…perhaps I’ll work for myself. With the thinking that goes along with changing jobs as I am, I’ve been contemplating my next move. Some people love technology for the sake of technology. I love technology because of the things it enables – the new ways of solving problems, the efficiencies added to inefficient processes. The technology is a compelling means to an end, something that I enjoy learning in order to get the job done efficiently.

So why not work my way up the food chain into a leadership role in a company? Well, that option’s certainly on the table, especially at my new job. Small, growing companies can offer incredible opportunities for accelerated growth and strong input into the company’s vision. But I’m a strong proponent of maximizing the available options, maximizing options is one reason I’m changing jobs – broadening my skill set for the unknown future. Giving 100% of your effort and time to your job is critical while you’re at work, but if that’s your only career focus, you won’t be ready for that next step. The next step forward could be back to the company I’m leaving, applying the expertise I’ll be developing in scalability to their new order management system, it could be at any number of Atlanta’s Fortune 500 or even 100 companies, it could be in destroying the incremental cost of developing new web sites and back office systems for small business with Tailored Technologies, a venture my bold friend Stuart will be devoting some of his time to as he chooses to leave a guaranteed paycheck behind and build the businesses he believes in.

What really gets my blood pumping is solving problems with technology, preferably big problems that relate to my interests. What interests me? Music, Christianity, stewardship, distribution networks, and Yuengling, to name a few things. Without tipping my hand too far, I’ll simply say that I have a few passionate ideas in these areas that I’m looking to pursue. I’d love to turn something up, in the spirit of The Bootstrapper’s Bible, and have it succeed at least enough to make it my day job. But why stop there? Some of the ideas are revolutionary, paradigm changing – so much so that they would be considered improbable if not impossible – too challenging to existing traditions and habits. But who would ever think that people would buy books from a place where they can’t skim the introduction to see if they want it (until recently), or buy trinkets in an auction from a complete stranger. There’s plenty of interesting problems yet to solve with technology. Why not make a living from it?