9 - your future plans

I’ve decided to take a totally new direction after spending almost twenty years as a programmer and even running two software companies.

• My first goal is academic: I want to return to university and earn a Master’s degree in Information Technology. Instead of building commercial apps for clients, I plan to focus on research-oriented projects—perhaps an open-source tool that can be used in computer-science classrooms. That way I can still write software, but the purpose will be education rather than profit.

• While I’m studying, my son will be in Finland on a fifty-percent scholarship, so I hope to visit him and travel around Europe at the same time. Exploring countries like Sweden and Germany has been on my bucket list for years, and having a family member nearby will make the trip more meaningful.

• After my son graduates and I finish my own Master’s programme, I intend to slow down.

  • a simple lifestyle: working part-time as a lecturer or mentor, eating a mainly vegetarian diet,

  • and spending more time on hobbies such as reading and light jogging— activities that keep me healthy without stressing my body, because I have to manage diabetes.

All in all, my future plan is a balance between

• academic growth,

• family experiences abroad,

• a way of living with minimum demands.