Prcmaker

Indeed. It's hard to draw a specific line, but it's been over a decade.

I did some work recently while I was between jobs, designing and assembling camera lenses. It was so fascinating, and satisfying. Strongly disappointed they couldn't afford to pay me to stay.

I'm truly saddened to hear this Cliff, the way you wrote of her in your book showed such relatable affection.

In an old job I spliced a lot of fibre for our research, got the hang of it and got pretty proficient.

My research shifted, and I start making sensors using fibre and similarly sized capillary tube. It all got cleaved, spliced to assemble, cleaved some more, spliced again, then polished to spec. Getting the he process down was a pain, but the results were super satisfying.

Currently doing the finishing touches on a ww2 era surface grinder, closing out a new little design, and ramping my fitness up again. Next up is some duct work, some reverse engineering, and finishing my part of a paper.

I haven't had this much time off in over a decade and it's amazing. I've been hoping to get inspire for some outdoors or running related mechanical design/prototyping projects, but nothing yet.

I've somewhat found the opposite. The cycle I've been in is has had a tight grip on my time and attention that's its been hard to keep up with anything not mission critical. Now I'm backing off, I've got time to get more up to speed.

For keeping challenged long term, I've got a few products I finally have the time to do prototypes for and some chances to work in new areas.

I quit my job. Its forced me out of the cycle of 'just a bit more' and made change the only option. Is it the smartest move, likely not, but so far I stand by it.

A very good synopsis. I recently had the chance to put myself as the intermediate member between those expectations and our technical team. It raised the expectations on me, but helped reduce the unrealistic side of those from impacting my team.

It worked brilliantly for a while, but since things were getting done fast, well, and cheap, the expectations increased. I gave notice two weeks ago without a job lined up.

Thanks for your input and your time. A lot to think about. Much appreciated.

My position is that I've been in a failing start-up for years. Public company, but has burned through all their investment and has reached its ending days spiral. Small amount of equity has declined to be worth next to nothing, passion for the work has declined, both myself and more broadly.

On a week of vacation leave, I went and helped an extended family member in their home business. It combines the best aspects of my past three jobs. High tech, optics, design and manufacture, it's hard, and it's fascinating. There's a clear path to profit, with demand. Might be weeks, might be months, but in the meantime I can't make enough to cover my costs.

I can't risk my family's security. Having loved out of my car while studying, despite over a decade passing, the memory is fresh.

A pay cut would be fine, worth it, but the risk feels so high.

I guess my only question is how do you keep yourself from going broke while starting these projects. I've a chance to do some great work now, but it would lower my pay beneath what I can live on.

50% existential crisis, 50% meetings, 50% work a grad should be doing.

I've just taken a week off to help extended family with a project, and it's reminded me what a good job is.

I think you can play, just much harder to get through the end game stage.

And the means to achieve that destruction. Cockatoos are like flying bolt cutters.