The READIN Family Album
Me and Sylvia, smiling for the camera (August 2005)

READIN

Jeremy's journal

Songs are just interesting things to do with the air.

Tom Waits


(This is a page from my archives)
Front page
More recent posts
Older posts
More posts about:
Curriculum Vitæ
Luthery
Woodworking
Projects

Archives index
Subscribe to RSS

This page renders best in Firefox (or Safari, or Chrome)

🦋 CV: entr'acte and reflections

A chapter of my and Ellen's life has closed; another will be opening in a few weeks. A little time to rest and prepare ourselves. Some reflections on where I've been and where I'm going.

I have been working as a computer programmer since May of 1994. I've been employed continuously over the past 27 years, with the exception of a month or so at the end of 2001, when Xyris Software downsized and let me go (with a generous severance package, no complaints). This past week I resigned from my current job (at Audible) and am not intending to work in software again. (Fingers crossed that it works out that way.)

This summer we will be leaving our home of 19 years in South Orange, and will make our way to Red Wing, MN, where I'll be studying violin repair and restoration at Minnesota State College Southeast's luthery program. At the end of the 1-year program I will seek employment with a violin shop or an orchestra, with the long-term goal of entering an apprenticeship with a luthier and starting my own business. Depending on how old and how skilled I am at that point, the business may be a violin repair shop, or may be an instrument-making pastime. The best-laid schemes of mice & men gang aft agley,/ an' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,/ for promis'd joy; and I'm open to things working out differently from the path I currently have in mind.

I've been dissatisfied with my career in programming for a long time, like 20 years give or take. I've been searching for a different path, and luthery seems like the right way. I've also been depressed, and in denial about being depressed, for a similar period; I've also been smoking weed pretty heavily, for a similar period. It's an open question which way the vector(s) of causation point(s), between drugs and depression and dissatisfaction with my career. (Maybe the arrow is tridirectional!) Over the past year I've been addressing all this with therapy and medication, and with not smoking grass, and with making plans. I'm feeling pretty good, compared to how I've been feeling for the past several years. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

posted afternoon of Wednesday, March 10th, 2021
➳ More posts about Curriculum Vitæ
➳ More posts about Luthery
➳ More posts about Woodworking
➳ More posts about Projects

Best of luck!

posted morning of March 23rd, 2021 by Randolph

Thanks, Randolph!

posted morning of March 23rd, 2021 by Jeremy Osner

Luthier. Now that's a word I did not know before, and I thought my command of English is fairly comprehensive.

As someone desperately unhappy in my current line of work (dentistry), and desperate to get out, I wish you much luck.

- you know me as Jihadi Colin from Comics Curmudgeon

posted morning of April 21st, 2021 by Biswapriya Purkayastha

Thanks Biswapriya, sorry to hear about your career woes and best wishes for a resolution.

posted morning of April 23rd, 2021 by The Modesto Kid

Respond:

Name:
E-mail:
(will not be displayed)
Link:
Remember info

Drop me a line! or, sign my Guestbook.
    •
Check out Ellen's writing at Patch.com.

Where to go from here...

Friends and Family
Programming
Texts
Music
Woodworking
Comix
Blogs
South Orange
readinsinglepost