I remember the last recession clearly. I arrived back home after living in Italy to cheap rents and a San Francisco that felt very empty. I found a huge room in Cole Valley with a hot tub and garden for $600 a month. I thought that was expensive at the time in the Winter of 2002.
Here’s the run down:
- 2002 – I spent this year re-adjusting to being back in San Francisco. I felt alienated. When I arrived to Italy, the first person to greet me was a beautiful woman who said, “Good Evening, can I help you? Are you lost?” When I came back to the good ol’ US of A, and greeted the first person I saw, her response was a rude, “Who are you? Do I know you?”
- 2003 – I cashed out a good chunk of my savings. I spent a year learning ancient Greek and studying philosophy. What I got out of that study was how beautiful and enough philosophy is, and that at the same time the world is so indifferent to such beauty. I really wanted to be some gal’s boyfriend at this time because I could use a good portion of my free time to help her out. I hit a low point employment-wise when I was stacking candles at Planet Weavers. When the money ran out, I barely had enough to eat. However, thanks to a few good people, I started getting odds and ends tech jobs. The best thing is that I found out my natural work and sleep schedule. My body likes to work at 9am and sleep at 1am.
- 2004 – I started to see more and more tech jobs. I began to see the blossoming of a social life I never thought possible. I went out on a lot of dates this year, and I’m still friends with the women I’ve dated from this time.
- 2005 – I really feel that this year was the worst and the best. I really believed in the whole Web 2.0 thing, but I found that caused a lot of conflict with some of the folks I was working with. I learned that if you’re gonna go cutting edge, it’s gonna shake your world. I lost a lot of old friends because of Web 2.0 ambitions, but I gained a few new ones. It was worth it.
Although I had the chance to take a full-time job in 2003, I stayed lean and focused on learning Web 2.0 technology until I could work for the Web 2.0 site that I wanted to in 2006.
It’s strange looking back on those times. I know I’ve changed a lot, but *some* of the very people who have helped me have not. I have tried to help these in whatever way I can, but they all just seem stuck. Then there are others who have helped me and I have helped and they’re not stuck. They’re thriving. Will they continue to thrive?
Take aways: Use an economic down-turn as an opportunity to find out who you really are. I’ve worked with so many people who were just in it for the money and not real geeks at heart. Steer clear of these people, because they are toxic from getting involved with the wrong technologies for the wrong reasons.