I Bet You’re Wondering How We Got Here…
Recap / TLDR
- I worked Help Desk for 15 years, disliking it greatly the whole time, but stuck in complacency and fear.
- Finally decided to suck it up and try something new, then COVID!
- Said “Screw it! We’re doing it anyways” and participated in a coding bootcamp.
- Finally landed my first legit role as a Junior Developer.
- Company restructuring restructured me out of a job.
- Time to hit the pavement and look for another job.
Now What Am I Doing
Losing a job is rough. Losing the first job I actually truly loved, more so. I am at an age where I can look at the situation and understand why it happened, but it still sucks. So it’s back to the drawing board. Time to apply for unemployment benefits, like there’s enough money in that to actually pay bills. Time to reach out to my network of friends, colleagues and recruiters. Time to expand that network to improve my chances. Time to submit applications like it’s a non-stop and fun-filled hobby, hoping I don’t fall into the trap that so many others fall into where I submit 1000 appliations over 6 months with nary a callback or interview. Or if there is an interview, I’m not left hanging or dragged through a months long interview process. At my age, this is incredibly fear-inducing. Will I actually find another job in software/web development or will I have to change career fields yet again? Will my next job afford me at least enough money to pay bills, let alone live comfortably?
One trap I have fallen in, and apparently it’s quite common with developers, I have started multiple projects and uploaded them to github. I’d actually like to see a few become fully realized at some point. I don’t mind keeping busy as it helps me expand my worth, add more skills to help me become more marketable for employment.
My next project, which I have been thinking about for a while, is building a homelab media server. I’ve commandeered my wife’s Dell Inspiron laptop to begin this project. Don’t worry, she was adequately compensated with a new MacBook Air for her troubles. SMILES
Steps I’m Taking To Build A Homelab Media Server
- Upgrade internal hardware components:
- Optane module to NVMe SSD
- Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card
- Add more RAM
- Add additional SATA SSD storage
- Migrate to a Linux OS. Either Ubuntu or Mint
- Install and configure Proxmox
- Build my own media app and accompanying database and other components as opposed to using Jellyfin or Plex
- Given the sheer complexity of this side quest, I may cave and just use Plex or Jellyfin initially to get things running. Then maybe commit myself to months of hell trying to reproduce/develop my own thing
Who What Where When Why and How?
Why do I want to do this?
- Because I want to.
- Because I want to feel both really smart and cool… and really dumb and overwhelmed.
- It looks good on a resume.
- What else am I going to do with all this unemployed free time?
What am I hoping to get out of this?
- Knowledge and skill sets I did not previously have.
- The beginnings of a central hub of connected home services so that I don’t have to pay for subscription services and risk my blood type and investment portfolio getting into the hands of foreign princes and call centers.
Who, Where, When, How… Honestly, I am doing this for all the reasons and none at all. It popped in my head. About the only thing slowing me down at all, financial cost. And because I know this will go nowhere, I’m going to stab in the dark and say…
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