I signed up for much the same reason. I know I’m purchasing future content, but I’m thinking of the annual fee as a thank you for over a decade’s worth of help and advice. A bargain really.
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So I now wonder how David Sparks will change in his relationships with Apple devices. IMHO his opinions had been heavily influenced by his work as an attourney – preference for using the iPad because of marking up PDFs and the ease of taking it into the “field”. TextExpander for all the boilerplate.
As MacSparky, I expect his usage will change and we will see another viewpoint more heavily? I know that when I retired and now use the computer for mostly for photography and writing books, it heavily cut back on my need for software I used heavily at work (scheduling, and note taking programs, mainly) and frankly has made me less of a “power user”.
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Or, he’ll become more of a power user because his job will be to play with the next Shiny New Thing™ 
We talked about this on the episode!
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If @MacSparky were a “normal” power user like most of the audience I’d agree that leaving the law would make him less of a power user. But I suspect the opposite is true. David clearly develops systems to get some work accomplished, only to blow them up and develop replacement systems. I think he does it for the sheer joy of finding problems and solving them using cool technology.
As a working attorney, the enemy of developing cool processes is the need to get the clients’ work done and out to them in a timely fashion. Without the law practice, the part that he likes the best is the end product. Not to put words in David’s mouth, but I predict he won’t lose any of his superpowers!
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Gang,
I’ve been reading this thread and you are all warming my heart. Thanks so much. As you can probably guess, I was pretty nervous at the start of this week. I’m much less so now.
Don’t worry @tomalmy. 
I have a ton of things I was doing as a lawyer that I could never really share because of client security. All of that gets uncorked now. Moreover, MacSparky is a company. The team is seven people. I’m running production workflows and calendars, and all the other nonsense we’re all forced to handle.
Can I just say “thank you” again? I’ve received so many kind notes. One of the nicest bits is that I’m hearing from so many people struggling with the same questions. I really questioned whether I should have shared so much of my thinking and struggles on the show. But it seems to have landed with a lot of people trying to work through similar changes. If it helps them even a little bit, it was worth it.
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I found myself in 2008, 61 years old, no job (a downsize), an MPA degree, a bit of money, and in the process of a divorce. What should I do? No question…move to Thailand, something I’d thought about since I was there in the army in 1967-68. I know I wanted to keep doing something besides sitting in a rocking chair, and my English skills were good. They are always looking for qualified and committed English teachers in Thailand, so I looked into that. I attended a conference of English teachers in Thailand in January of 2008. The prospects looked good, so I came back to Chiang Mai University in June and got a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I got two job offers and accepted one. So, I got rid of everything that would not fit on 1 palette and in a large suitcase and moved to Thailand. Like @macsparky, I knew this was a 1-way ticket. I ended up in the English department at Khon Kaen University in 2008, where I taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels until 2013. I was then asked to teach at a municipal school (grades 7-12), but could only take that for one year.
I had a friend from my days at the English department who was at the College of Local Administration at Khon Kaen University. They wanted to boost their international presence and were looking for a person to do International Relations. My MPA and experience looked good to them, so they hired me in 2014. I’ve been there ever since, and I like the work and the people I work with. I get to work with people from all over the world (yesterday we had a webinar with China and Bangladesh). I’ve been to Laos, Indonesia (3 times), Vietnam, and one trip back to the US to work with the University of Michigan and Portland State.
So, all I can say is best of luck. Some people will survive no matter what road they take. I’m that kind (even according to an ex-wife!) and I know you are too.
Best,
Tony
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Congratulations @MacSparky on this exciting new chapter!! I am excited to follow along on the journey as a member!! Very vey happy for you and looking forward to seeing all the new things you produce. An Obsidian Field Guide sounds pretty nice to me…lol
Maybe you can do a show about the team and introduce them to us, how they work and with what tools etc. do they all use only “certified MacSparky” workflows or have they developed their own as well?
I’d listen to that show
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I can’t help but revisit David’s process in my head as I start my annual re-reading of Essentialism this week. As a lawyer myself, I can’t help but say way to go and glad you find reward in what you do!
A big congratulations to David!
I’m preparing a big transition for my life and I’m very excited. When I first heard this news from the MPU, I got really happy for him. I mean my this change excites me this much and I cannot imagine how much exciting it must be to David.
I applaud his decision, as we come this way but once. Best wishes for the growth of MacSparky. I stumbled across David and Katie not long after switching to the Mac from windows in 2007. I haven’t looked back and I’ve benefitted enormously from his desire to share his knowledge with others. My favourite resource so far is his Paperless field guide followed by his presentations field guide.
Just came here to say, this is a really cool story. Very inspirational to me. Thank you.
Did you know my brother-in-law, John Q. Brown, and his wife, Na? He taught ESL in Thailand and lived a few years in the Khon Kaen. He’s from Columbus, Ohio, originally.
I’ve been enjoying this space newsletter
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I want to add my congrats to @macsparky for the move. I made a similar jump in 2018, leaving a job with a salary and benefits to make full-time a part-time job that I’d been passionate about and believed was my purpose. We had only a couple of years of runway to make it self-supporting and got within a couple months of having it crash and burn. But now almost 4 years later we’re self-supporting and growing and I couldn’t be happier both personally and professionally. I am sure the same will be true for you as well.
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Bought a Field Guide just to show support!
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We got you brother. Signed up for a year of the early access labs.
Congratulations MacSparky. You done good, kid.