The Impact of Blogging on My Life

For me blogging has had an impact in two significant ways.  First, as a blogger, blogging to me is a cathartic experience.  Sometimes when you see your words in print you find a new way to look at them, and other times the very act of getting the words out of your head is a cleansing experience itself.  Sometimes a comment from someone else is all you need to change your perspective.   Second, blogging has allowed me to find many other members of the tech community who both mirror and oppose my viewpoint.  Having so many people putting their real feelings and opinions online makes for a fascinating read, and offers perspectives that you could not get from any mainstream media outlet.  Full Disclosure: I still start my day with the newspaper (not the digital kind) and a cup of coffee.

I started blogging a long time ago but for the past half a decade, I had taken a break from blogging to focus on my career;  I was traveling around the world, and I just never seemed to have the time to dedicate to getting my thoughts out of my head.  About six months ago, I decided to leave my employer and put an end to what was, in reality, five solid years of traveling around the world, and return to San Diego to take some time off and focus on my MBA.  Well, the time off part was not entirely by choice, but hey that’s how it worked out and, it turns out, was a blessing in disguise, due to the increased course load last semester.

Upon my return to San Diego, I started searching for other blogs and tech community members, first to find out what was going on in the community and second to search for job leads.  Although I am a still searching for that “dare to be employed” opportunity, I gained something far greater.  As it turns out, San Diego has developed one of the most active tech communities this side of Silicon Valley, and very soon I found myself attending tweetups and geek bonfires, and other tech events.  I have had a great time getting to know many of the local and national technology celebrities that call San Diego home and I am continuously amazed at the level of community that I sense from almost everyone involved.

I realized that spending 5 years on the road had deprived me of a very important component in my life, a community of peers.  Through my return to the blogging community, I have found my community of peers and equals, some of whom have become friends not just within in the online community, but offline as well.