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_posts/2023-08-07-its-been-awhile.md

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+---
+title: "It's Been a While…"
+excerpt: ""
+date: 2023-08-07
+categories: 
+- post
+tags: 
+---
+Since the last time I wrote on this site, a lot has changed. A global pandemic has come
+and (mostly) gone, which has given rise to remote work as a viable option for many in
+the tech sector, but also pushed forward an economic chain of events that made it harder
+for companies to get easy funding without demonstrating strong fiscal
+responsibility.[^fn1] The industry looks very different today than it did back in
+September of 2019, when I wrote my last post.
+
+What have I been up to in that time? I spend the beginning of the pandemic working
+remotely for Stitch Fix. During this time, my partner and I moved around the country,
+spending a month or two in various places in California, Washington, and finally near my
+childhood home in western New York State. Experiencing the support of being near my
+family and dear friends of decades, as well as the newfound viability of a remote-first
+career, led us to purchase a home in [the Ecovillage at Ithaca](https://ecovillageithaca.org/). We've been living here
+for over a year now, and it's been food for my soul to be near my people and live closer
+to the land. Swimming in the pond, sweating in the sauna in winter, swimming in the
+gorges in the summer, sharing meals with the community, going on night walks surrounded
+by fireflies; it really is a magical place.
+
+Around the time I moved to Ithaca, I also left Stitch Fix to start a new job as Senior
+ML Engineer with [Abnormal Security](https://abnormalsecurity.com/). I enjoyed the high-impact nature of the role, and
+the dynamic character of the organization, but after a year I was feeling really burned
+out, and realized I needed some time to myself. Over the last three months I've taken
+time meditate, ride my bicycle, and reflect on where I want to go next in my career.
+
+That reflection has coincided with one of the hottest summers on record. Sea ice in the
+Southern hemisphere is at a record low, and wildfires raging in Canadian forests have
+frequently blanketed the Eastern US in dangerous levels of smoke. It is now glaringly
+apparent that there is nowhere we can go to escape the impact of climate change - it
+will have effects everywhere in the world, even in places like Ithaca that are better
+insulated against the (local) effects.
+
+Seeing this, and feeling the direct impact it has on my life, I think I need to try and
+do what I can to contribute. As the summer winds down, I feel ready to dive back into
+the professional world. To that end, I'm looking for a Senior ML/DS role in an
+organization that is working to mitigate climate change.
+
+If you think you have an opening where I could be a good fit, or would just like to
+connect, don't hesitate to reach out! My email is [peter@pwills.com](mailto:peter@pwills.com) and I'm happy to put
+some time on the calendar to chat.
+
+To the next adventure!
+
+
+<!----- Footnotes ----->
+
+[^fn1]: The Federal Reserve has increased interest rates in order to combat inflation. From [this study on the sources of inflation](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2023/beyond-bls/what-caused-inflation-to-spike-after-2020.htm) by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics: "So, from this research, the authors find that three main components explain the rise in inflation since 2020: volatility of energy prices, backlogs of work orders for goods and service caused by supply chain issues due to COVID-19, and price changes in the auto-related industries."

_posts/2023-08-07-its-been-awhile.org

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#+TITLE: It's Been a While...
+#+DATE: 2023-08-07
+
+#+STARTUP: showall indent
+#+OPTIONS: toc:nil
+#+OPTIONS: tex:t
+
+Since the last time I wrote on this site, a lot has changed. A global pandemic has come
+and (mostly) gone, which has given rise to remote work as a viable option for many in
+the tech sector, but also pushed forward an economic chain of events that made it harder
+for companies to get easy funding without demonstrating strong fiscal
+responsibility.[fn:1] The industry looks very different today than it did back in
+September of 2019, when I wrote my last post.
+
+What have I been up to in that time? I spend the beginning of the pandemic working
+remotely for Stitch Fix. During this time, my partner and I moved around the country,
+spending a month or two in various places in California, Washington, and finally near my
+childhood home in western New York State. Experiencing the support of being near my
+family and dear friends of decades, as well as the newfound viability of a remote-first
+career, led us to purchase a home in [[https://ecovillageithaca.org/][the Ecovillage at Ithaca]]. We've been living here
+for over a year now, and it's been food for my soul to be near my people and live closer
+to the land. Swimming in the pond, sweating in the sauna in winter, swimming in the
+gorges in the summer, sharing meals with the community, going on night walks surrounded
+by fireflies; it really is a magical place.
+
+Around the time I moved to Ithaca, I also left Stitch Fix to start a new job as Senior
+ML Engineer with [[https://abnormalsecurity.com/][Abnormal Security]]. I enjoyed the high-impact nature of the role, and
+the dynamic character of the organization, but after a year I was feeling really burned
+out, and realized I needed some time to myself. Over the last three months I've taken
+time meditate, ride my bicycle, and reflect on where I want to go next in my career.
+
+That reflection has coincided with one of the hottest summers on record. Sea ice in the
+Southern hemisphere is at a record low, and wildfires raging in Canadian forests have
+frequently blanketed the Eastern US in dangerous levels of smoke. It is now glaringly
+apparent that there is nowhere we can go to escape the impact of climate change - it
+will have effects everywhere in the world, even in places like Ithaca that are better
+insulated against the (local) effects.
+
+Seeing this, and feeling the direct impact it has on my life, I think I need to try and
+do what I can to contribute. As the summer winds down, I feel ready to dive back into
+the professional world. To that end, I'm looking for a Senior ML/DS role in an
+organization that is working to mitigate climate change.
+
+If you think you have an opening where I could be a good fit, or would just like to
+connect, don't hesitate to reach out! My email is [[mailto:peter@pwills.com][peter@pwills.com]] and I'm happy to put
+some time on the calendar to chat.
+
+To the next adventure!
+
+* Footnotes
+
+[fn:1] The Federal Reserve has increased interest rates in order to combat
+inflation. From [[https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2023/beyond-bls/what-caused-inflation-to-spike-after-2020.htm][this study on the sources of inflation]] by the US Bureau of Labor
+Statistics: "So, from this research, the authors find that three main components explain
+the rise in inflation since 2020: volatility of energy prices, backlogs of work orders
+for goods and service caused by supply chain issues due to COVID-19, and price changes
+in the auto-related industries."