping longer and casually doing laundry between emails.

I envy you to death.

But let’s be honest: during slow periods, you definitely do other stuff, right? As long as your work is done, nobody is waiting for you and you’re available when needed, surely you’re not just staring professionally at your screen for eight hours.

Do you clean, cook, play games, watch YouTube, take a shower or lie down for a few minutes?

How good is the fully remote life actually? Is it really as amazing as it looks, or does it eventually become lonely and boring?

Please tell me the truth so I can either continue being jealous or finally feel better about sitting in the office every day.

Recently, I drove my girlfriend, her mother, and her disabled sister to Italy. I did all of the driving, paid for the fuel, and also helped look after her sister during the trip. I have also driven her sister to visit her boyfriend several times before. I never asked for money or demanded anything in return.

My girlfriend and I are flying soon, so I asked whether her mother or sister could drive us to the Airport. My girlfriend said her mother might simply not feel like doing it.

I said that I would completely understand if she did not have time or had another reason, but I found “I just don’t feel like it” a little disrespectful considering how often I have helped them. I also said that if this is their attitude, I will probably stop automatically offering so many favors in the future.

My girlfriend became very angry and said that I cannot do favors and then expect people to return them, because that means they were never genuine favors in the first place. She also said that I apparently always expect something back, which I do not think is true. I never expected fuel money, repayment, or an exact favor in exchange for the Italy trip.

I admit that, yes, because I have done a lot for her family, I did expect that they would be willing to help us with something like an airport ride. But I did not drive them to Italy specifically to earn a future ride. To me, there is a difference between keeping score and expecting basic reciprocity from people you regularly help.

Later, my girlfriend admitted that she understood my point, but said she did not want to make her mother look bad.

Am I wrong for expecting some willingness to help in return? Does expecting general reciprocity automatically make a favor transactional, or is it reasonable to reconsider how much you do for people when the support only seems to go one way? Update, months later: Since that argument, I have stopped automatically offering to help and now decline around 99% of requests or opportunities to do favors for her family. I get the impression that her mother now thinks I am an asshole because I am no longer as overly helpful as I used to be.

From my perspective, I am not trying to punish anyone. I simply stopped putting in so much effort after realizing that the same willingness to help was not mutual. However, it now feels like I was appreciated when I was useful, but judged negatively once I started setting boundaries.

EDIT: For context, these were not the only favors I had done for her family. I had generally been the kind of person who regularly helped with smaller things, gave rides, offered support, and made myself available without asking for anything in return.

What are your top 3 most complimented fresh/summer fragrances, and your top 3 evening/winter fragrances?

tittle

Which fragrance best captures the older batches of Xerjoff Naxos?

I’m looking for a fragrance or clone that smells like the older batches of Xerjoff Naxos.

In my opinion, the older batches were richer, denser and had much more pronounced honey and tobacco notes. The newer version smells noticeably fresher to me, with more citrus and lavender, and it seems to lack some of the warmth and depth the older batches had.

Is there any clone, alternative or similar fragrance that captures that older Naxos DNA, especially the rich honey-tobacco combination?

I live near Zurich, but I have not seen any announcements or posts about official fireworks displays in the area.

Which cities or towns organise a public fireworks show where people gather to watch together? I do not mean places where private fireworks are allowed, but official events organised by the city or municipality.

I live near Zurich, but I have not seen any announcements or posts about official fireworks displays in the area.

Which cities or towns organise a public fireworks show where people gather to watch together? I do not mean places where private fireworks are allowed, but official events organised by the city or municipality.

My girlfriend really loves Lift Me Up, but the price is a bit too much for me. Does anyone know of a good dupe or clone that smells close to the original?

Hey zusammen

Ich habe damals bei der Aushebung extra auf Doppel-UT gemacht, damit ich weder Militär noch Zivilschutz machen muss. Damals dachte ich mir, dass es die einfachste Lösung ist.

Heute bereue ich das aber ehrlich gesagt ziemlich, weil die Wehrpflichtersatzabgabe mit 3 % vom Jahreseinkommen doch relativ viel ist und jedes Jahr spürbar reinhaut.

Meine Frage:
Kann man da nachträglich noch irgendetwas machen, um das zu „beheben“? Also z. B. nochmals neu beurteilt werden, doch noch in den Zivilschutz/Militär/Zivildienst kommen oder irgendwie die Abgabe reduzieren lassen?

Hat jemand Erfahrung damit oder war vielleicht in einer ähnlichen Situation?

Danke euch.

I’m a male looking for a soft, alluring vanilla fragrance to wear to bed.

Nothing too heavy or cloying, and no caramel— I’m not really into the Bianco Latte type of vanilla.

I’d prefer something smooth, cozy, slightly sensual, maybe musky/creamy/powdery.

Any recommendations?

Bei uns in der Firma ist Homeoffice offiziell noch nicht wirklich vorgesehen. Laut meinem Leiter ist das Thema aber aktuell in Planung, darum beschäftigt mich diese Diskussion gerade etwas mehr.

Was mich besonders überrascht, ist nicht einmal nur die Haltung vom Arbeitgeber, sondern dass gewisse Mitarbeitende selber stark dagegen sind.

Manche stellen sich direkt auf die Seite des Arbeitgebers und sagen sinngemäss: „Zuhause wird sowieso nicht gearbeitet“ oder „Im Homeoffice ist man sicher unproduktiver.“

Ich finde diese Denkweise schwierig. Natürlich kann es sein, dass Homeoffice nicht bei jeder Person gleich gut funktioniert. Aber warum geht man automatisch davon aus, dass jemand zuhause nichts macht?

Wenn jemand im Homeoffice seine Aufgaben nicht erledigt, nicht erreichbar ist oder die Leistung schlechter wird, würde das doch auffallen. Dann kann man es immer noch einschränken oder wieder streichen. Aber wenn die Arbeit gemacht wird, Mails und Anrufe beantwortet werden und die Person erreichbar ist, wo genau ist dann das Problem?

Ich finde auch, man muss ehrlich sein: Nur weil jemand 8.4 Stunden im Büro sitzt, heisst das nicht automatisch, dass diese Person die ganze Zeit produktiv ist. Auch im Büro gibt es ruhige Phasen, Wartezeiten oder Momente, in denen gerade nicht viel läuft. Ob man solche Zeiten im Büro überbrückt oder zuhause, ändert am eigentlichen Arbeitsergebnis nicht wirklich viel.

Was ich krass finde: Manche Leute wollen nicht einmal einen Tag Homeoffice pro Woche oder sind sogar dagegen, dass andere diese Möglichkeit bekommen. Ich verstehe völlig, wenn jemand lieber im Büro arbeitet, Struktur braucht oder den Austausch mit Kollegen mag. Aber warum muss man anderen dann diese Möglichkeit schlechtreden?

Für mich sollte Homeoffice einfach anhand der Leistung beurteilt werden: Sind die Aufgaben erledigt? Ist die Person erreichbar? Funktioniert die Kommunikation? Wenn ja, sehe ich nicht, warum ein Tag Homeoffice pro Woche so ein grosses Problem sein sollte.

Gerade wenn Homeoffice sowieso in Planung ist, fände ich es sinnvoll, es einfach testweise mit klaren Regeln einzuführen. Dann sieht man schnell, ob es funktioniert oder nicht.

Manchmal wirkt es auf mich so, als ob gewisse Leute Anwesenheit automatisch mit Arbeit gleichsetzen. Dabei sollte es doch eher darum gehen, ob die Arbeit am Ende erledigt wird.

Was denkt ihr? Warum sind manche Mitarbeitende selbst so stark gegen Homeoffice, obwohl es sie eigentlich nicht direkt betreffen müsste?

What’s the strongest fresh Ambroxan / Ambrox etc fragrance for summer daytime wear?

I’m looking for something clean, fresh with:

• Projection
• Longevity
• Sillage

Designer, niche, clones or cheapies are all welcome.

Hey everyone,

I have a bit of a weird question about LV Imagination dupes.

Last summer, around summer 2025, I bought an Imagination dupe from OdorParfums without ever having smelled the original. At the time, I really liked it, but after later testing the real LV Imagination, I realized the dupe was not really that close to the original. It felt more like a twist on Imagination rather than a straight clone.

The main thing I noticed was that the dupe had this very mild fruity/sweet undertone. It was not super obvious or syrupy, but it stood out to me and made the fragrance much more enjoyable than the original. The original smelled way more fresh/tea/citrus to me, and honestly I did not really like it.

Now, about a year later, I bought the same dupe again from the same brand, but it smells different. The fruity/sweet undertone is basically gone, and now it smells more sour and much closer to the typical fresh/citrus Imagination DNA.

This made me wonder if they either reformulated it, or if they simply filled the bottle with a different Imagination-inspired fragrance

Does anyone know which Imagination dupe before mid-2025 had a very mild fruity or sweet undertone? I am trying to figure out what the older version might have been similar to.

I am not looking for the most accurate Imagination clone. I am specifically looking for one that has that slight fruity/sweet twist while still being inspired by Imagination.

Any ideas?

For people who used to work physically demanding jobs (workshop, factory, construction, warehouse, etc.) and now work mostly in an office: how has the change affected your life?

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to brag or look down on anyone who does physical work. I'm genuinely interested in hearing from people who have experienced both sides.

I spent years working in a workshop. Nowadays I work in an office, and personally I find the quality of life much better.

For me, things like:

• Not sweating/smelling all day, especially in summer
• Flexible working hours
• Being able to wear normal clothes
• Less physical exhaustion when I get home
• Better career opportunities and pay

have made a huge difference.

I often hear people talk about the mental stress of office jobs, and I understand that it exists. But compared to physical labor, I personally wouldn't want to go back. At the same time, I know everyone experiences work differently.

For those who made a similar switch:

• What improved?
• What got worse?
• Do you miss anything about physical work?
• Would you ever go back?

I'd be interested to hear honest opinions and experiences from people who have done both.

I’m looking for new fragrances that are at least somewhat fruity or sweet, but they also need to have beastmode longevity and strong sillage.

For reference, these are some fragrances I already own and like, especially for summer:

Erba Pura / Erba Gold
Kirke
Hawas OG / Hawas Ice
Y EDP by Yves Saint Laurent
Afnan Supremacy Collector’s Edition
Ultra Mâle (I know it’s not really a summer fragrance, but I still use it)
Le Beau Le Parfum
Vulcan Feu / God of Fire
Malibù Party in the Bay
Ambassador for Men by Gisada

I also really love fragrances like Blue Talisman and Pacific Chill, but they don’t fit what I’m looking for here because they are too airy and don’t perform strongly enough on my skin. I barely smell them after a few hours.

So please don’t recommend fragrances that are just light, airy, fresh and weak-performing.

Also, please don’t recommend beastmode fragrances that are not at least sweet or fruity. For example, I’m not really looking for stuff like LV Imagination, Sospiro Vibrato, or Dior Sauvage EDT/EDP for this request.

I’m mainly looking for loud, long-lasting, fruity or sweet fragrances that work for summer

What would you recommend?

I started working in an office environment not too long ago after coming from a completely different industry, and one thing I noticed pretty quickly is that some people seem oddly annoyed when you leave work on time.

We have normal working hours/flexible hours and I do my work properly. If there’s nothing urgent left, I leave when my time is up.

Still, sometimes you notice little comments, looks, or this subtle vibe of “wow, he always leaves immediately.”

What I don’t really understand is: why is that seen so negatively? A lot of things can wait until the next day anyway. Personally, I think work-life balance is important and I’d also like to have some time left from my day after work.

Is this just normal office culture or is there something behind it? Curious how people who’ve worked office jobs for a long time see this.