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Pivoting from wannabe Python developer trying to save the world from AI homogenization to TESOL instructor for non-native English speaking adult learners.

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Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: A Tech Veteran's Perspective

 I started my career in high tech with a simple set of requirements: put food on the table, clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and a few dollars in the bank for a rainy day. After 17 jobs lasting 6 months to 6 years—spanning the rise of the PC, the collapse of industrial giants like Sun and GE, and the current "hoopla" of Generative AI—I've  met  those requirements.

But leaving high tech isn't just about walking away; it’s about sharing key insights from the perspective of 45 years as a tech writer and information architect. In a world currently obsessed with the "How" (the fastest chip, the smarter API, the next big exit), we are losing sight of the  "Why" (solving a  real-world requirement). We are trading Precision for Hype, and Stewardship for a Mercenary Mindset.

So, the following posts are my attempt to separate the 'wheat" from the "chaff". The intent is to leave a frame of reference for the next generation of engineers and tech writers who are currently being blinded by the "hoopla." Whether you are a veteran looking for an exit or a 25-year-old just starting the journey, these insights may be  the only "rainy day fund" that never devalues.

Key Insights:

• Part 1: The Industrial Ghost in the Consumer Machine– Why hardware is just a pane of glass and that your "old" M1 Mac Mini might be just as industrial as the "latest" M5 MacBook.
• Part 2: The API Trap and the Death of Precision – How the industry fell in love with "How" and forgot building for a "Why" to solve a  real-world problem.
• Part 3: Escaping the Mercenary Mindset – The difference between building for a "Why" and building for an "Exit."
• Part 4: The Final Requirement – Knowing when you’re "Done" and why a 25-year-olds needs your perspective more than  your seat.

Welcome to the afterlife. Now, let's start separating the "wheat" from the "chaff".

The Hardware is Just a Pane of Glass

The Lesson: Why the M1 you kept is more "Industrial" than the M5 they want you to buy.

In the 1980s, at companies like Sun and IBM, we didn't build "gadgets"; we built infrastructure. When you document a power grid or a workstation meant to last 15 years, your "Why" is Stability. You learn that the hardware is a vessel, not a fashion statement.

Today, the industry tries to convince you that the "How" (the newest M5 MacBook Pro) is the magic. But as veterans, we know the truth: The hardware is just a pane of glass. By running the latest OS on "old" M1 Mac Mini hardware, you aren't being cheap—you are being an industrialist. You are proving that the value lies in the synthesis of information, not what "typewriter" is used.

To Tech Writers: Stop chasing the latest tool. Master the ability to make the tool irrelevant. If your work can't survive a hardware migration, it isn't "Wheat"; it’s "Chaff."

Why "How" is Taking Center Stage Over "Why"

The Lesson: A smarter API doesn't make a better business.

We are currently repeating the "API Hoopla" of the early 2000s, but with LLM prompts. Developers are enamored with the feat of integration—showing how "smart" they are by connecting a cloud brain to a UI.

But as GE learned with Predix, customers don't pay for "smart" demos; they pay for Results. In an Agile world, documentation has become a fragmented stream of "How-to" snippets that satisfy a Jira ticket but fail the user’s "Why."

To Tech Writers: Your job is not to describe the API. Your job is to be the Architect of the Requirement. If the AI generates a thousand pages of "slop," your role is to find the ten pages that solve a real-world problem. Precision is the only thing that scales.

Escaping the Mercenary" Mindset

The Lesson: The "Exit" is a liquidity event, not a career.

The tech world is now populated by "Mercenaries" working for the "Vesting Date." This mindset creates Hollow Products—software built to be sold to a conglomerate, not to be used by a human.

When you work for the "Exit," you sacrifice the "Why" of the user for the "Monetize" of the shareholder. You become the "Professional Asshole" doing the work others won't touch. But there is another path: the Stewardship model. We stayed at our posts not for the stock options, but because we took pride in the structural integrity of the information.

To Tech Writers: You will be tempted to join the "Hustle." But remember: Stock vests, but your reputation for Integrity is the only "Rainy Day Fund" that never devalues. Don't be the person who writes the lie that sells the company; be the person who writes the truth that saves the user.

The Final Requirement

The Lesson: Winning the game means leaving the table.

There is a final stage in a high-tech career that no HR rep will ever explain: the moment you realize you have fulfilled your own requirements. When the roof is paid for and the rainy-day fund is full, the "Why" of your work must shift.

If you continue to grind for the same goals you had at the beginning of your career, you are just "Stagnating" in a seat that a 25-year-old needs to find their own "Wheat." But "Done" doesn't mean "Finished." You are finally free to tell a a 25-year old the Why.

To Tech Veterans: A 25-year old needs your perspective..A 25-year old needs to know that it's possible to work for 40 years and leave with a clear conscience and an old M1 Mac Mini that still works like a dream.

The Second Time Around (Postscript)

 I once actively pursued many pastimes when I was young : hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains; kayaking on Monterey Bay;  mountain biking to Mission Peak; or just reading a book while listening to my favorite jazz music.

Somehow , those  pastimes became less important as I began to focus my time and effort on  the daily grind of putting a roof over my head, food on the table, clothes on my back, and a few dollars in the bank for a rainy day.

The daily grind  became a 45-year "career" as a full-time employee and contractor in Silicon Valley: 17 jobs that lasted 6 months to 6 years (and  the 7 layoffs that lasted 3 to 11 months).

As a full-time employee, the daily grind consisted of constantly looking over my shoulder after being let go despite working long hours to meet tight deadlines.

As a contractor, the daily grind consisted of leaving without a trace after 6:00 pm since I was no longer obsessed with the golden handcuffs (eg, health insurance, 401(k) plan, or stock options) that shackled full-time employees to the notion of "job security".

The daily grind eventually came  to an end when I moved to a more leisurely (and more affordable) lifestyle in the Central Valley near Sacramento (see Nothing Personal, Just Business).

Friends and family have asked me what I’m doing now.  I simply reply that I'm on a "sabbatical". I don't bring work home with me. I don't unwind from the stress of 60 hour work weeks that made me dread Mondays. I'm not obsessed with layoffs that made me dread Wednesdays.

Today,  I focus my time and effort on dealing with peripheral neuropathy.

You see, my  life ha a a meaning, purpose, and plan. I just have to remember that it's not up to me to know (or understand) all of the details.