Surprise Retirement

Architekwiki started out as a hobby in the spring of 2012. The economy was furnishing quite a lot of free time. I had worked on the development of four other websites so I knew how I wanted to build this one with Weebly.

In early October 2012, I had the site up and running and began posting blogs on WIKI, adding BLOG posts a month later with this one ( http://www.architekwiki.com/4/post/2012/11/beginnings.html ) and started the DETAILS posts in January 2013.

By the end of the 2012 summer we closed the office to escape overhead and worked from home. There were just two of us by then. We had very little work and prospects of less. By April of 2013, I realized, “I guess I’m retired.” I had been denying the reality for over six months. I hadn’t planned to retire. As owner of the firm I expected to keep working into my 70s or 80s.

Now, it turns out that I just might do that, only as a part time blogger rather than as an architect.

The most amazing thing that I have discovered is that I don’t miss being an architect. That wasn't conceivable a year ago.

Not being an architect, not being in the business world, not being in the rat-race is quite nice. Minimal stress. Time for “stuff”. For family. It’s an eye-opener. If it weren’t for that pesky need to make a living, I would be recommending it for everyone. Instead I recommend Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week ... and robots.

The reason this development is so amazing is that I knew that I wanted to be an architect by my junior year in high school, although the school counselor thought that ’bus driver’ was a better fit. I suspect guidance counseling back then (1963) was more art than science. I also knew I wanted to have my own firm. In 1980 that happened. 32 years later I pitched most files; moved the archives home; and wound things down. And here we are. I sure couldn't see this coming.

I suppose I could go postal over the housing and banking collapse that the US banks brought on with the assistance of our government; but in my newly serene state that doesn't get much traction. Although sometimes I feel a really good rant lurking in the background.

Anyways, I felt like Architekwiki’s roots needed to be a little clearer. This hobby started out as sharing what I know so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. I’m starting to see that sharing experiences might be just as helpful as sharing knowledge.