Livin' the Dream...

After today, I only have three official weeks left at my job as a network admin. I worked it out so that all my vacation will be burnt before I leave so I really only have 6 days left here (two 3 day work-weeks, and the last one is ALL vacation days).

The only thing I do now with my work days (besides mostly nothing, or hanging out here) is filling in my replacement, taking him to my accounts and getting him up to speed. No stress, no worries, no more 24/7 support and the associated interruptions to my life. No more all nighters restoring crashed servers, no more rude customers, no more having to get up by a certain time or having to leave my wife and kids every day.

I'm just cruisin' down the last quarter turn of this career, before I leave it for good and pick up my art career where it left off (about the time my last marriage was ending).

In three weeks, I'm flying out west and living in the Rocky Mts. for two to three weeks for a huge art project and when I return, I'll be setting up my new "dream" art studio and getting back to booked commissions to work on what I love to do...paint.

I'm just living my dream...and it feels so-o-o good.

Anyone else here, just decide to drop a long, well paying career and pursue their dreams?

 

Thanks Maki.

Doesn't this (computer) industry just scream burnout! ???

Man, way back when I painted full time, I never thought I'd be getting a "real" job, but then a funny thing happened on the way to the alter (the first time). LOL.

Somewhere along the line I woke up and (re)discovered myself. My current wife has always encouraged me to get back to it, and in fact when we dated told me if I gave up playing music and painting, she'd kick my ass. LOL.

She helped me turn my life completely around and we knew when the time was right, we'd jump in with both feet and ride the wave. She's a graphic designer, and we work so well together on projects. We're moving out to a farm and we will be renovating a barn and turning it into an art/music/yoga studio and gallery where we can invite artists of all kinds to enjoy the scenery.

I'm also going to fulfill my life long dream by converting a silo into a large astronomy observatory, so I can get back to enjoying, sharing and imaging the Universe.

Yeah...Life is Great!!!

 

I've posted some on here before...but I am redesigning our website right now. I'll be sure to post a link to it when it's done.

Here are a couple I've posted in the past.

 

Not gonna happen.

 

A couple more...

 

Thanks.

I was a full time artist, since 1984...but then I married the devil's sister and my soul was in hell for a while.

I'm b-a-a-c-c-k-k!!!

 

Thanks. Me too.

It's a portrait I did of my dad, a few years before he died. I still have that pole, which he gave me when I was ten years old.

 

Man, it is so nice to do what you love, for a living. I would not want to be a programmer (though I've done a little bit here and there as was necessary). Keep working towards that goal.

I don't know what it is with customers (or fellow employees/users) and why they think IT support is the doormat for scraping their poor attitudes off on. We really have a thankless job, and no one cares about you until they need you...and even then they treat you like crap. There are some who have treated me very nice...and of course, they went to the top of the queue. My wife was one at one time (before she became my wife). She had computer problems she wasn't even aware of!

I often felt like Santa Claus with my Naughty/Nice list. There were some that were such pains to work with/for, that when they had a computer issue, I made sure they stewed in their own juices long enough to be too worn out from anger and disgust to even want to bother me.

 

Here's some examples of what I won't miss...

Being chewed out by my boss because I refused to come in to work (on my day off and anyone else, who was actually at work, could have covered for me), when I was at home caring for my sick two year old daughter.

Being chewed out because I didn't answer my cell phone while I was giving my wife and two year old daughter kisses and hugs before I even left for work (for something that could have waited until I got into work, or even a day later for that matter).

Working for three days straight over Thanksgiving and missing the entire holiday with my family to correct a problem my boss caused, that was costing a manufacturer $650,000 a day until it got fixed.

Missed birthdays, holidays and aborting planned vacations.

Having customers literally yell at me for something they f'ed up.

Running around like a chicken on acid and coke (with it's head cut off)...only to find out later it was unnecessary, and could have easily been avoided in the first place if my boss wasn't so dense.

Lazy boss's son who leaves his work for everyone else when he decides to just leave whenever he feels like it, without telling anyone...and quits/gets hired over and over again...with promotions and raises each time.

Ahhhh, I can feel the breeze of opportunity and freedom already.

Seriously, my job wasn't all that bad compared to some of the places I worked. Really.