Wow. What a journey this has been.
A little over five years ago, my first post — a [terrible] app review — was published on Android Police. The site was only a year old back then, and we were lucky to get 10 comments. That post had eight.
I still clearly remember the day that Artem asked me to come write for AP full-time — I was working a totally different type of job that I didn’t like in the slightest, and I had done two app reviews for AP. I was at work when he messaged me on Hangouts (well, technically it was Google Talk back then) to tell me that the former full-time writer (yep, we only had one at the time) wasn’t coming back, so he needed someone as a replacement. He offered me a two-week trial position, so there was a chance this whole thing wouldn’t work out. I moved to a part-time position at my then-current job — an irreversible decision — and took the leap. The first two weeks were absolutely nerve-wracking, but it’s what I really wanted, so it was worth the risk. Still, it was scary knowing that if it didn’t work out, I’d be in a bad financial situation.
Fortunately, Artem was patient with me, because I did a lot of stupid stuff early on. Just not paying attention to all the details — I specifically remember writing one post about the LG Optimus 2X and calling it the “X2” the entire time. I’m just glad all of my posts were edited before they went live back then, haha. Man, it seems like that was an eternity ago.
But it all worked out in the end, and this site has been an absolute life-changer for me. It effectively took me out of a line of work I was unhappy with and pushed me into something that I’ve loved ever since. There hasn’t been a single day since I started here that I woke up and dreaded “going to work.” Not one. In fact, on many occasions I’ve gone to sleep at night excited about waking up and getting started the next morning. If you don’t know what that feels like, I implore you to find it. No one should have to work a job they hate.
It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m thankful for every minute I’ve had here. But like most good things, my time here at Android Police has come to an end. I’ve watched this site grow into something amazing over the last five years, and I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of this team. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some amazing and talented individuals over the course of my time here — each and every one of the significant members of this team over the years have somehow made an impact on me and effectively helped me to get to where I am right now.
Today is my last day with the Android Police team, and this will most likely be my last post as an Android Police writer. I’m saddened by the move, but excited for the future — I’m going to How-To Geek to cover Android things, which is going to be a lot of fun. HTG is an extremely respectable site, and it’s an honor to become a part of that team.
Before I leave, though, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read AP over the years, to those of you who have supported both me and this site. To everyone who has read my rambling and taken something away from it. Also to everyone who has read my rambling and hated it — thanks to you guys too. Believe it or not, I’ve taken every “rude” comment with any sort of constructive criticism and tried to modify the way I do things for the better.
And most of all, thanks to Artem for giving me a chance. To David for being there since the beginning and helping me figure out the best way to do things. To the friends from AP that I’ve made along the way: Eric, Liam, Ryan, Cody, Justin, Rita, Bertel, Pam, Shawn, Michael, Aaron, Jeff, Martim, and anyone else I may have missed (sorry).
Moving forward, I know that Android Police is going to keep doing great things. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the best damn Android site on the ‘net, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
I’ll be seeing you guys around.
Thanks again for everything.
-Cam