Back to Work and Getting My Dreams Off the Shelve

I'm due to start work next week and I'm so glad. I've had a two-month break from work and, much as I was looking forward to it, I'm very ready for it to be over.

I also miss volunteering. I received an email from one of the staff at the community technology center (CTC) where I used to teach in Dorchester. In her email, she said that as they were preparing for the Fall term, she thought of me and had to write to say hello. Well, I miss the center too. I miss being involved in something that I care about and sharing my skills with others. I've even started forgetting a bit of HTML, believe it or not. I've been doing web development work almost everyday for the last 4 years and just two months away and I'm forgetting bits of code. I also wanted to learn how to build database-driven websites, which is what I started working on just before I left EDC. It's hard to practice this without a fast internet connection. I really don't want to lose all the skills I worked so hard to develop.

I also don't want to lose sight of my dream to establish a technology-centered non-profit organization for women and girls; or at least work in that field. I would like to introduce some gender perspectives to the work I will be doing in my new job. I sincerely hope that is possible. Introducing people to technology and helping them develop their confidence is something that I've been interested in for many years and I want to continue doing that in some capacity. My new job is all about assessing technical skills among oil and gas workers and helping to come up with strategies and programs to address any shortfalls. I will know the specifics once I start next week. I can't wait.