What I've Been Up To Lately...
Over the years, my presence on social media has gradually declined. Probably from painstakingly annoying (college days/early 20's) down to virtually nothing as of late.
Having said that, I have toyed with the notion of blogging to an open audience with some regularity for a while now. (I say "open audience" because I do have a personal blog that I use for goal-setting, venting, etc)
Why? Because I enjoy writing, mostly. I do, admittedly, have a poker blog that I never really got going...but I'd rather have a blog that isn't restricted to any particular topic. It can be fun to look back on life and remember what the hell you were thinking at any given point in time. I also want to get used to "putting myself out there." I don't exactly intend to write anything overly political/controversial/incendiary, but over the years I've been pretty adamant about avoiding situations that would open myself up to criticism. I'm reminded of a certain quote:
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."
That's a really dull and spirit-crushing way to live life.
Anyways...I plan to post with some regularity...or whenever the mood strikes. *shrug*
First things first - I quit the shipyard.
After nearly seven years of what could have easily become my lifetime career (and a pretty solid one at that) - I voluntarily resigned in June.
For anyone super out-of-the-loop in my life - I graduated from WWU in 2010, bumbled around for couple years doing odd writing jobs (Demand Media, PokerNews, etc) and finally accepted my lack of direction in Journalism (my college major). I remember in 2011, I pulled one of the shittiest things I've probably ever done by being a no-show for an interview for a job at the local paper in Silverdale. I panicked at the last second at the prospect of being a reporter for a living and was too ashamed to cancel my interview. It wasn't necessarily what the job entailed, but I knew I did not want to get into general news as a career. It can be notoriously high stress (from what I hear) and pays like...you know. Eighteen-year-old-me thought I was doing the right thing by deciding to major in something I'm supposedly decent at (writing), but had clear, tangible career prospects. As it turns out, journalism isn't something I personally value as a career. IMO - it's really difficult for a teenager to make prudent, life-impacting decisions without guidance or more time to develop as a person/gain life experience.
I digress. In late 2012, I "desperation-hired" into the Shipyard, which has been a staple career-choice in my family (my father retired from there a few years back and my brother still currently works there, though he transferred to San Diego a while back). It was supposed to be a "placeholder" until I got my act together. I was vehicle-less, had something like $13,000 in student loans to pay off, and just an overall bum (my brother, who I was living with at the time, will happily attest to this).
I started off as a "materials guy," but quickly shifted into an apprenticeship as an electronics mechanic and signed a five-year contract of sorts (basically stating I would have to pay back my college courses within the apprenticeship if I bailed out before completing it).
Why did I sign up for a 5-year-minimum commitment when I had originally sought out shipyard employment as a "placeholder?" At the time it felt responsible. I wasn't even expecting to get picked up as an apprentice, but before I knew what had happened, I was being interviewed and given a start date.
From journalism to a trade...pretty tangible skill set if you ask me. /sarcasm
After the completion of my apprenticeship, I hopped on every opportunity to travel for work (which we call going "TDY") and was fortunate enough to have a great core-group of coworkers for each trip. I ended up going to Japan from January to May, 2018, San Diego from June to September, 2018 and Japan again from January to May again this year (2019). These were definitely the highlights of my "shipyard career."
It was sometime in late 2018 I started to contemplate "pursuing other avenues." Not seriously at first, but the urge became greater as time went on. And it didn't go away, either.
It's hard for me to pinpoint my rationale for this decision. It almost certainly appears to have more downsides than upsides - especially to an objective 3rd party looking in. I literally spent the last five years of my life training and preparing for a career as a mechanic/engineer.
Did I hate my job? Nah. Did I love it? Nope. Was I especially good at it? Nope again. Was I ever in any fear of being disciplined for incompetence? Not really.
It was just a job, and I was just a run-of-mill cog in the machine. Do I regret doing it? Not at all. I am actually very grateful for having done it. I had many experiences I would have never imagined having in the past. I witnessed and worked on things that are pretty awe-inspiring, in a lot of ways. I completely eliminated my debt, purchased a car outright, bought a house (which I have since sold), and saved up enough money so that I could *even consider* other options in life.
Having said that, I just couldn't shake the nagging feeling of not taking a risk on doing what I *want* to be doing. I'm pretty open to risk, as evidenced by my poker playing and investment portfolio (100% equities....no bitcoin, however haha), but I'd like to think I go about it intelligently. Quitting this job has, by far, been the biggest "risk" I've ever taken. It's been four months since and I feel no regret...yet, but hopefully never.
So, what now? Gotta pay the bills, not that I have many at the moment! Gotta keep investing for my future. Can't be a drain on society. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I'm figuring it out. Don't worry - to anyone reading this, I won't be knocking on your door anytime soon in need of a couch to sleep on! Not yet anyways! Haha.
I'm currently enrolled in the University of Washington 'Certificate in Editing' program, which seems like a good supplement to my journalism degree and is more in line with the kind of work I can see myself pursuing. This course is self-paced, online and takes less than a year to complete if given enough attention. After that I'll probably go back to my free-lancing ways, at least for a bit (and playing cards all the while, of course). One thing I know for sure - I love the prospect of working remotely...or at least in varied locations.
I spent the summer in Japan and just recently returned to the USA. It was a really nice break in the context of this pretty drastic life transition. I was doing a lot of self-reflection, studying, exercising and just experiencing the country in general with my girlfriend Ayumi. Consider me a fan (despite the brutal humidity and heat during the summer). What a great, historically and culturally rich country.
And you know what? If it turns out I'm just having a lapse in sanity or some kind of "mid-life crisis" and this is me acting out, so be it. I only just turned 34, but at the rate my hair is going gray, you'd probably think I'm eligible for a mid-life crisis haha. I feel like my worst-case-scenario is simply going back to a job I don't get a lot of satisfaction from, but can make peace with.
I feel like I've finally reached a place in my life (financially, mentally, etc) where I can pursue what I want without hesitation. So why the hell not? No one to blame; no one to hold me back other than myself.
At least this way, I can look back and say, "I took my shot," whatever that ends up being, without any regrets.
Here are a handful of pics from Japan.
Coolest Starbucks I've ever been to.
Having said that, I have toyed with the notion of blogging to an open audience with some regularity for a while now. (I say "open audience" because I do have a personal blog that I use for goal-setting, venting, etc)
Why? Because I enjoy writing, mostly. I do, admittedly, have a poker blog that I never really got going...but I'd rather have a blog that isn't restricted to any particular topic. It can be fun to look back on life and remember what the hell you were thinking at any given point in time. I also want to get used to "putting myself out there." I don't exactly intend to write anything overly political/controversial/incendiary, but over the years I've been pretty adamant about avoiding situations that would open myself up to criticism. I'm reminded of a certain quote:
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."
That's a really dull and spirit-crushing way to live life.
Anyways...I plan to post with some regularity...or whenever the mood strikes. *shrug*
First things first - I quit the shipyard.
After nearly seven years of what could have easily become my lifetime career (and a pretty solid one at that) - I voluntarily resigned in June.
For anyone super out-of-the-loop in my life - I graduated from WWU in 2010, bumbled around for couple years doing odd writing jobs (Demand Media, PokerNews, etc) and finally accepted my lack of direction in Journalism (my college major). I remember in 2011, I pulled one of the shittiest things I've probably ever done by being a no-show for an interview for a job at the local paper in Silverdale. I panicked at the last second at the prospect of being a reporter for a living and was too ashamed to cancel my interview. It wasn't necessarily what the job entailed, but I knew I did not want to get into general news as a career. It can be notoriously high stress (from what I hear) and pays like...you know. Eighteen-year-old-me thought I was doing the right thing by deciding to major in something I'm supposedly decent at (writing), but had clear, tangible career prospects. As it turns out, journalism isn't something I personally value as a career. IMO - it's really difficult for a teenager to make prudent, life-impacting decisions without guidance or more time to develop as a person/gain life experience.
I digress. In late 2012, I "desperation-hired" into the Shipyard, which has been a staple career-choice in my family (my father retired from there a few years back and my brother still currently works there, though he transferred to San Diego a while back). It was supposed to be a "placeholder" until I got my act together. I was vehicle-less, had something like $13,000 in student loans to pay off, and just an overall bum (my brother, who I was living with at the time, will happily attest to this).
I started off as a "materials guy," but quickly shifted into an apprenticeship as an electronics mechanic and signed a five-year contract of sorts (basically stating I would have to pay back my college courses within the apprenticeship if I bailed out before completing it).
Why did I sign up for a 5-year-minimum commitment when I had originally sought out shipyard employment as a "placeholder?" At the time it felt responsible. I wasn't even expecting to get picked up as an apprentice, but before I knew what had happened, I was being interviewed and given a start date.
From journalism to a trade...pretty tangible skill set if you ask me. /sarcasm
After the completion of my apprenticeship, I hopped on every opportunity to travel for work (which we call going "TDY") and was fortunate enough to have a great core-group of coworkers for each trip. I ended up going to Japan from January to May, 2018, San Diego from June to September, 2018 and Japan again from January to May again this year (2019). These were definitely the highlights of my "shipyard career."
It was sometime in late 2018 I started to contemplate "pursuing other avenues." Not seriously at first, but the urge became greater as time went on. And it didn't go away, either.
It's hard for me to pinpoint my rationale for this decision. It almost certainly appears to have more downsides than upsides - especially to an objective 3rd party looking in. I literally spent the last five years of my life training and preparing for a career as a mechanic/engineer.
Did I hate my job? Nah. Did I love it? Nope. Was I especially good at it? Nope again. Was I ever in any fear of being disciplined for incompetence? Not really.
It was just a job, and I was just a run-of-mill cog in the machine. Do I regret doing it? Not at all. I am actually very grateful for having done it. I had many experiences I would have never imagined having in the past. I witnessed and worked on things that are pretty awe-inspiring, in a lot of ways. I completely eliminated my debt, purchased a car outright, bought a house (which I have since sold), and saved up enough money so that I could *even consider* other options in life.
Having said that, I just couldn't shake the nagging feeling of not taking a risk on doing what I *want* to be doing. I'm pretty open to risk, as evidenced by my poker playing and investment portfolio (100% equities....no bitcoin, however haha), but I'd like to think I go about it intelligently. Quitting this job has, by far, been the biggest "risk" I've ever taken. It's been four months since and I feel no regret...yet, but hopefully never.
So, what now? Gotta pay the bills, not that I have many at the moment! Gotta keep investing for my future. Can't be a drain on society. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I'm figuring it out. Don't worry - to anyone reading this, I won't be knocking on your door anytime soon in need of a couch to sleep on! Not yet anyways! Haha.
I'm currently enrolled in the University of Washington 'Certificate in Editing' program, which seems like a good supplement to my journalism degree and is more in line with the kind of work I can see myself pursuing. This course is self-paced, online and takes less than a year to complete if given enough attention. After that I'll probably go back to my free-lancing ways, at least for a bit (and playing cards all the while, of course). One thing I know for sure - I love the prospect of working remotely...or at least in varied locations.
I spent the summer in Japan and just recently returned to the USA. It was a really nice break in the context of this pretty drastic life transition. I was doing a lot of self-reflection, studying, exercising and just experiencing the country in general with my girlfriend Ayumi. Consider me a fan (despite the brutal humidity and heat during the summer). What a great, historically and culturally rich country.
And you know what? If it turns out I'm just having a lapse in sanity or some kind of "mid-life crisis" and this is me acting out, so be it. I only just turned 34, but at the rate my hair is going gray, you'd probably think I'm eligible for a mid-life crisis haha. I feel like my worst-case-scenario is simply going back to a job I don't get a lot of satisfaction from, but can make peace with.
I feel like I've finally reached a place in my life (financially, mentally, etc) where I can pursue what I want without hesitation. So why the hell not? No one to blame; no one to hold me back other than myself.
At least this way, I can look back and say, "I took my shot," whatever that ends up being, without any regrets.
Here are a handful of pics from Japan.
Coolest Starbucks I've ever been to.
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