In the beginning...

Prison Break

Well I was totally wrong about what working as a professional engineer would be like. All those years of hard work and study were meant to pay off into something lucrative, fun and exciting. There have been moments of enjoyment, I do take pleasure in building stuff, but the majority of my career has been pretty bland. Crunching out calculations, following processes, and acting as a risk absorbing sponge for higher ups in the organisation.

Fuck that. 

I started plotting my escape long ago. I've also developed and employed some strategies to make survival more bearable in the meantime (ie I was in the prison, but I turned my cell into a nicely furnished apartment with a good view of the ocean). Now that I'm at a point where I have a) an alternative source of income and b) fuck you money, I feel obliged to share some of my tips, tricks, and strategies with the world. Some might work for you, some might not.

I'm also keen to point out the absolute bullshit in our industry, and how organisations that are supposed to represent and protect the engineering profession have failed miserably.

Some of you might be perfectly happy working fourteen hours a day for some faceless corporation (who actually owns most of the big boys now, think about it). You feel safe inside your bubble - good for you.

This is for the others. The others who look around the office and see a bunch of middle aged people with poor health, low energy, bad relationships and defeat in their eye. Who wants to turn out like that? This is for those who have woken up, and still have faith that there is something better for them out there. There is. 

Numero Ono - trust your gut.

Westy