Quick Update

We haven’t chatted about work in a while so I figured I’d clue you in.Last week was one of those critical mass weeks where a number of projects finally got done. None of them were started and finished last week, but they were done in bits and pieces, and just by chance they got wrapped.So, last week I managed to complete my article for Fairfield Magazine and my essay for BenBella. I also did my two usual Weekly World News pieces and then was asked for a third. In many ways, these unexpected pieces are the most enjoyable in that I get a line or two, or even just a headline, and then have to come up with a story, plausible in its grounding but over-the-top in its execution. With each one, I’m getting a little more comfortable.Meantime, I also conducted a number of interviews for my book for Cutting Edge Careers: Artificial Intelligence. The book will be made up, primarily, of fresh interviews with people holding AI jobs in different fields. It turns out there are few primary sources to gather information on careers in the discipline. Thanks to regular reader Tom Galloway, he’s helped me get in touch with people and one has been so gung ho, he’s put me in touch with others. I have two more interviews, at least, to conduct this week.Still to come, there’s a bunch of irons in the fire, some taking longer to heat than I’ve expected. And a few things have been delivered for months now but my various editors have been mum so I can’t tell if I need time for rewriting.Looking over my log, I’m very pleased by the breadth of material I have tackled and the larger-than-normal number of places I have landed work. During those times when I had a day job, you know like most of my adult life, I could only manage one or two projects at a time.Now, I find I need to strike a regular balance between job hunting, freelance assignment hunting and actually doing the work I’ve netted. Then there’s the issue of over committing – I’d hate to keep accepting work then have one of my irons actually come out of the fire and demand attention that complicates the schedule. It’s certainly a learning process. Fortunately, I have other fulltime freelancers I can turn to for advice.This does not mean, in any way, that I have stopped job hunting. However, it’s been a slow process and the interviews few and far between. I still think I can make my best contribution as a guy on someone’s staff since I so enjoy the collaborative environment. Everyone keeps telling me this has happened for a reason, and I will be happy whenever I land, but that it will take time.Fortunately, I keep finding interesting ways to fill that time.