>>...coding?
>>
>>Chatter's pretty boring today - what, with Terry gone and all - and I doubt I will liven it up any, but I am curious what other things you might be doing if not for coding. Not what you want to do, but what else are you good at?
>>
>>Me, it's either painting (art) or construction/carpentry type stuff.
>
>Funny you should bring the subject up, as I'm giving very serious consideration to a career change. Software just isn't the challenge it use to be. If I could make a living at building tank models, I'd do it, but the research is just as fascinating. I'm thinking of goint back to school for a history degree (probably have to go whole-hog and shoot for a PhD) and see where that leads.


Dan;

After engineering college I went back to school to get a degree in History, which I accomplished, with the thought to become a teacher. I graduated and at the same time the schools in the San Francisco Bay Area were letting go tenured teachers who were Caucasian, to give African Americans an opportunity to become teachers. That was 1975.

So I stayed with electronics engineering. Then in 1990 positions in my field all but disappeared in Silicon Valley (1990). When electronics left Silicon Valley, I went into programming. It is expensive to pay the bills in order to live here so you have to do something that pays well. I cannot say that I enjoy programming as I once did.

The day I began my first programming job my thought was, "now what career should I prepare myself for"?

Our son is a History major and teacher and our daughter is an English major and a teacher. I encouraged them and everyone I come in contact with to go after your dream! To have a passion is to have life. Do not neglect your passion. Plan, plan, plan!

Our daughter (Cristina) is considering a career change. She is very creative (many forms of art, acting and music) and today is her 26th birthday. She feels like a failure because she has not attained her dream. I am helping her towards that dream by discussing how to approach it.

I told Cristina that there are basically two types of positions in the working world, those being involved with business and creativity. Those positions that involve creativity (the arts) are very difficult to consider for someone who has to “pay the bills”. That is not always true but in general I believe it is. I have friends who are artists and they do not have much in the way of material objects. But they are very happy and not stressed like all too many of us.

Business is 9-5. Creativity does not like restrictions or go by a clock. It would take a great deal of dialogue to discuss this in proper detail.

You can be practical and have a job that pays the bills or go for your dream and take what comes. I hope that in a year or so I will be able to work in another career field (music) and enjoy my passion. I am working towards my goal.

I hope that you do everything possible to make your passion a reality. Give it a time line and necessary steps to attain what you want. Have alternative plans – brief one-liners with a few details attached. Keep it simple and go for it!

People will tell you of their reality and that can be a turn off. They may be correct but your experience may be exactly what your dream is all about!

Tom