I Just Got Taller

Believe what you will, but I'm growing. This site is proof-positive of that.

Along the lines of work in the Internets trenches, I'm planning and scheming how I might package and transmit acquired UX and UI knowledge. I'm feelin' good about my career direction and momentum. Reminds me of learning how to surf at Huntington. The mastery of it, in my opinion, is positioning, timing, momentum and balance.

There's nothing like it in the world.

But, I digress. Surfing helps me look at what I do in life, and subsequently at UX Dev / Design, from those four vantage points. Here's how I see things:

Positioning

The question of "where?" is crucially relevant to my profession.

Where was I?

Started out as a desktop publisher for an Internet Training company. Read the manuals to learn about network computing and the Web and started hammering away at design and code.

Where am I now?

UI Engineer and intermediate PHP coder with over a decade of experience designing and integrating page-code for clients ranging from companies that occupy their own zip-code to little-ol-me and my own personal one-offs and scripts.

Where am I Going?

Shooting for independence under the moniker consultic.us. Products and services are in definintion and refinement mode, right now.

Where do I want to avoid?

After a 20-month stint of unemployment after the bust of 2000, I'm not eager to go back to the bread line. That's a given. More specifically, though, I'm avoiding work and activity that costs too much. Thinking of life as a one-shot investment chance sobers my appreciation of each moment's value. There's plenty of opportunity to do good in the world. I want to be part of the good and avoid the not-as-good or worse.

Timing

The popularized Greek aphorism, "Know Thyself" comes to mind here. (No, I don't use the word "aphorism" on most days. I'm running on borrowed sophistocation via Wikipedia.) Asking for too much, too soon, as in trying to land a highly technical role in a small agency or taking on menial and less challenging work at a corporate behmoth has much the same outcome. With every new gig, I try to take on just a bit more than I have in the past but not so much that I drown immediately. It makes for a good growth plan and keeps me learning, engaged and live.

Momentum

I'm blocking out an 80's song, right now. I'll spare you the title or any lyric. I'm just that nice.

Anyone who's coded or designed knows this is big. Stop-and-go workflow makes for good cubicle-monkey behavior but can't account for success in gaining solid competency in the industry. Strike while the iron's hot.

Balance

Although self-explanatory at times, balance is ellusive most of the time. I would say that's true for most people and moreso for industry-folk. This last point, flies in the face of previous ones. If this four-point post were a car, the last point would be the brakes.

Essential, wouldn't you agree?

I'm gaining bits and pieces of balance. All of it expensive in terms of life-experience; mostly learned the hard way. The rewards, though, are so sweet. For me, it's spending time at home or outdoors without the cloud of possible technology solutions hovering over me. I'm human again. I'm a dad. My kids love me. I'm a hubby. My wife loves me. It's great. Life is good. Even without technology, the web and all the other stuff mentioned, life is good. And balance is, for me, the practice of disciplined remembering.

I don't just look and feel taller.

I am.