@davesaddiction Finding joy is extremely difficult. My current situation is frog/boiling pot, working on something more fulfilling but that is taking far longer than anyone had hoped. When I get to actually design something worthwhile, it's the best job in the world. On really good days, I get to color. There have been very few things I've worked on that I really believed in, and thought were worthwhile, though.
I sure wish I could transition to something that made money in my sleep, though. Unfortunately, I've only ever known how to make things, and sometimes be able to get paid for making the thing. Retirement is just a myth, as far as I'm able to know.
I got to catch up (in person!) with my best friend still in Detroit, still in the car business, last week. He's a big-deal design manager now, but has been screwed around with by the big corporation for long enough that he's interviewing, and says he kind of envies my path. We're both staring down the barrel of 50. He's got 3 kids, nice house in MI, has the cars he wants, but spends most of the week traveling, and when he doesn't, he's working 18-20 hr days. I dunno, man. He's got the money and no time with his family, and I've got no money, and still no time.
When I'm really lucky, I get to do something I'm proud of. But it doesn't happen often.
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(proud of this one more for the management than the product, but designing the centerpiece of a literal billion dollar/year franchise is pretty great work)
And weirdly, I'm still proud of my Cobra at Ford:
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and my thesis model, which was the only clay displayed at NAIAS in 2004, and was added to the APC's collection.
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The 977 Bergsteiger still seems kind viable.