September 2023:
Currently employed as a Software Engineer at TrellisWare Technologies in my hometown of San Diego, California. When I'm not at my desk, you can often find me gardening, biking, backpacking, rock climbing, and working on old engines as much as possible.
Goals I'm currently working towards:
Start a small business in 2024
In November of last year, I purchased a 1971 Honda CL350 somewhat on a whim. Since then, I have had a fantastic time learning how to refurbish almost every component of the bike. This journey has included cracking open the engine and performing a top-end rebuild, relying on information from new friends, books, and YouTube.
I've discovered that I genuinely enjoy this work and have even contemplated the idea of starting a small business centered around buying, restoring, and selling vintage motorcycles out of my garage. Given the current economic situation that most of us are facing, having a side gig that not only helps me acquire valuable skills and connect with a community but also generates some extra income seems increasingly worthwhile - approaching necessary.
Own property by 2025
Unfortunately, this goal has been pushed further into the future than I would have preferred. The original target year was 2021. In the early months of 2021, we had enough savings for a down payment, but we hesitated to take the plunge due to our perception at the time. We believed that the housing market was already quite high due to the circumstances surrounding the pandemic and couldn't possibly increase any further.
Fast forward two years, and the price of a single-family home in the San Diego area has risen by nearly 50%, with interest rates climbing from 2.5% to almost 8%. Given these two factors, the likelihood of me having the purchasing power to afford even a modest home in this area is now highly improbable. A more likely scenario involves relocating to an area with more affordable housing options and transitioning to a fully remote position. However, this alternative comes with a significantly more complex set of considerations.
This page was inspired by nownownow.com.