October: Job Hunt, Identity, and Balance

October was meant to be about job hunting. It turned into something bigger: a month of questioning what I’m building, who I want to work with, and whether I’m giving myself permission to do what I want to.

The Job Search: Rejections, Warm Leads, and Senior People Also Struggling

It’s been my second full month of job-hunting. This time I haven’t been sending CVs to cold job openings. I’ve been applying via recruiters or warm contacts. I’ve had a few rejections, including some automated emails from cold applications I made several months ago. Rejections aren’t nice, but at least you know where you stand.

I’ve been continuing to meet people — existing contacts and new ones. The new contacts have been people in different industries who’ve connected with me via social media, mainly LinkedIn. Their backgrounds and what they’ve accomplished is amazing.

I’ve also been meeting people who were in senior positions and are also transitioning, not just in my industry. This is quite sad to see. People are saying the market is improving, but why are employers letting go of good, senior staff?

I’ve come to a realisation that finding a job will take time. I kind of knew this already, but in the moment it’s harder. While I’m enjoying the downtime, I’m getting itchy feet to do something that financially contributes to the household.

Consultancy: The Value Proposition Problem

I’m still exploring consultancy work, especially while the job market is slow. But the biggest issue for me is: how do I get clients? Who would hire me? Ultimately, what is my value proposition? This is coming from a place where I would need to find a whole new client base.

If the job market remains slow for the rest of the year, I may take this opportunity to try and map out what services I would offer on a consultancy basis. I did try out new things this month like creating template resolutions and bank account opening checklists. Just the process of trying these new things has been very useful.

If you are a small business owner or solopreneur wrestling with governance basics, I’m testing some templates — happy to share.

The Blog: 16 Subscribers, an Identity Crisis, and Consistency Over Growth

I’m enjoying writing and working on my blog. I’ve spent some time tweaking its look and learning how my hosting platform (Ghost via Magicpages) works, but it’s still a massive work in progress. Traffic on the blog has dipped since the initial relaunch euphoria, but I’m now up to 16 subscribers! That doesn’t sound huge, but to me it’s massive.

People who meet me do mention they’ve read my LinkedIn and blog posts. This makes me embarrassed but also a little bit proud. I do want to grow the blog, but I’ve committed that the first step is making sure I write consistently before I start diving deep into the world of SEO (or GEO as it seems to be now).

I’m having a mini identity crisis with the website name. Yes, I am brown, but I’m less of a geek these days. I do like my technology, but it’s been years since I wrote about anything tech related (although I have a few post ideas on that).

I also want to continue to develop the blog. I have some ideas around Hong Kong-specific and personal finance guides similar to the credit card articles I've already written about: Cross Border Credit Card Fees in Hong Kong and Best Hong Kong Cards to Take Travelling.

What I’m Reading, Learning, and (Not) Stretching

I finished reading The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin and have started reading the final book of her Broken Earth series, The Stone Sky. Also, on the recommendation of a friend, I’ve started reading and exploring The Squiggly Career by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis. I’m finding I’m enjoying reading for about 30–60 minutes a day before bed.

I’m learning how to use Canva (mainly through my wife and kids, who are all experts). I’ve tested this out already a few times on some LinkedIn posts.

I’ve kept up the daily workouts, but I’ve let the stretching slide. I’ve spent more time at the computer researching and creating, and the extra sitting has brought the tightness back. Stretching used to keep me loose, so I want to prioritise that in the coming months.

I continue to be able to catch up with friends. I got drunk one night and, for the first time ever, missed a gym session. However, I did hit a bench press personal best of 73 kg this month (if anyone cares).

Family Time: Staycations, Diwali, Halloween, and Homework Wars

We got away for a staycation, which everyone enjoyed. I was also able to join my kids’ Diwali and Halloween celebrations at their school. Having this flexibility is amazing. This past year, I’ve really been able to spend quality time and connect with my children, without the distraction of work. Although they do moan when I’m on their case to get their homework done.  I’ve also been learning a lot about new mental maths strategies, which I don’t think I learnt when I was 8 years old!

Mental Health: Good Days and Lonely Ones

Mentally I’m in a good place, but there are bouts of feeling lonely and disconnected. I’m going to write more about that soon, as I do think it’s an important, but often underdiscussed, topic.

I am trying to maintain my digital detox routine / habit, whatever you want to call it.  When it works, it works very well.  But it is so easy to get sucked in.  One of my biggest fears is how it will impact my children, they are growing up in front of screens and it is part of their day to day life.

What’s Next: Giving Myself Permission to Do “Me Stuff”

It seems October was a busy month focused on job-hunting, networking, and building authority. It was also a compressed month, with school half-term and several public holidays.

Sometimes I found myself caught up on that wheel. I didn’t have time for any personal projects (beyond the blog).

Maybe running into the end of the year I should not be too harsh on myself and give myself permission to do some stuff unrelated to work, job, kids, or family — some me stuff? Finally, I want to do some personal bucket list projects, one of them is improving my swimming technique by taking lessons. Oh, and continue to meet people and network.

If you’re navigating a similar transition, I’d love to hear how you’re managing the balance. Drop a comment by subscribing or reach out.