I haven’t liked Blink 182 since I was in high school.
posted by Norm on January 17th, 2008 • filed under Introspection, Life, MovingThings are pretty much packed up now, needing only to be loaded onto the U-Haul truck I’ll be picking up in an hour or so. Interestingly, there’s a combination of excitement and trepidation as my official “moving day” approaches. I’ve been convinced for more than a year that leaving Michigan is the Right Call when it comes to pursuing my projected career path and opening up new horizons. It’s equal parts pragmatism and idealism – obviously there’s hardly any game industry presence in this state, which is a big factor. But there’s also a sense that leaving what I know behind will, in some ineffable fashion, bring up new challenges and opportunities that I might not even realize exist right now.
Of course, until recently that was all theory. Now I’ve got to actually make the move and, perhaps more importantly, leave behind the comfort zone of familiarity. Close friends that I’ve known for years will stay behind, and though this sort of thing has been the case ever since I started college at MTU (and studied abroad in Japan, for that matter!) this time it feels different. With school and with Japan there was always the background knowledge that I would be returning to the Novi area for a summer, or for long holidays, or whatever, and that things would, if only for a few weeks, return to old-fashioned normalcy.
I’m not afraid or even worried, at least not in the traditional sense, but then the feelings themselves are tough to pin down. Soon I’ll be in a new city and a new state, working a new job in an industry I probably don’t know as well as I think I do and performing a task for which I’m almost certainly not as prepared as I think I am.
I guess this is growing up.
I am now in the wayback m/c almost 27 years ago, feeling the same emotions you are. The world is opening up and life is waiting for you. I’m excited for you just reading your post. I found out from a friend that your Grandmother cried when I moved (from joy or sorrow, I don’t know), so be sensitive to your Mom. Your Grandmother is already threatening to come out to see you to go spelunking and see the Indian mounds that are somewhere near you. Be careful in your travels and may the force be with you!
I know those exact feelings. I was in Dallas for an interview for a day, and although it’s a big city, I felt a million miles away from anything familiar. It is for that reason that I prefer to look around the Southeastern Wisconsin area for work. For me it’s not the family that ties me here. It’s not even my friends. I think it’s the experiences. I can be happy here, playing in my bands, or with my hockey team, or brewing beer with my dad. I’m positive I’d be happy anywhere else if I were in the game development industry, but after work I’d get home to that empty apartment and reflect on everything I had to give up, and question myself if it was worth it. It took a long time to build the relationships you have now. Over time you’ll have a new set of experiences, and friends to share them with, and you’ll always keep a few people close to you. I’ve personally had three “phases” of friends, but there are always a few who I’ve kept close, while others I let slip away as I close another chapter of my life. And don’t be worried about starting a new job. My number one fear was that I’d be immediately thrown into a situation where I wouldn’t know what to do. I think most places know this, and only give you what you can handle.