Joel Tosi
GeePawHillFriends...
On April 6,7,9 & 10, we will do another cohort of the Leading Technical Change seminar. The reason I'm letting you know now is that I believe this will be the last of these seminars I will lead.
Leading Technical Change Seminar
6 attendees,
4 sessions,
2 hours each,
1 topic:
Real Change In The Real World
The course is a true seminar, with myself as a facilitator. Attendees bring their real-life change challenges, and we'll work them together, as a group. There will be short lectures from me, but just short ones. Most of our time we'll be working together.
Short notice, but there are still available seats: https://www.geepawhill.org/courses/leading-technical-change/
Some of you may have noticed how very quiet I have been over the past year.
I have reached retirement age, and though I'm not quite done *yet*, I have been slowly transitioning to a much lower level of professional activity. By the end of 2026, I hope to be spending nearly all my time on joy: side projects, muses about random things, and my beloved Oxygen Not Included -- or whatever other gaming addiction I'm on by then.
(I will still be doing one-on-one or small-team consultations for the foreseeable, but only occasionally. Please feel free to reach out if you have a need.)
Retirement for me is a transition of highly mixed emotions.
Happy: I've lived through a truly golden age of computing, from 1980 to the present. I've had 45 great years, as programmer, teacher, consultant, and coach. I am proud of my professional career.
Sad: Age happens, and that's a drag, as my eyes, ears, knees, back, and mind all get rather creaky.
Happy: I will have more time for activity that *isn't* professional. I love my house and land and family and dogs. I get to just "go where the krill are," as my old friend & mentor Ron Jeffries says.
Sad: I will have less money.
Happy & Sad: I'm glad/sad to leave the trade that has meant so much to me right at the time the vibe-coding fad is destroying the few small corners of it that hadn't already become a shambles.
It's all a muddle, as you can see, and it's swirling me around literally minute to minute. That's okay: this, too, shall pass.
I will likely continue to write from time to time, but mostly just on mastodon, which is my real home these days.
And you can always reach me at [email protected]
Anyway, I want to tell you how very much y'all have meant to me over the years. Following my blog, coming to my classes, bringing me questions and complications, sharing the joy of being software geeks of all stripes. It's been a wonderful career, and my many friends and colleagues in the trade have been a huge part of my success.
With genuine love,
GeePaw
Matt Hall
Ville
Dragan Stepanović@GeePawHill Thank you for all the wisdom, care and soul you brought to our craft!
George Dinwiddie@GeePawHill Welcome to the sidelines!
Simon Rolfmore@GeePawHill I’m happy that you’ve defeated the final career boss: Mirror GeePaw.
It’s all optional from here on out, and that might well lead to something really amazing!
Roy
hsfear (he/him/his)@GeePawHill Congratulations on semi-retirement. I hope you find your way to as much happiness an meaning as you did in your trade days
As for all those aches and pains, they say no pain, no gain Just think about how much gain you must've had to have that much pain ;-) At least, that's my story.
Josh Lessard@GeePawHill Thank you for all the advice, wise words, and kindness over the years. I have learned so much from you, and I am unquestionably a better developer for having found your content.
Best wishes to you in your well-deserved retirement.
Harold Jarche@GeePawHill I am on a similar trajectory. I wish you well as we go into the sunset.
Christoph Begall@GeePawHill what is this and how can I take part? I am leading Technical Change…
@christophbegall The link is in the next reply, check it out.
Matti@GeePawHill I always wished I could've taken part in one of your seminars as I have absorbed a lot of your stuff you or others made available online. I am a little heartbroken that I'm unable to take part in the last one of these, but I’m happy for all the insight you've shared related to this for us who don’t have a budget for professional training.