Extended Vacation (Again)

Repeating my choice from last year, I have decided to take an extended vacation from consulting this summer to catch up on some learning plans and otherwise invest in personal projects.

Funny enough, as I reread that post and those around it, it feels very similar. I’ll be “off work” for June and July. Basic plans include book reading, blog posting, and some technical experiments at a relaxed pace. I’ll be headed to the New Jersey shore for a week of beach time in late June. I am also considering a road trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame sometime in July.

I’ll start looking for contract work around the end of July, but I also hope to zero in on a personal product development path. One goal of the break is to define an audience I want to serve. I started down that road with [ElixirFocus], but I have notable reservations about building educational materials for that audience that can be financially sustainable. I still think I’ll write for that audience, but not with the end goal of notable profits – more as an enjoyable hobby.

ElixirFocus

For notable profits and a chance at lessening my need to do contracting, I’ll be on the lookout via research and interviews for new audiences and problems to solve. It will be challenging because, in many ways, I feel like the world needs less software more than ever. Who am I to put more digital distractions out into the world?! The key will be to find a way to add value by helping people reduce the technical weight on their shoulders. Find a way to solve problems and NOT give them one more button to press every day.