One Month On From Leaving A Corporate Job
What I've been up to since leaving
It’s been a month since I left my corporate job.
I had worked in financial services for over 12 years.
When you see that written down, it feels both impressive and somewhat depressing.
Why did I stay so long?
I had the opportunity to work with many clever and engaging people globally
I successfully delivered numerous complex technology and business transformation projects
I learned extensively and engaged in deep technical problem-solving
I obtained all my project, change, and program management qualifications
On reflection I feel I reached a natural end to the traditional structured career path.
The most bizarre period in recent history has already been forgotten, along with the lessons it taught us.
It feels like a slow-burn recession is merging into a rising tide of outsourcing, automation, and cultural stagnation.
Despite the economic headwinds, I have always been fascinated by technology.
Following advice from elders and studying economics instead of computer science may have been a mistake, but what’s done is done.
The rapid advancement of AI over the past two years has been remarkable to observe.
It's disappointing how few people actively experiment with AI in meaningful ways.
They may have tried ChatGPT free version, used it like a Google search window, and been disappointed with the results.
The reality is that every 3-6 months, the technology is improving at a rapid pace.
Therefore, I’ve dedicated significant time to thoroughly testing various AI models.
Comparing their responses, testing cutting-edge features, and experimenting with their capabilities feels genuinely valuable.
I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT Pro and the “Deep research” functionality.
If there’s a topic you need a high-level summary of it’s quite good at generating that sort of content.
I’ve had some good results using it to prepare overviews of topics I’m interested in.
At the moment it is definitely performing better at that summarisation task than Grok 3 “Deep Search” functionality.
Of course, you need to double check conclusions and verify sources, but that primary value add of these tools is that it speeds up your learning.
If you don’t know something and need a rapid overview, you can get across more things faster and at whatever level of technical depth you choose to embrace.
For example, a lot of my queries in the past month have been about supply chains and the impact of tariffs. I have learned much more from this exercise than any newspaper article could provide or book published years ago could deliver.
Easily the best aspect of the past month is the increase in available time for activities.
Starting the day with a long walk by the beach, cooking lunch, going to the gym daily, and completing all kid’s logistical movements in line with agreed service levels has been great decompression.
Actively prioritizing family, learning, experimentation, and writing is a far more enjoyable approach to life than the structured corporate job treadmill.
Writing a newsletter dedicated to an industry niche I am deeply interested in complements my casual consulting work effectively, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at Global Custody Pro’s growth in subscribers and the feedback from readers.
I’m excited to see where the next month leads.