career: March 2008 Archives
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After the events of this week, I remember now why I was always hesitant about working for myself: stability. It started on Sunday, where the person I was rebuilding a massive website (800+ pages) for decided he "couldn't afford it" and canceled the whole thing. All the time I spent (including 7 hours straight on Sunday...I was in the zone) went wasted. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Here's a brief rundown of how it went:
Him: I can't do the site anymore. People owe me money, I am still paying for someone to build the ecommerce store, blah blah blah. Also, your proposed setup (using a site structure) is too detailed. I'm not a "path" person.
Me: I understand. Money's tight for everyone.
Him: I still need you to set up my Dreamweaver installation so I can edit the site myself
Me: I've done that already. The problem is your code has no standard structure to it. Your code needs to be set to point to the location of the image.
Him: I CAN SEE THE FILE ON MY MACHINE! WHY WON'T DREAMWEAVER WORK!!! (He's now very upset)
Me: Because your server files are a mess. And you code looks like someone ate a website, partially digested it, then vomited the code back on to the page.
Him: I'M NOT A PATH PERSON!
Me: That may be, but servers and HTML code depend on them. I can make Dreamweaver upload the files to Burt Reynold's personal website if I wanted to, but that won't matter because you don't know what the hell you're doing. I can't make Dreamweaver adjust to your inability to understand and use basic syntax.
And that was that. I don't think he'll be calling me anytime soon.
Then this week came. I feel like I've been kicking water uphill all week. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm not sure what I've even done this week. Stressful, putting out fires left and right, and dealing with people who are downright idiots.
But the difference between this and the a**hole who canceled on me? I'm still getting paid for this week. And that's enough to make me feel good.
On a side note, I had to change my blog email address, because I was getting destroyed by spam so much it was crippling my server (150+ spam attempts a day). But I've got a Gmail address for it now (let THEM handle it) and I've integrated an easy code trick to stop 99% of the spam bots getting my address. Feel free to email me and I'll give you the syntax for it. I also still haven't quite figured out the comment situation. So there.
Him: I can't do the site anymore. People owe me money, I am still paying for someone to build the ecommerce store, blah blah blah. Also, your proposed setup (using a site structure) is too detailed. I'm not a "path" person.
Me: I understand. Money's tight for everyone.
Him: I still need you to set up my Dreamweaver installation so I can edit the site myself
Me: I've done that already. The problem is your code has no standard structure to it. Your code needs to be set to point to the location of the image.
Him: I CAN SEE THE FILE ON MY MACHINE! WHY WON'T DREAMWEAVER WORK!!! (He's now very upset)
Me: Because your server files are a mess. And you code looks like someone ate a website, partially digested it, then vomited the code back on to the page.
Him: I'M NOT A PATH PERSON!
Me: That may be, but servers and HTML code depend on them. I can make Dreamweaver upload the files to Burt Reynold's personal website if I wanted to, but that won't matter because you don't know what the hell you're doing. I can't make Dreamweaver adjust to your inability to understand and use basic syntax.
And that was that. I don't think he'll be calling me anytime soon.
Then this week came. I feel like I've been kicking water uphill all week. Tomorrow is Friday, and I'm not sure what I've even done this week. Stressful, putting out fires left and right, and dealing with people who are downright idiots.
But the difference between this and the a**hole who canceled on me? I'm still getting paid for this week. And that's enough to make me feel good.
On a side note, I had to change my blog email address, because I was getting destroyed by spam so much it was crippling my server (150+ spam attempts a day). But I've got a Gmail address for it now (let THEM handle it) and I've integrated an easy code trick to stop 99% of the spam bots getting my address. Feel free to email me and I'll give you the syntax for it. I also still haven't quite figured out the comment situation. So there.
Sorry for the lack of blogging. It's been quite a month. Between my wife and I both getting sick, her taking the Florida Bar Exam (because she's fucking awesome), and my son cutting some teeth, I've barely had time to breathe.
I've come to the conclusion that, more often than not, I don't play nice with others in the workplace. While I'm an overall fun guy, good group of friends, and enjoy explaining and teaching most things, I found my weakness: dealing with uninterested people. In specific, people who (a) ask a question, (b) ignore the response, then (c) continue asking questions. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with a woman today explaining the account numbering system (accounts held in the trust company have multiple numbers, due to reasons I won't bore you with). Well, after about the 5th explanation, I could see she just wasn't listening.
I realized, right then and there, that I am not cut out for Corporate America. And that probably won't change.
Now, I'm going anywhere. I haven't quit my job, nor have I attempted to sabotage my situation in the hopes of getting fired. Actually, I'm doing quite well. I've been solving problems and putting out fires left and right. I've been commended numerous times on my quick thinking and problem solving. And, all things being equal, the nice office with the window and door, the respect I've gotten from (some) of the people I work with, and the seemingly endless opportunity to endear myself to higher-ups is enjoyable. But I can't shake the feeling that, sooner or later, I'm not going to bite my tongue when I should and let my naturally sarcastic nature show its somewhat mean face to the wrong person. It's gonna happen. So I've begun preparing.
I've started my own business. Reboot Computer Systems & Web Design is my new venture. It makes so much sense it hurts. For years I've told myself that I shouldn't get a computer-related job, because then I wouldn't like them anymore. So what better way to test that theory than do it, while still enjoying the benefits of my "real" job? I've already made a few dollars on some jobs, and I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a 600 page site for someone. That's word of mouth advertising right there! I even bought a used rackmount server (making 6 machines, plus 2 smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.0), and I'm in the process of turning my garage / cigar room into a workstation of sorts.
So this blog may start taking a turn into my experience with starting a one-man business. Worse thing that could happen? Nothing. Best bet? The business takes off, and I can actually work for myself, doing something I actually enjoy and have a passion for.
I've come to the conclusion that, more often than not, I don't play nice with others in the workplace. While I'm an overall fun guy, good group of friends, and enjoy explaining and teaching most things, I found my weakness: dealing with uninterested people. In specific, people who (a) ask a question, (b) ignore the response, then (c) continue asking questions. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with a woman today explaining the account numbering system (accounts held in the trust company have multiple numbers, due to reasons I won't bore you with). Well, after about the 5th explanation, I could see she just wasn't listening.
I realized, right then and there, that I am not cut out for Corporate America. And that probably won't change.
Now, I'm going anywhere. I haven't quit my job, nor have I attempted to sabotage my situation in the hopes of getting fired. Actually, I'm doing quite well. I've been solving problems and putting out fires left and right. I've been commended numerous times on my quick thinking and problem solving. And, all things being equal, the nice office with the window and door, the respect I've gotten from (some) of the people I work with, and the seemingly endless opportunity to endear myself to higher-ups is enjoyable. But I can't shake the feeling that, sooner or later, I'm not going to bite my tongue when I should and let my naturally sarcastic nature show its somewhat mean face to the wrong person. It's gonna happen. So I've begun preparing.
I've started my own business. Reboot Computer Systems & Web Design is my new venture. It makes so much sense it hurts. For years I've told myself that I shouldn't get a computer-related job, because then I wouldn't like them anymore. So what better way to test that theory than do it, while still enjoying the benefits of my "real" job? I've already made a few dollars on some jobs, and I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a 600 page site for someone. That's word of mouth advertising right there! I even bought a used rackmount server (making 6 machines, plus 2 smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.0), and I'm in the process of turning my garage / cigar room into a workstation of sorts.
So this blog may start taking a turn into my experience with starting a one-man business. Worse thing that could happen? Nothing. Best bet? The business takes off, and I can actually work for myself, doing something I actually enjoy and have a passion for.
