Two decades
February 2017 marked a major anniversary for me: Two straight decades as a journalist and writer.
With the constant crunch of work and life, I missed even thinking about it until I sat down to write up a blog post.
In February 1997, I returned from Tokyo and landed in San Francisco to take up a job with what – for a short time (weeks) – was known as PC Week Online. It then became ZDNet News. About 4 years later, the company was bought by CNET, and I joined News.com. While I had worked for a little more than a year as a reporter and editor in Japan, I had worked in engineering for a while before deciding to dedicate myself to writing.
Journalism has suited me, because I enjoy research. I also enjoy writing, but it has always been a struggle to overcome the blocks that the mind throws in your path. Age and experience has just meant that I understand the challenges more and have found ways to undermine the tricks my subconscious plays on me to sap my productivity.
Overall, it’s been a great run. I would conservatively estimate that I’ve written at least 4,000 articles and won a half dozen awards. Who knows what the future holds? For now, however, I continue to write.