I didn’t quite make the deadline for the thesis this past Monday but as painful as it was I did manage a lot of words in a short period of time. Now if only the words made sense. The draft has been handed in and I have been taking a break.
A break is certainly needed and a holiday more so. I truly hope I can spend some time sitting somewhere away from technology where I can get bored and appreciate some sunshine or some basic green. Hsinchu can be like the worst Canadian winter, no sunshine and all grey and bland. In Canada it’s due to the weather, here it’s due to the pollution and the grey cinderblock aesthetic of the local architecture. If it wasn’t for the gaudy neon store signs there might be no colour in the city at all.
Having a couple days to think has been a Godsend. Many changes are afoot. Most if not all the team I used to work with are leaving the company or at least the division. These people were/are like family to me so it’s always sad to see people moving on. Move on we must though as new experiences and challenges are an important part of life. Working there can cause a person to get lethargic, uncreative, and just plain unproductive. This kind of challenge is always scary. If I am not moving forward, growing, changing, and learning then i am not happy. Finding opportunities that allow that to happen can be hard. I seem to have developed a habit where I find work that I have the least amount of experience in. I then spend my time struggling and learning within my new role. It’s exciting and a great challenge to leverage past experience and knowledge towards something seemingly entirely different.
I’m not sure exactly what I will do next. I know I can only go forward and not back. I want to create great product and great experiences. I want all these ideas out of my head and into the world. I want to affect people like I did when I was a musician. I don’t need applause perhaps just the knowledge that I created something that helped someone complete a task easier, made them smile, made them cry, or changed their thinking in some way. I’m not driven by money but by the people I work with. I’m starting to sound like I’m 26 yr old idealist and not the 37 year old slightly jaded veteran I am. That’s a good sign. I can use that enthusiasm.