A glass half-full of new wine

A while back, I encountered a former business associate at a coffee shop and explained to her that I was embarking upon a career change. She told me I was overdue - on average, she said, people change careers every seven years.

Seven years - is that all? It's probably going to take me seven years to stop viewing the world through technical-writer-colored glasses. Navigating the intricacies of the red tape surrounding the training program I'm in, I've been documenting and reporting what it's taken to get things done. Looking through my new Cisco networking book today, my mental editor had her blue pencil out. Even so, I was a lot more mentally engaged with the idea of scoring a free motherboard. This tells me my mind-set is starting to move.

I'm still getting inquiries about my technical writing services from potential clients, some of whom seem intrigued at the idea of a technical writer with IT chops. For all I know, this may be less a career change than a specialization. But I'm excited about the possibility of doing something totally other than writing for a living.

The future looks frightening when you look forward and see only a wall; but when you look forward and see a multitude of paths, it's hard to be anything but optimistic.