I retired from my job as a systems engineer designing medical equipment on February 28, 2020. Two weeks later the COVID-19 pandemic shut down life as we knew it. The pandemic completely upended my plans for retirement, but it gave me lots of time for reading, study and introspection. It saw that my training as a systems engineer pervaded how I look at the world. I also saw that I apply my systems engineering mindset to many other areas of personal interest.

Systems Engineering

Although I no longer work at a paid job, I am still deeply attracted to the systems engineering profession. I have maintained my membership in the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE – http://www.incose.org) and my status as a Certified Professional Systems Engineer (CSEP). See posts in Systems Engineering

Healthcare

Retirement has brought me new obligations. Like many of my contemporaries, I am spending a lot of my time looking after very old parents. Navigating the healthcare system on their behalf is both frustrating and fascinating for someone with a systems engineering mind-set. The healthcare system in the United States provides so many examples of disfunction and so many opportunities for the application of systems engineering! See posts in http://awakenedse.blog/category/healthcare-stories.

Reflections

Like most people, I have many interests that are hard to fit into categories. I have written posts about some of these interests. See posts in http://awakenedse.blog/category/reflections/

Recommended Reading

I spend a lot of time reading. I have created a list of books and articles that I have found to be especially useful or thought-provoking. See Recommended Reading.