Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Hello! I'm a long time lurker, so figured it was past time for me to join

I first stumbled across the ERE book back when I first in college a looong time ago (I'm mid 30s now), but unfortunately my 20s were... rather challenging. Suffice to say I didn't quite make the progress from a savings perspective I had hoped to make by this point in my life, but hey, can't change the past.

Until recently I was a senior software engineer, but I am considering switching careers so I can become an avionics technician on aircraft. I'm thinking I might start a journal about said career change (then follow onto that getting myself to ExpatFIRE from the new career), but not sure if something like that would be helpful to others?

Anywho, hello all!

Welcome Monsoo! Career switches and avionics both sound interesting. I'm always amazed at how well planes and airports work when I travel.

Yeah it would be - both interesting and helpful. Welcome!

Welcome, writing may help in ways that might surprise you.
Former senior software engineer also.

I posit without any real proof that the most useful-to-others journals are those where usefulness to self is considered foremost, and then perhaps garnished with a light edit pass for understandability. The most value I've gleaned from other's journals is when they are at their rawest and most personally idiosyncratic (which seems to me was most value for them as well). The details of Avionics Expatriation might not have much technical value to my life, but reading how you think and feel through it probably will.

Welcome, and go for it.

You never know when there might be some overlapping interests: viewtopic.php?p=275737#p275737

Welcome!

Yes, I'll +1 to others' comments about the usefulness. Even if not directly technically useful (which as @jacob says, may surprise you that it could be), we are a curious bunch here and greatly enjoy learning about new areas, and especially about the mental journey others experience on the path of life.

Hope to hear more from you.

Thanks guys! I think I'll start a journal here in a week or so, once I collect my thoughts a wee bit more. I could use some more practice writing in a non technical sense, and if nothing else airing my own thoughts\feelings on my future direction would do me some good (and hopefully not cause 'the great snooze' for any kind folks reading along, though perhaps curing insomnia would be the greater good for mankind come to think of it!).

The full context on the career switch is kinda out of necessity to a degree. The layoffs rolling through the software world finally caught up to me a month past, and I've been thinking if staying in tech is really feasible\desired at this point. I do like writing code\designing software systems, it's the whole interview culture (leetcode, ugh) and... general stability\future of the tech industry which gives me pause and gives rise to thoughts of leaving .

Anwho, thanks again for the welcome guys!

In case you're into pit-building, https://www.737diysim.com/ made the switch to IRL avionics engineer. IIRC, he works on helicopters. My own building (dunno if you saw the Kerbal Space Program controller in the link above) has kinda come to a [temporary] stand still after switching to VR sims and using a fully clickable cockpit.

jacob wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 16, 2025 8:01 am

In case you're into pit-building, https://www.737diysim.com/ made the switch to IRL avionics engineer. IIRC, he works on helicopters. My own building (dunno if you saw the Kerbal Space Program controller in the link above) has kinda come to a [temporary] stand still after switching to VR sims and using a fully clickable cockpit.

I did see your controller before -- I had no idea WW1 era planes were quite that janky (taking the engine from 100% to 0% then hoping for a restart sounds insane!). The wire management wasn't so bad on your controller though -- I could mostly make sense of it. At the end of the day that's what matters most I think?

I'll give 'https://www.737diysim.com/' a looksie when I get a chance, thanks for the suggestion! Helos would be interesting too, though I don't know much about them as yet

Welcome to the forums Monsoo, all the best of starting your journal side of time spent on ERE

Stasher wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 17, 2025 10:41 am

Welcome to the forums Monsoo, all the best of starting your journal side of time spent on ERE

Lol, now that is one awesome Yoda image! Thanks for the welcome!