Day -2 (All over again)

Let’s do this again (MRW a month goes by without blogging)

Unemployment.

For the third time in a row, I’ll start a blog post with the foremost thing on my mind: having no job. Most well-meaning people will say “Finding a job is a full-time job”. And I don’t dispute that at all. Refreshing skills and knowledge in preparation for the next interview, scouring listings for potential roles, crafting outstanding cover letters for each one, and maintaining self-care routines - on a daily basis these are all things that will take a bite out of 24 hours in a day. It’s actually more exhausting than a job because there is the constant strain of wondering “is this enough, should I be doing more”.

For me, it’s not enough. Here’s my more.

While I was working, the 100 Days of Code challenge was meant to stretch my skills beyond the day-to-day stuff I was doing for my employer. With no employer, and no day-to-day coding obligations, I’m finding the access to accountability limited. There’s no daily scrum, no stand-up. There’s no sprint deadline. There’s no one out there waiting for me to produce something. And - truthfully - if it’s left up to me, I would sit on my lumpy butt all day and watch Netflix. Really.

So, in addition to the usual stuff unemployed people do to find a new role, I’m going to do this. I need to do this. It’s way over due, past time to do more than a toy problem or two every day.

Today is blog and setup day. Tomorrow there is a long interview in the middle of the day (prep, commute, sweat, answer questions, sweat, commute). Friday will be Day 1 of my newest 100 Days of Code Challenge.