Coffee Space 
TL;DR: This is just a quick ramble about a few things I have on my mind that I need to take care of.
Some will now know that I have moved from New Zealand back to the United Kingdom. It’s been quite some time since I have been back on British soil and of course I miss family and friends.
The main reason for moving was due to money. COVID 1 has meant that in every way possible there is now no funding available, and even if I could get hold of money, I would need so much more now due to inflation and a coming recession. The idea of being caught out in New Zealand during a recession is not funny at all.
I’ve now moved back home where I can essentially get my costs down, but still having little to no money is not much fun at all. Everything I own is now on its last legs, from my laptop, to my phone, to my clothes, to my drives. Everything should have been replaced at least two years ago and is running on a wish and a prayer.
The intention now is to complete my PhD remotely whilst picking up some light work to pay the bills. This isn’t the best arrangement as I won’t be working in something related to my field and I won’t be getting paid nearly what I am worth. That said, it could be worse.
I am now starting to seriously consider starting some automotive company, where we would sell after-market parts. I have experience in embedded and autonomous electronics/robotics, I spent some time working in the automotive industry and I have somebody I can work with whom has experience in fabricating parts for high-end vehicles. In theory, our combined knowledge is quite a good pairing.
I suspect as the recession comes, the only people with disposable income will be young adults living at home with “boy-racer” vehicles, and in the next few months we could theoretically be well positioned with at least one product to fill that market.
Until then, I look for a part-time job that takes no more than 2-3 working days out of the week, can be done remotely (doesn’t pay enough for travel anyway) and is somewhat interesting to me. If I get in a low enough wage bracket I won’t be taxed and I won’t have to start paying back my student loan just yet, which given the state of things I will never end up paying it back anyway 2.
It still feels unreal being back home after so long. In some ways it is great, and in others it’s a little depressing. I had setup somewhat of a life and home over in New Zealand, with friends, belongings, routines, etc. I had to leave that all behind and start again.
I continue with the promise to myself that this will in the near future pay off quite well, but like many things, it takes its toll.
Over the coming weeks I plan to come back with some articles soon.