Week 129: My new home in Austin, TX!

Sharon, Mila, and Matthew at the swimming pool, on our second day in Austin!
Hello world! I have arrived in Austin and I love it! I am learning how much of a difference it can be to live in a tech hub versus a city like Pittsburgh. There is so much technology down here, its crazy. I live in a smart apartment, and all the amenities use modern technologies. There is also a ton of BIG TECH companies in the area. We live across the street from the DELL head quarters and it's huge! I went to a tech meetup called FIESTA, its part of a bigger faction known as Capital Factory! It was my first tech meetup with over 200 techies in attendance. I was pretty nervous, but thanks to Michael, Daniel, and Casey at Formation (thank God for them) to help ease my nerves and give me great advice on how to go about it. Honestly, once I got their, it was awesome, everyone in Austin is very welcoming, warm vibes, and friendly. I've established new connections, job leads, and simply new friends that I am grateful to have met. I plan to attend more and more as time comes! It's been 3 weeks since I've arrived in Austin, so I am still getting acquainted. The drive from Pittsburgh was brutal, and I probably would honestly never do something like that again, simply because I hate cars, as well as driving. However, it was totally worth it. My two children were the best, and well behaved, they actually enjoyed it. I would ask them, if they wanted me to pull over, eventually they said "No, Dad, we just want to hurry up and get their, keep driving." I honestly wanted to pull over, hahaha. It was a 21 hour drive in total, however, we stopped and slept in a hotel overnight in Arkansas. I have the best parents in the world, my mother and father drove with us in their own vehicle, just to say goodbye. I really became emotional as they drove back to Pittsburgh almost immediately after arriving in Austin. I wanted them to stay, but they had to get back for work and such. I did not realize how difficult it is to leave a city you grew up in, saying goodbye to all of your friends and family. It feels like you will never see them again... although that's not the case. I miss them, and everyone else back in Pittsburgh. I came to Austin to dive straight in the fierce competitive tech ecosystem. That's my nature, when things become complex, I become complex and persistently attack the issue until it goes my way. I never quit nor give up. After almost 3 years of trying to make a career change, I decided to go against the nay sayers and go straight into the fire. It feels good to be here in Austin, my family loves it as well, and the weather is amazing! We have a swimming pool, a fitness gym, pool table, co-working rooms, and a lobby that acts as a luxury living room in our apartment complex. The apartment was just built two years ago, so it's brand new, and it's for tech workers. My building has plenty of software engineers, and the community I live in is a tech hub. This is crucial during these hard times, and a huge advantage in comparison to living outside a tech hub, and I felt it almost instantly. I am blessed by God to have made it here safely. I am thankful for my family and friends, Formation, my wife and children. Now, that doesn't mean I am celebrating, as life is still smacking me in the face. The tech hub is a lot more competitive, with a lot more higher skilled engineers around me, who may get the available jobs first. The good thing is these engineers are great mentors and friendly, they are willing to help. Austin has tons of startups and entrepreneurs, its contagious, and it made me start working on my own project, which is something that I enjoy doing, not something I am doing to become rich. It's a sports application, that consist of Daily Fantasy Sports data. It's private for now, as I am using it to solve problems I have in my life, as well as to learn new technologies as I build it. I still need to get some more furniture, as I have left almost everything back home, and gave it away to the needy. Other than that, I have everything I need, 2 desktop PC's and 2 laptops. Haha. Now the journey will continue in Austin, and I will keep you updated with what happens next! Thanks for reading! Sorry if this was a TLDR;