I stumbled upon the design field. It wasn’t for a career when I made my first website with FrontPage 98. No one could tell the difference from a Word document anyway. I was fifteen, so there was no plan, only feelings. The feeling of drawing clean shapes that I couldn’t do freehand. The feeling of typing without looking at the keyboard. Just like any teenager, I chased feelings I liked. I probably wouldn’t continue if I knew I was chasing what I was going to do almost every day for the next two decades. I’m glad I never thought that through.

Then from a certain point, all this became work and career. The getting-paid part was good, but the fun started ebbing. And I started making plans. Plans for tasks, projects, career, and life. Ironically though, looking back, what brought me this far was the things I never planned for. My plans have either been dismissed or underwhelmingly achieved. However, I keep planning despite what I learn from experience (that planning never works). I guess planning makes me feel safer than I actually am. It gives me a false sense of preparing for the future.

Long-term planning, in particular, is hardly valuable considering the line of work I’m in. I see people earn a lot of dough in a job that didn’t exist five years ago. I’ve had about six different job titles so far - kept making websites. This is a field where you survive by adapting to changes and resisting the urge to make long-term plans. It’s almost like the whole industry is for planless people.

I do make plans nonetheless. What else can I do?