About half a year ago I decided to leave my research position at the university and look for new adventures: life is too short to do things which you don’t enjoy.
In the past few months I’ve spent time traveling, read a pile of books and started swimming again. Work-wise, I’ve been talking to a couple of very nice companies, but unfortunately most of them proved to be impossible due to my inability to relocate (at least for now).
In the end, I ended up with not just one, but two new adventures:
- Wondergraphs: I’ve joined Wondergraphs, a start-up based in Leuven which is building a cool product around data analysis and data visualisation. A nice combination of tough engineering and user experience design work.
- Flow Pilots: Together with Jan Van de Poel (who was my teammate during my internship at IBM) I’ve founded Flow Pilots, a creative agency that designs and builds innovative web and mobile applications.
Life is definitely different now compared to back when I was working on a PhD. I’m definitely doing a lot more hands-on work, which can be hectic, bus is delightfully fast-pace. I’m also doing loads of design work which is a nice balancer for the analytical work that’s software development. And I’m learning a ton about running and developing a business. Considering all this, I’m happy to say that the decision I made six months ago was a good one.
Do what you love doing in life. It’s a crazy ride, so remember to have fun along the way!
Winni
“Do what you love doing in life.”
Yes, that is the best advice. But the problems begin when it’s hard to make a living with the things that you really love and when you have to do something else instead to put food on the table.
But it’s always great to read when somebody is lucky enough to get to do what he/she really loves doing!
All the best wishes,
Winni