change

Change is weird.

I’ve never liked the question ”Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” First of all, I don’t even know where I see myself later today, making and sticking to plans is way too hard. 

On a more serious note, “the future” is wildly unpredictable. Be it 5 years, 1 year, or even a few months.

5 years ago I was finishing up college in Charlotte, NC. I wasn’t 100% sure of my desired career field, but I felt strongly about game development and AI/robotics. My only experience with a pandemic was playing the board game with friends. I’m now living and loving life in Brooklyn, working as a data analyst for an e-commerce company, and the pandemic has definitely changed my outlook on life and public health.

Last year, I was certain that I would only work my current job long enough to find a new one, but over time grew to appreciate my position and created tools used daily company-wide. I had a stable group of friends that I’d known for years that I would regularly hang out with, but that group has largely disbanded and moved on. I’ve since made new friends and, while still early on, they’ve been great people and I feel welcomed and appreciated.

Even just over the last few months it seems my day-to-day has shifted (for the better luckily). I’m spending less time on the internet and more time exercising and focusing on other hobbies. I’ve finally been able to make a sizable dent in my backlog of movies and shows and I’ve started playing guitar again — as much as my fingers hate me for it.

I think the main reason for my behavioral shift has been corporate greed reducing the usability of the internet for me. Be it the Reddit API changes and their new aggressive stance towards 3rd-party apps and services, Netflix’s new policies on “account sharing” asking users to pay significantly more for the experience they’re used to or Twitter’s…everything. I now see the benefits of decentralized websites, and I have begun to spend more time in smaller, tighter-knit communities

This has mostly been a mindless, stream-of-consciousness ramble just so I could say I wrote something to post on my website, but putting it in writing has really given me a more clear perspective on how I feel. I like the idea of having goals and long-term plans, but the way I’ve lived my life I believe having more vague concepts of my ideal situation works better. That way it’s easier for me to adjust to whatever happens and still maintain the same momentum.

Regardless of where life takes me next, I’m ready to keep moving forward.

-K

Bonus Reading:

Discord, Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr have something in common and it’s not good | TechRadar