Almost exactly 33 years ago today, I started an engineering apprenticeship.
It was never what I truly wanted to do with my life, but the money was ok, and the fiat trap is real. There were bills to pay and mouths to feed, so I kept plugging away. Once qualified, work was always easy to find, and it even gave me the chance to live in Australia for 10 years and Ireland for two. But the truth is, I rarely enjoyed it.
Some mornings it was hard just to get out of bed for another shift I didn't care for, but I carried on. Convinced I'd be doing this till I was 70.
At some point, I stumbled across something called #Bitcoin and as time passed, I started taking it more seriously.
In 2022, two old workmates, still good friends, started an engineering company and asked if I'd like to come onboard. I'd be the first person contracting with them. They couldn't guarantee full-time work, but they promised it would be fun, that we'd earn some money, and that we'd have a laugh along the way.
Bitcoin gave me the confidence to take that chance. It gave me a safety buffer that removed the risk of jumping in with a couple of 30-year-old lads chasing an idea.
That was three years ago. Today they've grown into a team of nine, all of whom I consider great mates. It's been the most enjoyable three years of my working life.
And now, with mixed feelings, today I've worked my last fiat shift.
From here on, I can focus my time on my family, myself, and Bitcoin.
I'll have more time for nostr:nprofile1qqsfs9at5dt0rl767f8u8jv26c9r4nemyw7uulpke33hkgp0706h8xcpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsqk3rr3 and nostr:nprofile1qqsyr7599w7z8w6v2xua8z7fvesjt33sjsqrcfpp7ah4r0k44aahwpspzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg0waehxw309ahx7um5wghx6mmdd2gad0
Thanks to my Bitcoin family for helping me get here, and thanks to my wife, (who, as an added bonus, has become one of the most hardcore bitcoiners I know) for putting up with the lack of holidays and shopping sprees while we stacked like our lives depended on it.
Because it turns out, they did.
You can follow our travels and what we learn along the way at https://www.theexitnode.com and nostr:npub1w8872660ps6akjfh8n5cad33t2a9w8qjmmnlhjeqqvugz7g0g62qnr8zv9
