When life gives you lemons

Don’t make lemonade.

I’m scared.

I’m an independent developer in the video game industry, and my current project is slowly wrapping up. I have enough savings to cover about 10 months of expenses, which might sound like a lot to some. But this looming uncertainty — distant as it may be — keeps me up at night. I am deeply worried about not being able to provide for my family, so I’ve sent out resume everywhere… and I got a job offer.
After hundreds of applications, tens of interviews, I got a job offer.

It’s an interesting technical subject, even if it’s not in the game industry. It’s a 15 minute ride from where I live, the culture seems really chill… but there’s a catch:

no remote work.

I’ve been fully remote since 2018, and it allowed me to spend more time with my daughters, work on side projects, and even have the space to feel not-so-great from time to time. I’m not sure if I can handle a fully in-office job anymore.

Let’s do a pros/cons list!

Pros:

• A stable job - Less money anxiety for me and my family
• Working in one of the most advanced field in computer science
• Literally 15 minutes away from my home
• Flexible working hours

Cons:

• A stable job - I really like the free part of freelancer
• Not in the game industry
• No remote work
• No remote work — not even a little
• No remote work — not at all
• No remote work — NONE

WELL, looks like there’s more cons 🙂

The thing is, I would love to have a bit of a break, to get time to work on my game engine and release some games made with it, maybe stream the process a bit? I’ll need to summon the courage to stay unemployed though.

That’s it, I’m not caving, I’m not taking the job.

I am not scared anymore.
I will stay free, for now.