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After 30-some years in the computer industry, I'm leaving for greener pastures
(yes, they exist!) and taking my company with me. While I suspect the computer
industry will start experiencing something of a recovery later this year and
next year, I'm no longer willing to wait for that to happen.
I've watched the out-of-work-TW thread participants commiserate and try to buck
each other up, but I think many are missing a relevant point: I don't work for
art's sake, I work for money. I happen to love writing, and will continue to
do so regardless of the industry I'm in, but I can't spend my 'art' at the
grocery store or use it to pay utility bills. And if I'm sensible, I can make
more money doing something else I enjoy, and use the money to buy both time and
'art' supplies.
I had to smile a bit at the folks who kept hanging on by taking low-rate
writing jobs, just to stay in the business during these tough times. I'm sure
that there's a god out there who appreciates their devotion to the cause, but
in the meantime, what about the toll such devotion takes on families, friends,
credit ratings, and things that matter in the long run? I'm not willing to do
that for the sake of writing. Fercrissakes, I could make more money writing
computer books than in the computer industry right now, and authoring books
ceased to be a cost-effective line of work about a decade ago.
I'm not leaving this board in anger, much like a recently-departed combatant.
I'm leaving because its main subject is no longer relevant to my working life.
I've enjoyed what I've learned and I hope I've helped some over the years, but
I'm moving on now.
Good luck to the rest of you.
Elna Tymes
Los Trancos Systems
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