Before I Begin: The views represented here are my own and have never been views of my past employer(s). Last Updated: June 2024

TL;DR - I’m taking time away from full-time employment until at least the end of September 2024 to rest, reset, and focus on what matters to me.

Where I Was At The Last 4 Years

This deserves to have a much longer post at some point, but to quickly set the scene. The last four years, I spend working in the public sector at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a “Digital Services Expert”. I was brought in through the United States Digital Service (USDS) to help tackle some of the governments biggest problems. Day to day, I served as a technical expert - advising, reviewing, and setting longer-term technical strategy + helping execute on small tactical wins to get initiatives started / momentum created.

I recall watching the TED Talk (screenshotted above) from then USDS Administrator, Matt Cutts, many years ago now - only thinking that this (USDS) is where I needed to be. Working on a scale of problems much larger than myself and certainly much larger than helping people consume more digital content or purchase more consumer packaged goods. This was how I could work on systems that affect millions of individuals, save lives, and help make it better than I found it. Initially, I signed up for a 2-year commitment - using the timeline to help keep pressure on myself (and others) to drive towards these positive outcomes quicker.

At the end of my 4-year ‘tour of duty’, frankly, I was burnt out. I needed to step away in order to step up in the future.

Where I’m At Today

As I progressed into the different roles at the Department of Veterans Affairs - I found that my sphere of influence increased considerably, however, the work I was doing day to day was getting away from the particular work that I liked to do. Building & Shipping Cool Shit.

The classic juxtaposition of being an Engineering Manager or an Individual Contributor finally caught up with me. And it scared me. I tried to create during the early mornings and late evenings, but I was just. so. tired.

Reflecting back on years of tinkering with computers, I found the most joy to be had by going heads down. Whether this was on a project, spending time building a computer from parts of other computers, or a set of tasks where I could solve tricky technical problems - this mattered to me then and it still matters now. The feeling of flow state where hours or days would pass. The feeling where you had a mental workout to solve a tricky task. The feeling of relief solving a complex problems after hours of trying different solutions. The feeling of “I built that”. Certainly, I had those moments at my day-job - but, building an organization or structures within an org is a different feeling. Longer-term games/bets can become tiring when you don’t bear fruits quicker. This is something I hope to balance better.

Where I’m Going Tomorrow

I’ve got a MASSIVE of about 50-ish things I find interesting. But, one that I cannot shake from my head is creating a brief personalized podcast with AI - no matter what you’re interested in. Made just for you - based on your interests (i.e. tech news, local events, etc), your calendar, your weather, and more. Delivered daily.

Truth be told, I had built this out about 6 months ago as a prototype just for myself - only running on GitHub Actions. I had learned a good bit about Text To Speech (TTS), Article Summarization, and other tools that have been unlocked with various advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models. But, scratching what I thought was just an itch has turned out to be more than just a mosquito bite, but

In order to make In Short Pod more of a reality, I’ve decided to focus on this for Buildspace Season 5. Along with 60,000+ other people focused on creating. If you’re unfamiliar with Buildspace - think of it as a 6-week accelerator or an accountability buddy that is helping teach, guide, and give feedback on what you’re creating.

buildspace is the largest collection of builders on the internet for builders, makers, and creators to find and be found by the right group of people. any idea goes, whether it’s a hip-hop album, short film, novel, indie software, or a youtube channel. source

Outside of Buildspace, I’ve been positioning myself as a Fractional CTO / Fractional Technology Consultant. After a decade at high-growth startups + working at very large organizations, I have been fortunate to hone a unique set of skills. I’ve also put some irons in the fire irons in the fire with GoFractional, Upwork, and partnering with other groups.

Where I Hope To Be By End Of September 2024

It’s always been a bit difficult for me to plan in terms of quarters / months / years - but, here we go.

My goals by September 30, 2024 are as follows -

• Fully commit to Buildspace for the next ~33 days (demo day is Saturday, July 27, 2024)
• Consulting Gigs equal to <=50% of my time
• Make more “internet money” via products
• Begin to build a following on LinkedIn
• Foundational LLM/ML/AI knowledge built up w/ prototype apps shipped

Further Reading

The below posts, books, and other resources have influenced my thinking and actions.

• TED Talk: What happens when a Silicon Valley technologist works for the government by Matt Cutts
• The Pathless Path
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mere Mortals