My old day job was IT management consultant across many specializations. Project management, software development life cycle design, configuration management, quality assurance, deployment and support, technical services and infrastructure, business continuity planning and management, IT management training, system and application training, software development process design and training, IT business process design and training, and I've held a directorship for an IT consulting firm.
[SOB STORY]
In 2006, I was diagnosed with severe cervical radiculopathy. In addition to the damage caused by vertebral discs C5/C6 and C6/C7, a bone overgrowth in the area of C6 and C7 had caused gradual, continual damage over an unknown period of years to the bundle of nerve tissue which traversed from my spinal cord to my left shoulder, arm and hand. Right down to the fingertips. It crushed it, essentially, and rendered me disabled, which I've been ever since.
A 2006 discectomy and level 2 fusion of C5/C6 and C6/C7 with cadaver bone stopped the nerves from being damaged any further, and the application of a titanium plate and six titanium screws to C5, C6 and C7 literally holds my neck together. A following surgery in 2007 extended the level of bone removal in the C6/C7 area which had originally affected the aforementioned nerve bundle. Even after the two surgeries, several nerve blocks and several other various procedures, I've remained unable to travel, drive, work, and sometimes even move.
Only if my writing takes off and I can make money doing it will I have any reasonable hope of a working career again.
[/SOB STORY]
OK, enough of that. A small bit of my sob story was only necessary to associate why my day job - and my ability to have a day job - disappeared almost eight years ago. Now, on to happier things...
A bit of background regarding my previous day jobs. Before I became an IT professional in 1991, I had worked as a star show operator at a planetarium and as an observatory guide (began that one at age 11), boy's and men's underwear folder at a now-defunct department store, sporting goods department supervisor at another now-defunct department store, porter at an auto dealership, auto mechanic, manager of an auto shop (at age 18), carpenter in residential construction, plumber's assistant (dirty, dirty, dirrrty job, that one was), handyman and horse trainer/caretaker at a horse ranch (hard work, but also particularly enjoyable), Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman (that one lasted two weeks) and Pontiac/Porsche/Audi salesman (that one lasted four weeks; just not a salesman).
I have traveled and lived all over the U.S. over the course of the last 23 years. I've met, befriended, cared for, protected, seduced, loved, married and divorced thousands of great people all over the country. I loved traveling and moving around and meeting new people and exploring new places. I'll always cherish that part of my life.
When I'm able to function better and can travel again, I want to move out west. I want to live in a place I know well and love unequivocally. I want to live there and have my day job be writing and publishing novels and short stories. Having visited or lived in approximately thirty U.S. states over all, I know just where that will be.
I'm goin' back to Cali. Cali. Cali. I'm goin' back to Cali.
(This is often what happens when you ask me a simple question. You get a book.)