Thread by @wikichen

On the precipice of turning 30 I realize I've experienced the most growth and happiness when I stray from the default path, so it feels apropos now to yeet a career in tech I have no desire to advance in search of brighter dots again /🧵

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." Jobs forgot to add the corollary: you have to keep drawing the dots.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed my relationship with money. It used to enable me to fuck around and draw dots of the Jackson Pollock variety, but now I view it as an escape hatch to live life on my own terms, to have the freedom, even if temporary, to follow my curiosity.

The summer of quitting won't be dramatic: even burnt out techies flush with cash are still people who mostly operate in fear, myself included. What's helped with letting go is finding something I'd rather be doing with my time. An inkling, a sign of life beyond the mundanity.

I'm no stranger to leaps of faith but it's a muscle that has atrophied over time. Having a supportive partner helps (a lot). Stumbling upon @p_millerd's illustrious newsletter about the road less traveled in a time of existential languishing also helped. boundless.substack.com/p/100-we-need-…

I have no idea what's next, and that's by design. Here are some dots I want to explore drawing:
* making money online
* teaching people how to cook
* homesteading, now that I have a house
* building a local community in SLC
* writing for connection and catharsis

Shoutout to @Bazzaruto/@Jackie_Will14 for opening the door to a world I didn't know existed and the #ODCC1 fellows I've had the pleasure of meeting and being inspired by: @artlapinsch, @daeliro, @johnpinckard, @cahouser, @mariepoulin, @GregOnLock, @theyuanstudio, and more 🙏

Right now, I'm chasing a happy that has brought me a lot of joy and purpose over the last few years.

* I'm writing a weekly newsletter on living & cooking: lonelykitchen.substack.com

* I'm building an online course to help beginner cooks get started: lonelykitchen.ck.page

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