Hello all,

I have a pretty marketable skill, and most who know me on a casual level would think I'm destined for (and looking forward to) a career involving it. I try not to indicate otherwise; it's better to be pursuing something than nothing, and beyond this (Linux administration, if you care), as far as ideas for work are concerned, that's just about what I've got.

I've realized more and more as I've gotten older that the 9-5 (or should I say 8-5) office life holds absolutely no appeal for me, though. Being around people for any length of time is exhausting, and that's without throwing in any of the bullshit that comes with being part of a team, staying competitive/relevant, etc. A few years of that and I'll kill myself. Particularly when you add blindness, which sort of limits you to that type of work; I've heard lots of stories about long, arduous commutes that leave time for nothing once you're home, and I just couldn't. Huge respect to everyone who can, but I just lack the energy.

More generally, I find almost every aspect of this culture abhorrent. Particularly the fact that we as humans love to make life more complex and frenetic all the time (the sentiment that these days our lives are busier than ever is everywhere), and that your profession is regarded as, basically, your identity. I understand the realities of the age we live in, and also that not everyone thinks this way, but it is the prevailing attitude, and is mostly accepted with "that's just the way it is" or other such nonsense. But I reject it, all of it.

To be clear, I do want to work meaningfully and support myself, preferably making a positive impact on people while doing so. I also want to live as free from society as realistically possible, for the reasons I've stated above and more. Work should be a means to an end, not the end itself.

I think about a minimal lifestyle, so money isn't as big of a factor as it would otherwise be. I'd rather live that way regardless, but it's hard if you're not moving. I think often about living on the road, maybe in an RV or something, never staying in one place for too long. I've had really strong wanderlust for as long as I can remember, but I'm unsure how to satisfy it. I'd need to find a companion, obviously, or more than one, people who want the same things as me. How would I contribute, though? I'd be much less productive with odd jobs, and as I said previously, I've got no other skills worth speaking of. Could I work remotely, doing contract/freelance work? I've thought for a long time about getting into embedded systems programming and really low-level stuff since that seems a bit more obscure, and it may be easier to find work doing what most people don't want to. Doubtless there are things I haven't even considered.

So my question to you all is, do you know of anyone (blind would be even more interesting) who's managed to live a lifestyle that's a little "out there" and made it work? Do you think it's feasible? How should I, totally blind and severely hearing impaired, make it work? I realize living this way is no small thing, but I'm willing to put in the work to make it happen, if only I knew what to do. I'd really appreciate any thoughts you have on this. I want to live a quiet but interesting life, with lots of novel experiences, and I don't feel that living conventionally is the way to do that. If you've read this far, thank you. I hope life is treating you well.