The year 2018 started a bit off for me. At the end of the third week, a project that I had been on since mid-October and for which I had left a job of 10 years was scaled back and I was no longer needed. A week later, I found myself unemployed and looking for another new opportunity.

February rolled in and soon a notice came from YouTube that my channel was going to get demonetized. No rules or community guidelines had been violated, I just didn’t have enough subscribers. Some friends tried to help me get over the 1,000 required limit, but it didn’t help. The deadline hit and I was no longer monetized.

March opened with me starting a new job. This was the biggest opportunity of my career and with a large employer. Developer friends of mine wished me luck and were surprised where I as going. There was some trepidation and misgivings, but it really seemed like the right and next step I needed to take. Time would tell, I told myself.

Time didn’t take long to start sending me signs my decision may not have been sound. Part of the time seemed receptive, part did not. My expectations and those of my boss didn’t jell. My first 90 days review did not go anywhere near what I thought it should. A few months later I was starting to second guess myself. Hold on for a year, then make a move. I didn’t get that chance and at 9 months, the ride was over.

One year. Two jobs lost. I turned 50 in the middle of the year. Was I getting too old to program? I didn’t know anything else. What was I going to do?

November was a lean month. One opportunity after another faded. Companies that had opportunities that were a better fit were slow in recruiting and the Thanksgiving holiday played into that. One company was a bit more aggressive and it was one with whom I had interviewed before, several years ago. It was less money than the last job, but it was much closer to what I wanted. I took it.

The year 2018 is closing much better than the start. My current job is more fulfilling than my last two and my opinion is far more respected and my experience has more weight. My coworkers are honestly open to my suggestions. I don’t always have the answer, but the discussion leads to the them.

I’m open to 2019 and what it will bring. I know there will be ups and downs. I’m more aligned with the Universe. Forward and onward.