Will blog for food
Maybe the title should be "Will blog for coffee" since I’ve got the mobile office visiting a brand new Starbucks today; I’m at the Lansdale, PA coffeehouse testing the WiFi. Unlike James’ recent experience, no salsa music here. I’d call it some type of world-beat music but I listen to Country and New Age, so what would I know? 
I suppose it’s time to come clean as I’ve received a number of e-mails asking what I’m up to. Some recent reader comments asking about my mobile movement have elicited nothing but pithy responses from me, but I strongly believe in transparency, so let me explain the post title and get you all up to date.
My Twitter friends have known this for a few weeks, but for better or worse, I’ve left my 15-year career in Information Technology. Over the years, I was graced with a lucrative salary working on various projects for companies like EDS, General Motors and most recently, Aetna. We’ll keep the numbers out of this but I can tell you that based on the small amount of advertising and affiliate revenues we get here, I’ve effectively taken a 90% cut in salary. Crazy? Perhaps. Have I given it a second thought since I left the corporate world earlier this month. Not once.
For too many years, I’ve gone through the motions at work. At first, it was exciting and fun but as I moved up and down the corporate ladder, it became abundantly clear that I wanted out. If your profession isn’t enjoyable you’ll eventually burn out and walk away as a husk of a person; nothing inside regardless of how much money you did or didn’t make. In the end, I believe in taking one day at a time; enjoying that day to the fullest. That’s why two years ago, Barbara and I made a two year plan to get me to this point. I’m happy to say two years later, I’m there.
How long will I do this? Good question. I’ve built up some savings and I have a wealth of support from Barbara as I try to give this a go, but there’s a limit to the timetable. It’s not relevant to this discussion to say how long that is because there are so many variables, but there is a timetable for me to make this work. To do that, I’ll continue blogging here; hopefully more than I have in the past. The new freedom should provide more time for original content which I think is the backbone of any writing medium. Sure, we try to keep you up to date on the mobile tech news and even tell you how we think it will impact you, but original content is important too.
I’ll also be looking to do more print magazine articles; the feelers are out there, but unfortunately, no responses yet. We’ve also got some secret projects going on here; if they pan out, we’ll be sure to share the news with you. You might have also noticed a few changes here and there at jkOnTheRun; just last night we added links to the five most recent stories on every individual post page. While our regular readers scour every bit from our front page (and we love that you do!), a large number of visitors find us via search engines and therefore go a specific post page. This new feature helps let them see that we’ve got other content they might benefit from.
Who knows if this will work out? Not me, but I’m enjoying today: using mobile tech to write about a subject I’m passionate about. Hopefully, you’re enjoying it too. I do know this: it has always been and will always be a privilege to write for you: the readers. Passion for a topic is essentially wasted if there’s nobody to share it with. I’ll continue to share it with you each day while learning more from you than you from me.
Wow, double coffee break today as I was writing one at the same time you were.
Wow, so you are now a full time blogger. I wish you the best. I still dream of the day I don’t have to go to work 9-6 and commute one and a half hours. Congrats and have fun.
Good luck, Kevin!
Kevin, this post from you is triggering something sensitive in me. I understand fully your decision as I come from the same path. I have been a programmer many years ago and started up in the corporate life. I came to a point where I loathed work and it was all downhill from there. Before things got ugly, I got out of there and went back to the University. Today, I am an academic researcher and it’s a blast! The PhD was not exactly a walk in the park but its done and was extremely enlightening. It’s our lives and we need to do with it what we want.
Your decision is something to be admired!
Have fun, Kevin!!
Great stuff! I was curious to hear more about know how you got to the point of being able to quit your job without being all, “How will I be able to pay my bills now??”
That’s pretty significant, since this move was 2 years in the making. What an achievement! It’s also smart to put a timeline on making this work so that you kind of have a good “exit strategy” if things don’t pan out as well as you would have hoped. I hope that it does work out for you; you seem a lot happier. And by that, I mean, there are no more tweets that say something like, “I’m at another pointless 2-hour meeting!” 
This is inspiring. Perhaps I should work on my 2-year plan to get out of the rat race.
BTW, have you read that new book floating around, The 4-Hour Work Week? I’m interested in picking it up, but I want to find an e-book version. 
That’s great you made your goal, wish you the best.
I work for GM also, not the Tech side I’m farther down the food chain (a line worker). The last year I’ve been running a fork lift and only have five years to go to hit the 30 year mark and hopefully retire.
Cheryl, I have just started reading the 4 hour work week myself. It’s started out really good but I’m not far enough into it yet to quit working.
You’re a good egg Kevin! Good luck and if you’re ever in the Lancaster/Etown/Hershey area let me know. Always up for a coffee break.
Congrats Kevin!
I took the same decision a year ago. I do feel a lot better since I’m on my own! Even with a lot less money that use to have.
Just like you’ I’m lucky enough to have a supporting wife!
Keep up the good work!
Stephane
Good luck and congrats
I have to say there is something very strange about coming to JKOnTheRun. James and Kevin both speak the same language as I do about tech, mobile lifestyle, gadgets and the sort. But not just that.
A lot of my buying decisions have been heavily influenced by both of you – I bought a Q1 the first time I had one in my hands based on the posts here. I now also use a P1610 and bluetooth mouse. All because of the continuous posts here about how good it was.
But this post is on another level. Kevin, once again I find my life in a similar position to yours. My employer is closing where I work and I have a chance to move with them if I like a life on the road. So yes, I will be truely mobile and I am well ready for that as I guess most of us here are. However I’m not sure if that is a life I want so a month ago my own business finally went live, something I had been planning to do for ten years but had always put off.
So I am in a lucky position I suppose. I can follow my employer and continue to be paid well enough that my wife doesn’t have to work, my two children have all that they need and we have a house that we are all happy in and can live in for a long time. My employer is also so keen to keep me they are proposing a two year sub-contract to give me a chance to see how it goes which I can terminate and be made redundant every six months. So I also can put in place literally a two year plan as you have. Or I can leave the company when they close the building I am based in, be made redundant and go it alone, drive my small business on and hope to get enough back that my family can continue to live as they are and I can be out of the corporate life.
I’m really glad you made this decision as it’s obviously the right decision for you. I’m still making my decision and it’s a real difficult one to make. Good luck Kevin, truely good luck. I hope this really works out for you.
(I have to say that is the most personal detail I have ever put in a post and I hope everyone is ok with it. I don’t get personal very often but this post touched me and it’s been nice to ‘talk’ to someone away from my family about the choice I have to make.)
Andrew, that is a great position to be in to determine what’s best for you and your family. Good luck to you in your mobile ventures.
All credit to you Kevin for taking the brave step many would like to but won’t (for whatever reasons).
I know about a job that grinds one down. I was once in a job that led to my running myself down to where I developed double pneumonia, twice, in succeeding years.
Every good wish for the most successful of futures.