Journal entry for August 29, 2001

Today's summary: Career planning, "For the Future -- and BEYOND!"

(cue dramatic 1950's style sci-fi music)

I have big plans today, but they're only indirectly art-related. I'm actually going to a meeting at work with our Division Director, who's also my professional mentor, and he wants to talk to me about my Plans for the Future. So I'm guessing he wants to keep me around and wants to know what kind of work arrangement would facilitate that long-term. Which would be cool, but also a little nerve wracking -- I don't want to be demanding.

I'm not at a point where I can make artwork and support myself full time. So, I need this in order to support my artwork... I also need a job with a lot of flexibility, in case I need to (for example) go to New York for a weekend. Besides, I'm going to have a kid at some point, too.

I'll write more later today, afterwards. I suppose there is a chance of somebody from my current job (I'm a contractor) seeing this journal entry and getting annoyed, but... I'd rather write about it than feel like I have to sneak around. It's not like there's anything wrong with discussing long-term career options with people.

(Time Passes)

We didn't actually talk much about my job at NIAID -- instead, he was suggesting I start to get to know some of the IMPAC app developers, once this fall's web deployment is out and I understand ColdFusion better. Sounded like a fine idea to me, and he gave me some names to keep in mind as people to "shadow" later on. Of course it also all depends on how things go this fall.