I’m still reeling from this, so I hope it comes across with a sort of journalistic stoicism.
I’m no longer working in the tech industry. There, I said it. Now it must be true. I was made redundant in December. It was unexpected. But it wasn’t because of AI; it was just the times.
And the times have continued to change remarkably since then.
I set up my own web development agency, Rhedyn, which started really well but then slowed down a lot with even more uncertainty in the economy. I’m keeping it open and trying to do some business development where I can.
There’s a lot to achieve in this space, especially with small to medium enterprises who don’t know what a static website is. That has amazed me as I’ve built nearly my whole career over the past 15 years on the concept.
Continuing to Provide
And I’m still glad that I can do that and other work that contributes to our household income. But things are still very uncertain, and I’ve had to diversify my work to keep money coming in.
I know I’m not the only one; the tech industry is contracting massively. In many cases because of the promise of AI, although that’s beginning to look more shaky now.
It’s not bad at all. My blood pressure has certainly improved, and my friends say I look a lot happier. Not having impossible deliverables and difficult individuals to work with has certainly helped in that regard. But also recently I stopped by a lovely small town called Llandrillo, which has a pleasant river flowing through it. I ate my lunch in silence, listening to the flow of the river, watching fish jumping and insects skating. I could get used to this, I thought.
I’ve also been enjoying my Welsh language class more, and even composed a poem recently. Haven’t done that for many years.
But sometimes it seems like I’m sitting on the banks of a pleasant hill with my family, watching cities explode and burn in the distance. I know the cataclysms happening over there will continue to affect me over here, but it helps to have some distance from them.
The future
So, dear reader, what does this mean for you? This blog will get more personal and less technical.
I’m sure you can see why. When everything is achievable by a computer, nothing is an achievement. There’s no craft left.
We believe when you create a machine to do the work of a man, you take something away from the man
If I end up doing something I can be proud of, I’ll blog about it. I’ve got one brewing about the current state of Shopify’s documentation as we speak.
However, in general expect to see more articles about my personal interests.
I’m feeling positive about the changes to my life. I hope whatever you’re doing, or choose to do in the future, you’re happy with it too.