i have come to realize that a steady career in any single field, position or company just is not right for me. there always seems to be at least ten other things i would like to be doing all at the same time, but i am frustrated by the feeling that there never is enough time in a day (day not really being literal here). i have no interest in working for large firms or corporations as it severely limits creative potential and flexibility, that is unless you are at the top of the food chain within those firms. working in much smaller teams no greater than fifteen is much more preferable especially in a creative field.
so what about this piece of paper i have after going through six and a half years of college? don’t get me wrong, i highly value my architectural education and degree that i have received, not to mention all the things i learned and experienced and friends i made along the way. those are probably more valuable to me than that piece of paper. however, leading up to my college graduation and especially thereafter, i began to feel lost and uncertain as to what i wanted exactly. most of my classmates were quickly nailing down positions with various architecture firms across the country, but i knew this was not really what i wanted at this point in my life. i wanted more. i needed more. i longed for more. so what was this that i really wanted? i wasn’t sure then, and still am not 100% sure now though the answers are beginning to take shape as time progresses.
so i really do enjoy what i do now and where i’m at. there is great potential where this path is headed, but it all depends on what my desires happen to be or how they evolve over time that determines which benefits i am able to encounter. i feel that i have greater creative flexibility and potential now than i know i would have working at a medium or larger firm. plus, my highly independent and entrepreneurial spirit simply feels claustrophobic and trapped with such a predictable daily routine that a corporate job offers. i don’t like predictability. i like how none of my days are really the same… how i am able to enjoy other passions in life alongside work… how i am not a slave to my job or place of employment like so many people are. i don’t like having one job title, one career or one task or series of tasks that i perform every day.
when i explain what i currently do and have done, some people tell me that it’s like being a ‘renaissance man’ of sorts. why? well to start with i have a degree in architecture and have several years of experience working in the field already. then there’s what i am currently doing, which is more interactive development, programming and graphic design. i’m in the process of teaching myself japanese with other languages to follow. photography and audio mixing/production are just now beginning to get into the mix more (hopefully much more as time progresses). then later on there’s video production. oh, and i’m currently doing research for my manifestation i will start writing this summer, which will examine the future of urban10 and what it to become.
there is too much out there to experience, learn and absorb to be so restrictive for the sake of money or one’s career. money may be important to some people, that’s fine. but how many of those who hold jobs simply for the sake of money are truly happy? so by freelancing i may not have the job security that others may have. but, i enjoy the randomness, independent and dynamic nature of my life too much to seek otherwise. so what will tomorrow bring? i don’t have the slightest idea…