*brushes the dust off of the page*
Hello again.
A lot has changed for me in the time since my last post.
I stopped posting when I found that I simply didn’t have enough hours in the week for everything I wanted to pack in. Job, relationship, blogging, gaming with friends, non-work-related programming projects… it was just too much. So I dropped the blogging and the non-work programming, and what was left fit into the time allotted.
But it still didn’t feel right. The crux of the problem was the job. It was the single largest demand on my time, and simultaneously the one that brought me the least satisfaction and joy. It brought me a paycheck and paid for my basic needs, but I didn’t really enjoy the work itself, and I very much resented the phenomenal drain on my time and energy.
Then, last July, I hit a very rough patch. In the space of six weeks, I was broken up with, hospitalized, operated on, hit by a bus, and fired.
Yeah.
It was two and a half months from my hospitalization to the time I was well enough to return to work, and upon my recovery, my former employer welcomed me back immediately. Apparently they fired me during my disability simply so they would not have to pay for my benefits in the mean time. I worked for a couple of months, and then in December had a follow-up surgery, from which I am still recovering.
When my disability expired last week, I contacted my employer to inform them I would not be returning. I’m cutting loose and doing my own thing for a while. So here’s what’s on the agenda:
- Savings. I have savings enough to see me through about ten months if nothing unexpected and expensive happens. So realistically, let’s call it six months. In this time I’ll be practicing my writing, programming, and web design skills and working on my own projects. There are a lot of them! Working on this blog will be part of this phase, so expect to see more content soon! There will also likely be some volunteer projects in these fields.
- Freelancing. I will be looking for short-term paid projects, primarily in programming and web design, but I’d love to try freelance writing as well. That would be a nice bonus. Any income from this phase would, I’m guessing, not be enough to live off of, but every penny counts — it would certainly extend the lifespan of my savings.
- Full-on self-employment. Ultimately, the goal is to create a business that will support me indefinitely without the need for a job. Presently I’m thinking of either selling my own software (most likely games), or creating a retail website with a friend of mine to sell games and comics online.
Beyond that, I have no idea. I think it would be silly to try to plan anything beyond that point, as my life will look so different after these three phases that I can’t imagine I’d have the same priorities I have today, nor can I imagine what options will have opened to me that I simply cannot see right now.
As I work this plan, I will be posting here more often, but the focus of the blog may shift a bit. I want to try some new things and see where they take me, so get ready for more content, some changes, and possibly more variety.
That’s what’s in store for the next few months — and if you’re looking for a freelance programmer, web designer, or writer, drop me a line!