My First Post 🎉

Here's the first post, and I'll never have to write one ever again!

But it doesn't mean that I won't have other things to write.

TL:DR;

I chose an awful time to come back to the UK to change career paths after spending three years abroad. 2020 meant to be new employment, and then COVID-19 hit!

Back in 2011, I wanted to be a photographer because that's what I loved doing. I loved capturing moments and preserving them endlessly. However, what I loved doing (The old stuff with raw chemicals and wooden boxes) was a very niche market that didn't even inspire my tutors at University. Resources dwindled, and I slumped into my temporary bar job that turned into a full-time position, eventually turning into being part of the management team. Fast forward to 2016 and a said f*k it to the wind and went travelling with the money I had a single backpack that was 60% camera. A year later, I did a TEFL course and started teaching in Asia for two years to sustain a life in an atmosphere that was unapologetic 'no-expectations' & multi-cultural by default.

Some people thrive on that ladder of expectations and constantly unobtainable bar; I wasn't one of those at the time. The UK atmosphere at the time was to constantly side-hustle and over-work in a home that was falling apart but paid top-dollar for it. I'm sure a lot of places still are, but while travelling and trying my best to integrate locally, I found that it didn't have to be that way.

Aside: I'm a person that like to quantify changes or results, think of it akin performance testing or sanity-checking the effort vs result. I'm genuinely curious if learning languages or immersing yourself in other cultures re-wires your brain. I've found that I think very differently after this experience abroad.

I left China at the end of August '19, which wasn't perfect timing for me. However the country had gotten more hostile of foreign influence, and I'm sure everyone has seen some form of a headline about it over the past twelve months. Saved some money, visited a couple of places in Europe and spent the next few months finishing up the learning that I thought would be beneficial for the leap into Web Development. Something I had planned since 2017-2018. Well. That was the plan anyway.

So, after re-adjusting to the new situation over here, I've started again with learning industry demands, making comprehensive documents (I <3 well-written Documentation) and I'm going to try at-least to start giving back to the communities that have given so much already.