Six months ago I was gently booted off a government contract. I suspect this was mostly due to the recent evisceration of the federal government, but my supervisor’s unrestrained love of AI most certainly played a part in their resource management decisions.
I’m not mad, just disappointed.
I don’t have an immediate need for paying work, but I’m certainly wired to want it. I don’t have either the mental or financial ability to simply stop working.
I have been doing a lot lately, but I can’t call it work… its just a collection of things I can do that need to be done.
- I’m updating and expanding my partner’s web presence ahead of their first graphic novel’s release.
- I’m working on a strange non-game with a talented digital sculptor.
- I’m helping care for a handful of medically complicated people.
- I’m constantly repairing fences and dryers and computers that stop doing their work.
- I’m experimenting with cloud and local LLMs in anticipation of returning to a rapidly changing job market.
All of this feels like work, but I’m not filling in a timesheet and there’s no direct deposit every two weeks. So what is it? What do I call this new phase of my life.
I don’t have an answer yet, and maybe I never will.