[2023] Thoughts on being a Software Engineer
Being a software engineer is interesting because you begin to understand how businesses really operate. The entire world runs on code, and it’s not as stable or permanent as everyone takes it to be. More to come later on.
[2018] Thoughts on working in Film
It would be untruthful to call myself a filmmaker at this point.
In 2018 I made a career pivot. At the time, I was working as a local 52 union film electric contractor in New York City. I was not officially in the union, but I was regularly contracted to work on shows when someone dropped out (a surprisingly frequent occurrence).
The work was hard but rewarding. I would frequently work 12+ hour days, which added up when being paid hourly. I was mostly tasked with gathering equipment from the truck into a cart and wheeling it a few blocks away to where the shoot was taking place.
It felt silly doing this after having paid 4 years of tuition at NYU.
[2016] Thoughts on being a Filmmaker
Studying film at NYU was an opportunity to be surrounded by some of the most passionate people I have met on my life.
I spent almost every weekend working on a film set in addition to my classes.
I made a few films of my own, which I am mostly proud of.
Being a filmmaker was by far the hardest thing I have ever done, and rarely rewarding. In order to succeed in this field, you have to really love it.
[2014] Thoughts on being a Carnie
Working at an amusement part sounds like a good idea until you realize the biggest perk is being allowed to come say hi to your coworkers on your day off.
Also at the park I worked at, there was a hierarchy of the jobs. Ranked from coolest to least cool, it went: Rides, Food, Shops. I worked in the shops.
[2013] Thoughts on being a Zamboni driver
This was by far my favorite job, unfortunately it did not pay very well.
It was super intimidating at first but was easy to pick up. There was an optimal path to follow, and hitting the walls a little bit was not the end of the world. That being said, if I were to stop at any point while out on the ice, or hit the wall too hard - they would have to melt the ice around the blade to get the Zamboni unstuck, so I made sure never to do that.
There is a lot of precision in driving close enough to the edge to get the ice, which I feel like helped me be a better driver in general.
We also melted and re-iced the place once, which took days.
[2012] Thoughts on being a Library Assistant
I forgot her name, but the librarian (god rest her soul) was a woman who had completely dedicated her life to the joy and enrichment of the children who came to the library. If angels walked amongst us, they would treat her soul as equal.
My task was to sort books after people picked them off the shelf.
My most valuable lesson was how to sort things from A-Z relatively quickly and with minimal effort (binary search).
[2008] Thoughts on being a kid
Being a kid is fun because you can do whatever you want. Only catch is that everyone tells you what to do.