u/ParticularAd3816

Hi all, I want to get some guidance on a potential upcoming hardware refresh.

In 2020, I bought the as-of-then newly-released Apple AirPods Max over the ear headphones. It features a Lightning input, and to that end I combined the headphones with a Lightning to Aux cable in tandem with the attached peripherals in order to convert the headphones into a gaming headset.

It’s worked marvelously since then, and in addition to gaming I also use it for my job: the headset, in that combination, works with anything with an aux input. I can clearly hear the incoming audio on my end, and whoever I speak to can hear me through the attached boom mic.

But after 6 years, my AirPods Max are unfortunately no longer working, and I’m contemplating getting the new AirPods Max 2. But those are USB-C only, and I want to ensure that my current setup (aux cable + 2x aux splitter + attached aux boom mic) is doable with the AirPods Max 2 in the exact same manner as they were with my now-defunct pair of AirPods Max Lightning-edition.

Can anyone please confirm I can replicate my cherished setup?

Thank you!

Hi all, I want to get some guidance on a potential upcoming hardware refresh.

In 2020, I bought the as-of-then newly-released Apple AirPods Max over the ear headphones. It features a Lightning input, and to that end I combined the headphones with a Lightning to Aux cable in tandem with the attached peripherals in order to convert the headphones into a gaming headset.

It’s worked marvelously since then, and in addition to gaming I also use it for my job: the headset, in that combination, works with anything with an aux input. I can clearly hear the incoming audio on my end, and whoever I speak to can hear me through the attached boom mic.

But after 6 years, my AirPods Max are unfortunately no longer working, and I’m contemplating getting the new AirPods Max 2. But those are USB-C only, and I want to ensure that my current setup (aux cable + 2x aux splitter + attached aux boom mic) is doable with the AirPods Max 2 in the exact same manner as they were with my now-defunct pair of AirPods Max Lightning-edition.

Can anyone please confirm I can replicate my cherished setup?

Thank you!

TL/DR: is it better to stay with the career/company you like at the expense of where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built, or to preserve where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built at the expense of starting your career all over again in a company you’re uncertain about?

I’m a 33-year-old single male working as a corporate Business Account Manager at Apple in San Diego, CA. I’ve been with Apple for nearly 9 years: in September 2022, after 5 years in an Apple Store I landed my current position in Sacramento.

Since then, I became disillusioned with Sacramento’s weather, social scene, and lack of job growth. My job is repetitive, frustrating, and lacks development opportunities. Last June, I landed a 5-month, fully remote carer development internship in another Apple sector.

I pursued the internship to escape my current role, and Sacramento.

My internship lasted from late June to the end of November 2025, and I’ve been living in San Diego since June 2025.

Living in San Diego has been transformative. I've gotten in the best shape of my life, the weather is unbeatable, I found a good church and was baptized in the ocean in October 2025. My roommate feels like an older brother: we get along great, act as wingmen, play sports, and work in similar fields. He’s an Account Executive for a cybersecurity company called Delinea.

Before my internship ended, I knew I’d either have to find a new job in San Diego or pay to commute to work in Sacramento every week starting in December 2025. My job has a hybrid schedule: remote Mondays and Fridays, in-office Tuesday through Thursday.

There’s an Apple campus in San Diego, but the roles are mostly hardware and software engineering. I interviewed for a few roles with transferable skills and almost got one in December, but I didn’t get any jobs after all. 

Since December 2025, I’ve commuted to Sacramento every week, arranging flights, Ubers/Lyfts, eating out, and couch surfing. I fly up Monday evenings after working from my San Diego apartment, stay with a friend for three nights, take rides to/from the office, and fly back to San Diego Thursday. I pay for all these expenses and endure being a couch surfer who eats out every meal.

This is unsustainable. I’m either moving back to Norcal to be near my Sacramento office or getting a new job in a different company so I can permanently stay in San Diego.

I’ve interviewed for nine jobs at Apple since last fall but haven’t landed any. I’ve also applied to companies outside Apple without any interviews. However, I recently got an interview opportunity with Delinea, a fully remote company where my roommate works as an Account Executive.

I found an Enterprise Customer Success Manager job that my roommate referred me for. I had a phone screening last week and will have my first formal interview this Friday. The role is like my current Business Account Manager position, with some differences like a 75/25 split between base salary and quota (I’ve never had a quota), and OTE that pays significantly more than my current salary. The base salary alone is almost identical to my yearly pay. It’s also fully remote.

I’m at a crossroads in my life. I can either stay in San Diego and sustain my nine-year career at Apple or start my career from scratch in a different industry to preserve my life in San Diego.

Each option has pros and cons. As I get older, I care more about job security and benefits, which Apple excels at. My family and friends are in NorCal too. However, I’m stagnant in my current job, which doesn’t train me, caps my earning potential, and clearly hasn’t provided promotion opportunities.

My roommate has positive things to say about working at Delinea, but Glassdoor reviews have mixed reviews. If I were to work there, it would be my pathway to stay in San Diego. 

I’ve given my roommate my moveout notice, for the end of this month. If I get the Delinea job, he’ll cancel it, and we’ll continue living together, as we’ve done for a year now. If I don’t get the job, I’ll move back to my parents in the Central Valley and drive to work for the three in-person days while I figure out my life. 

For anyone here who has made it this far (thank you), what would your advice be? Has anyone been in a similar predicament? Again, the main point here is: is it better to stay with the career/company you like at the expense of where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built, or to preserve where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built at the expense of starting your career all over again in a company you’re uncertain about?

I welcome any advice, thank you.

TL/DR: is it better to stay with the career/company you like at the expense of where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built, or to preserve where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built at the expense of starting your career all over again in a company you’re uncertain about?

I’m a 33-year-old single male working as a corporate Business Account Manager at Apple in San Diego, CA. I’ve been with Apple for nearly 9 years: in September 2022, after 5 years in an Apple Store I landed my current position in Sacramento.

Since then, I became disillusioned with Sacramento’s weather, social scene, and lack of job growth. My job is repetitive, frustrating, and lacks development opportunities. Last June, I landed a 5-month, fully remote carer development internship in another Apple sector.

I pursued the internship to escape my current role, and Sacramento.

My internship lasted from late June to the end of November 2025, and I’ve been living in San Diego since June 2025.

Living in San Diego has been transformative. I've gotten in the best shape of my life, the weather is unbeatable, I found a good church and was baptized in the ocean in October 2025. My roommate feels like an older brother: we get along great, act as wingmen, play sports, and work in similar fields. He’s an Account Executive for a cybersecurity company called Delinea.

Before my internship ended, I knew I’d either have to find a new job in San Diego or pay to commute to work in Sacramento every week starting in December 2025. My job has a hybrid schedule: remote Mondays and Fridays, in-office Tuesday through Thursday.

There’s an Apple campus in San Diego, but the roles are mostly hardware and software engineering. I interviewed for a few roles with transferable skills and almost got one in December, but I didn’t get any jobs after all. 

Since December 2025, I’ve commuted to Sacramento every week, arranging flights, Ubers/Lyfts, eating out, and couch surfing. I fly up Monday evenings after working from my San Diego apartment, stay with a friend for three nights, take rides to/from the office, and fly back to San Diego Thursday. I pay for all these expenses and endure being a couch surfer who eats out every meal.

This is unsustainable. I’m either moving back to Norcal to be near my Sacramento office or getting a new job in a different company so I can permanently stay in San Diego.

I’ve interviewed for nine jobs at Apple since last fall but haven’t landed any. I’ve also applied to companies outside Apple without any interviews. However, I recently got an interview opportunity with Delinea, a fully remote company where my roommate works as an Account Executive.

I found an Enterprise Customer Success Manager job that my roommate referred me for. I had a phone screening last week and will have my first formal interview this Friday. The role is like my current Business Account Manager position, with some differences like a 75/25 split between base salary and quota (I’ve never had a quota), and OTE that pays significantly more than my current salary. The base salary alone is almost identical to my yearly pay. It’s also fully remote.

I’m at a crossroads in my life. I can either stay in San Diego and sustain my nine-year career at Apple or start my career from scratch in a different industry to preserve my life in San Diego.

Each option has pros and cons. As I get older, I care more about job security and benefits, which Apple excels at. My family and friends are in NorCal too. However, I’m stagnant in my current job, which doesn’t train me, caps my earning potential, and clearly hasn’t provided promotion opportunities.

My roommate has positive things to say about working at Delinea, but Glassdoor reviews have mixed reviews. If I were to work there, it would be my pathway to stay in San Diego. 

I’ve given my roommate my moveout notice, for the end of this month. If I get the Delinea job, he’ll cancel it, and we’ll continue living together, as we’ve done for a year now. If I don’t get the job, I’ll move back to my parents in the Central Valley and drive to work for the three in-person days while I figure out my life. 

For anyone here who has made it this far (thank you), what would your advice be? Has anyone been in a similar predicament? Again, the main point here is: is it better to stay with the career/company you like at the expense of where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built, or to preserve where you live/the community & lifestyle you’ve built at the expense of starting your career all over again in a company you’re uncertain about?

I welcome any advice, thank you.