Breaking Free: From the Open Road to a New Vision
For most of my life, I've worked hard—really hard. As a truck driver for the past five years, I've spent countless hours on the road, enduring long days, solitude, and the physical toll that comes with the job. It’s honest work, and it’s shaped me in countless ways, but recent events have forced me to reevaluate everything.
This post marks the beginning of my journey into something entirely new: web development and entrepreneurship.
Why I’m Making This Change
In September 2023, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The diagnosis and subsequent surgery were life-altering—not just physically but mentally. Recovery has been a process, and the lingering effects have made me think deeply about life and how fleeting it is.
Facing cancer gave me a new perspective: I don’t want to spend the rest of my days grinding away at something that drains me. Life is too short to not at least try to break free from the cycle of working endlessly with little time left for myself, my family, or the things that truly matter.
Trucking has provided for my family, but it’s also taken a toll. The long hours, unhealthy lifestyle, and constant time away from home have weighed heavily on me. After everything I’ve been through, I’ve realized that I want—and need—something different.
I want to:
- Build something sustainable and meaningful.
- Spend more time with my family and less time tied to the grind.
- Focus on my physical and mental health.
- Create a life that offers freedom, flexibility, and financial independence.
But trucking is only part of my story. Before this, I served in the Navy, where I learned technical skills, discipline, and the value of hard work. I've also worked in manufacturing, with responsibilites such as machine operator, lab operator, process engineering tech, automation tech, and shift supervisor, and in the oil/gas pipeline industry as a terminal operator.
Later, I pursued college coursework in biology, English literature, and mathematics, accumulating more than enough credits for a degree but never quite finishing due to frequent changes in focus. That unfinished goal still weighs on me, but it’s also fueled my curiosity and love for learning.
Over the years, I’ve explored various interests—philosophy, literature, and even teaching myself the basics of web development. I've taken college course work in Computer Science learning C++. Despite not pursuing these paths fully, they’ve left me with a deep desire to create something meaningful, something I can call my own.
What I Want to Do
My goal is to transition into freelance web development and entrepreneurship. I want to:
- Learn the skills needed to create websites and web applications for clients.
- Build a portfolio that reflects my abilities and interests.
- Transition into working from home, freelancing for clients, and eventually running my own small business.
- Document this journey here to inspire others who might be stuck in jobs they want to leave.
I also want to explore financial literacy—something I was never taught growing up. My parents, like so many others, valued hard work but didn’t talk much about money, investments, or entrepreneurship. This left me with an “employee mindset” for years, believing that the safest path was a steady paycheck and good benefits. Now, I’m determined to change that—not just for myself, but to share what I learn with others who might feel the same way.
How I Plan to Achieve It
The road ahead is intimidating, but I’ve created a clear plan to guide me:
- Full-Time Learning:
- I’m dedicating myself to learning web development, focusing on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and eventually web app development.
- I’m using resources like The Odin Project, FreeCodeCamp, and practical projects to gain real-world experience.
- Portfolio and Projects:
- I’ll build small projects to practice my skills, creating a portfolio that will attract potential clients.
- Freelancing:
- Once I’m confident in my abilities, I’ll start bidding on freelance work to gain experience and income.
- Self-Reflection:
- Along the way, I’ll document my progress here—sharing not just my successes, but my struggles, fears, and lessons learned.
My Fears and Insecurities
I won’t lie—this is terrifying. Walking away from a career I’ve known for years feels like stepping into the unknown. Some of my biggest fears include:
- Failure: What if I’m not good enough? What if I can’t make this work and end up back behind the wheel, feeling defeated?
- Financial Stability: I’ve always had a steady paycheck. Relying on myself to generate income feels like a huge risk, even with VA disability benefits to fall back on.
- Imposter Syndrome: Starting over in a field filled with talented people makes me question if I belong.
- Regret: The thought that I could fail and waste precious time scares me.
But fear isn’t a reason to stop. If anything, my cancer journey taught me that fear is a signal—it means you’re stepping outside your comfort zone, and that’s where growth happens.
Why I Believe This Will Work
Despite my fears, I believe I can succeed because:
- I’ve faced challenges before and overcome them. A cancer diagnosis, military service, and life’s ups and downs have made me resilient.
- I have a natural curiosity that’s driven me to explore new things—whether that’s coding, philosophy, or literature.
- I have a clear goal and the discipline to achieve it. If I can manage the rigors of trucking, I can tackle the structure and persistence needed for learning web development.
- I’m not in this alone. Resources, communities, and mentors exist to help people like me succeed.
What I Hope You’ll Get From This Journey
This blog isn’t just about me. It’s about anyone who’s ever felt stuck in a career or life path that no longer serves them. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can make a change—whether it’s too late, too hard, or too risky—this space is for you.
I’ll share my successes, failures, and everything in between. I’ll talk about what I learn, not just about web development and entrepreneurship, but about myself. And maybe, along the way, I can help others take that first step toward something new.
I also plan on starting a Substack for my more philosophical and existential musings and another more technical blog where I can showcase code tutorials and walkthroughs.
Join Me
This journey won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. I invite you to follow along as I navigate this new path. Whether you’re curious about web development, entrepreneurship, or just looking for inspiration to make your own leap, I hope you’ll find something valuable here.
Let’s build something together.