Hello? Is anyone home?

Flying through Gallente space I activated my communications system while I admired the local nebulae. There is nothing in space as the beautiful soft cyan and green rolling nebulae that seem to dance across the sky.

I was readmitted to uni today and I tried accessing their communications network. After I gained access I tried entering the different channels but apparently the network won't accept my authorization credentials. I could bring up the frequencies on my communication console but I couldn't access any of them much to my disappointment. After ten minutes of working on the software as well as attempting to update my credentials I end by slamming the console with my fist in a fit of frustration. I'm flying in a ship that has the most impressive electronic package for any ship in all of New Eden and yet I can't access basic communication channels. It's very frustrating sometimes.

So in my frustration I docked at the nearest station so I could shoot a quick communique to the proper administrative mid-manager about updating my authorization codes. I started looking through old classes and stumbled over a lecture about intermediate tackling that was taught by an old pilot I remember flying with in the Low Sec camp. He was a great pilot and I was excited to hear a lecture that was beyond the cursory tactics that I've heard rehashed time and time again.

While the lecture was great and I really learned a lot, it did get me thinking about my future career aspirations and the path I should take, at least in the short term. I realized that my issue has really been surrounding my training focus. I've been trying to focus on too many areas instead of specializing. So I decided to focus on electronic warfare. My skills as a recon ECM pilot is pretty good but my skills in other forms of ewar is rather weak. I've decided to focus on building up my skills in further specializing my knowledge of ECM as well as focusing on flying interceptor ships. Flying a cloaky ECM boat always put me in situations when I would engage only at the middle to end of a fight. But if I were flying interceptor style ships I would be the first on grid which would help me gain a tremendous amount of experience engaging different types of ships as well as the first pilot who will be evaluating the enemy.

Talking to a few pilots in the station though while I was looking at faster frigates (used specifically for interception piloting) they tried to deter me from purchasing the Caldari frigates I was looking at. They told me that they were probably the worst interceptors on the market. This was a little deflating as I had only taken a crash course in basic Minmatar piloting. A few months ago I got it into my head that I wanted to fly the rifter so took a shitty little course in a backwoods system deep in a lowsec Minmatar region. So this means I'd have to take a more legitimate class on Minmatar ship operation which will take a couple weeks. But at least that will open me up for flying recon ships the Minmatar offer.

The one disadvantage of this discussion, and one that has really given me pause, is that it will prevent me from working towards moving up the ladder with respect to the potential for leadership roles at the university. I really would like to learn how to command large fleets as well as handle corporate administrative tasks successfully.

But hopefully I can use this to make myself a better pilot which will help my leadership skills later on.

We'll see I suppose.

Deep Space Wanderlust

"Warp drive activate."

Chimes the soft spoken computer said as my falcon simultaneously is catapulted across the system and cloaked from a paranoid old habit. There was no one on the gate I just left and there were only a few people in local so I probably did have much to worry about. But this is low sec and who knows who is sitting, cloaked, in a picket position watching the people come in or out. Again, it's probably paranoia but it's only when I lose that paranoia when my day ends in a fiery, upsetting way. Plus I have to admit there is a bit of comfort in these procedures and habits. I've been away for a few months and it's nice to fall back into that old routine. Flying into back low sec pocket that's occupied by the random pirate trying raise their security status by ratting, this few brave miners or mission runners, and the industrial moon mining POS I realize how much I feel at home here. It's terribly lonely but for some reason it's lonely in a beautiful and romantic sort of way. It's a place I've learned to call home. 

Recently I found a blog of another low sec pilot and it gave me the idea to chronicle my journey. Why? There are things I'm good at as well as things that I'd LIKE to be good at. Maybe by writing it down I'll be able analyze my journey and get better. 

What am I good at? I'm a great support pilot, decent scout, and love following orders. The majority of my career has been with the eve uni and specifically in the Low Sec Camp(LSC). The nice thing about flying with the uni is that I always have the ability to fly with large fleets most days. My level of expertise, and I use that term loosely, is in stealth ships and EWAR boats, specifically ECM Target disrupter boats. I've focused on Caldari ships and generally fly the stealth bomber, manticore, and the recon ship, falcon. When running fleets I generally will fly in a falcon or a more basic cruiser/battleship version(the blackbird and Scorpion respectively). When flying in this role I am 'okay'. I have decent instincts and enough experience in low sec to survive on my own, fly alone, and contribute meaningfully to fleet actions even small groups. But where I lack is my ability to fight on my own or lead other ships into battle. The second weakness arise as a result from the first. I don't feel confident to lead combat ships when my experience is in support roles. Hopefully I can focus on switching that but unfortunately it's difficult to fly Caldari ships that are designed to do a great deal of damage and survive long enough to do damage on the field. Should I cross train into other races or just learn to use the Caldari ships more effectively? I don't know. 

But this is something I plan to explore now.