It’s hard to believe that my last day of full-time employment was May 24, 2019. A lot has changed in the world since then. I thought about my next move many times, and the timing finally feels right to step back into full-time work. I’ll be starting on March 25, 2024, just a few months shy of a five-year break. I’ve gotten to do many things that I wanted to do, and missed out on doing many others, but I’m glad I did it. This was actually my third mini-retirement: my first in 2012 for six weeks, where I traveled to the Philippines, Singapore and Abu Dhabi; my second also in 2012, for three months in California in a startup accelerator; and this third one, focused on family and domestic travel.
I haven’t been as active here on the blog, but I kept creating elsewhere. It’s actually really interesting to see some of the pros and cons of each platform.
Platform | Pros | Cons |
Blog | Total control, say anything | No feedback, feels like yelling into the void |
Quora | Engage with strangers, good insights | No ownership, metrics are strange (some answers get traction, others don’t) |
Build a professional audience, network, feedback and tags | Poor promotion, writing gets buried in feeds | |
YouTube | Monetization possible, high feedback/engagement | Weird comments and trolls, more effort to produce |
I’m excited for what the future holds. If you’re seeing this and haven’t spoken to me, hit me up to chat! And also, I’m glad you’re here.