Canonical no more

As of yesterday (20th of March) I’m no longer employed at Canonical. It’s a strange feeling leaving after 6.5 years there.

Being part of that company become part of my identity. I quickly learned how to explain what does company do and got a deep satisfaction when people actually knew Ubuntu.

The biggest influence on my personal life, started and greatly helped by Canonical was a chain of events which brought me to Barcelona. It’s hard for me to imagine myself living there or even deciding for the move if not for freedom and security which my job gave me.

First time I come to Barcelona was because of Canonical and the last all-hands meeting, the last one before the company become too big. During all those years, from time to time, I’ve heard rumors that there will be a next one, but it never happened.

That first visit planted in me something, which after about two years, turned into moving to Catalan capital for good. Again, thanks to Canonical and its remote work policy, I could do it without a need to look for another job. I was able to follow my dream in a relatively risk free manner.

My memories of that first visit are constantly with me, especially as I can and often do pass the same places daily. Each time I marvel at the twists of the fortune and I’m reminded that I can’t predict the future, as I would never guessed, where I would end up.