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The Well-Rounded Technologist

My friend Robert Pitts tweeted this last night:

and I wanted to post it here because it is very fucking good advice. Beyond the obvious message that contained, that we should not be defined by our jobs, I also contend that in order to be both successful and happy, you absolutely must have something else.

I’ve been having a lot of fun and success the last year or two writing and speaking about technology, and I firmly believe that the only thing that makes me an entertaining and interesting speaker is that I’ve seen other things. In terms of work, I’ve been a video store employee, run a concession stand at a public beach, taught Middle School and high school, and been a gallery assistant. But that’s not very exciting, is it?

In terms of my personal life, I have a wife and two children, I’ve dedicated years to learning and playing music and have been lucky enough to play for audiences all over the US and Europe. I read Science Fiction, study subcultures of all varieties, and generally just try to keep my head above the water, to make sure that all of my perceptions aren’t colored by the lenses of being just another person in technology.

Our culture, as people in technology, has been plagued by problems with diversity, economic inequality, and stagnant innovation. Perhaps if we show more of ourselves, remember that we are more than employable, more than productive, excited about more than the latest tech, than we can start to steer this ship in a better direction.

P.S. In the spirit of this post, I shouldn’t only link to Rob’s technical blog. He’s also a musician and his music can be found on Soundcloud.