What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?
To begin with, I have a confession to make… I started this blog for several reasons, but mainly because I wanted to launch a career in writing mystery novels. In truth, I wanted to use this platform to develop my skills. I aimed to express my opinions and grow a community around the topics I like. Hopefully, someday, I will have that book published. How I have daydreamed about it! But if I am to continue being honest I have another confession to make… I still didn’t give up on that idea. Keep your eyes open. Anytime soon, I will become a mystery author. You will see my name in some bookstore!
I remember the time when I was still very young and started discovering the pleasures of reading. I used to go to my buddies to do some homework after school. More often than not, I sneaked in on their bookshelves. I found a random book and read horror classics. At the time, I didn’t have the slightest idea who the authors were. That was how I discovered a short story. To this day, it is still very dear to me: The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs. He is a celebrated mystery author. In essence, it is a tragic tale about family love. It deals with the pain of loss. Furthermore, it considers the dangers of being drawn by forces that we don’t understand, and tampering with fate.
Jump now to 2019, I came to live in Toronto. One of the first places I went to visit was the Monkey’s Paw bookstore. I wanted to see if it captured the pathos of the celebrated tale. It didn’t disappoint. Being around all those quaint and curious volumes of forgotten lore transported me to a world of mystery and imagination. I felt the atmosphere of bygone eras and the smell of old books inundated my nostrils. I still go there from time to time just to recharge. What can I say? I guess I am an old soul.
And there comes the duality in my life. By trade, I am a technology professional. I need to stay on top of the latest developments in my area. Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Algorithms are all subjects that I both need to master and enjoy studying. I am loving seeing all the possibilities that are arising from generative AI. I am getting apprehensive by learning the threats that quantum computing can bring to current forms of cryptography. Yet, I also understand that the new isn’t necessarily bad. It can actually help us solve some of the issues that our modern world is facing. We desperately need these solutions, like those for climate change.
I don’t want to believe that the old need necessarily to give way to the new. It shouldn’t happen in the sense of being completely obliterated. Both ancient traditions and modern concepts can live together, help and complement each other. We see that all the time. A brand new building is built but the front of the old is preserved. Works in the public domain get new clothes. Centuries old institutions keep their rituals. We owe it to the old generations to acknowledge and celebrate their legacy. And that’s what I intend to do when I become a published mystery author.