From CodingHorror.com : Should programmers be “mathematically inclined”?

Came across this article while perusing the CodingHorror blog today. Quite interesting read, too. You should read this one if you’re in the same line of work as I am

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001249.html

Alternative Jobs for Programmers

Ever wondered what you’d be if you weren’t a programmer? If all went well and my dream of becoming a professional musician came true, I wouldn’t be churning code all day long.

Check out this great discussion http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?AlternativeJobsForProgrammers

Cleaning up, updates and then some.

Not so much happening these past few months (aside from work, that is). Been trying to go on that roadtrip to “somewhere” but can’t seem to:
a. Find the time
b. Pry myself from work (I’m a closet workaholic )
c. Decide where I’m going to in the first place

My first thought of a good destination is Baguio. The last time I went there was about 17 years ago (1992-199?) right after Mt. Pinatubo’s wake. The trip was like crossing a barren “white desert” (remember lahar?).

Hopefully this week won’t be as busy as the last so I can squeeze in some bit of downtime when the weekend comes (no laptop, no internet, no TV!)

How the US economic downturn is affecting me

I just got back from schooling this semester and I am now about to get back to freelance work again, after not working for almost 5 months. Before I went back to school I told my clients that I’d be open for any jobs and projects after the semester. I needed to recoup my resources.

Of course, that was BEFORE we actually felt the impact of the recession here. 5 months later, it’s as if somebody dropped a nuke and dead silence reigned in its wake. Suddenly emails weren’t getting replied to, job offers stopped coming in, and noticeably some US contacts on my YM list have gone gray and often offline. Understandably the crisis has gotten everyone in America on their toes and scrambling. Being based here in the Philippines, I can tell the outsourcing industry is facing a tough problem right now, especially if your clients are based in the US.

Read more about the US recession from a regular person’s point of view here.

A fresh start

I’m doing some numbers on my head right now. How long has it been? When was the last time I actually sat down and blogged away like crazy? I could hardly call my last entry as something “blog-worthy”; more like a quick memo similar to “Out to lunch” or “On leave”. Didn’t really say that much.

Okay, it’s been months, and a lot of things have transpired since then: school, family issues, losing my freelance stint and a host of others. I was actually out of the loop work-wise, since I’ve been mainly focused on the “aforementioned” factors. I found some time to reflect over a lot of things: my career path, my vocation, where I’m going to be in the next couple of years, and my personal well-being. Mulling over these gave me a new perspective on a lot of things. It helps when you try and “defrag” yourself a bit because it gives you a sense of direction on where you want to go.

Anyway, having said all that I figured I need to make some changes to everything that I am used to. I also realized that I’ve been barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. It’s time for a fresh start.