Excited but...

Well, I'm truly looking forward to our upcoming CD release, but recently life happened.

On Thursday I was laid-off (along with about 60 others) from my software company job. It was very sudden, and several of my senior managers also lost their positions. It was a very surreal experience and I can say it felt like a kick in the teeth. I was given some minor severance pay and the company is trying to help "transition" their former employees into postions with other companies. I was offered 2 jobs right away but we decided I'd give my audio/visual production company a little more attention and my wife will go back to work a little earlier instead of taking her whole maternity leave. So, I'll be happily at home with my daughter, working when I can, and enjoying living a little more frugally but having the freedom to not be controlled by a boss for a while.

It's definitely an adjustment.

Anyway, this extra time has already allowed me to get stuff done I couldn't with the 9-5 thing happening, so that's been good.

Now that I've been self employed for 4 years, then employed by a multinational corporation company for a year, I can say there are pros and cons to both.

Pros of being self employed: Manage your own time. Freedom to take vacations whenever you can.

Cons of being self employed: Sometimes don't know when the next money will come.

Pros of being employed by a multinational corporation: Steady pay, RRSP matching, on-site chef and gym, good atmosphere.

Cons of being employed by a multinational corporation: Have to answer to 10 different people. Very little vacation time. Can get laid-off without notice.

What I've learned about myself through the last 5 years:

I'm inherently lazy, except if it's something I'm passionate about - then I won't sleep and will work too much even.

I don't manage my time as well as I could. I'm getting better thanks to the corporation, so that'll help my own business.

I expect respect and give respect back. When you're self-employed, people respect you for the work you do and your entrepreneurial spirit. When you're employed with a corporation, people treat you based on your position... if you're a lackey, you get treated like one. If you're in middle management, you get treated like middle management.

I love music more than ever and love the thought of this situation giving me the time to build on my career as a musician.

I'm more afraid of being a stay-at-home dad than I am of working everyday for a corporation.

I'm a little miffed at the fact that some people don't think we're indie. I think we have less than 500 fans... That's not indie???

Hope to see you at the CD release. Holden