When plans come together....

Anyone who has ever laid out a plan for themselves knows that it isn't easy to say that "I love it when a plan comes together". Unless you are Hannibal Smith of the A-Team.

Despite a very frustrating past 7 months, it appears as though mine is actually working.

The first component was the job. Both me...and TLB (The Lovely Bride) were very unsure as to whether I should be working full...or part-time. Really, up to the point that I got offered my job on the Assignment Desk at WCPO, I wasn't sure which it would be. We had discussions of it being a full-time opportunity and it not. They offered the not, but it was 3 days at a good rate with the opportunity to pick up extra hours.

((Computer Illustration//Courtesy: tonkay.wikispaces.com))

What that allows me to do is something that I've talked about for a long time. I'm going to learn how to design websites. As much as I enjoy the blogspot and posting stories on it is very easy, I want to be able to do a full-fledged site on my own and make it look like I want it to look.

So today, I took the plunge and signed up for some web programming courses at a computer school. I will be learning a bunch of programs; Flash, Dreamweaver and Photoshop. HTML Programming and code so I can put together my own video players and layout for sites.

The reason for this is rather simple. Diversification. If I can do this, which I believe that I will; then I will be able to hopefully branch off and do web design for others. It will also allow me to take on more technical jobs. Jobs that would allow me to create and take videos that I edit and spin them to the internet, things of that nature.

I've preached...over and over about diversifying and knowing as many things as possible and I think this will allow me to do just that. It will allow me the chance to do more and offer more. Even if I do web design as a side-job as a freelancer, it is a couple of hundred extra bucks and I can do it from home.

I feel, strongly, that this is the future. That this is the way to stay relevant and the way to be marketable. Staying strictly within the boundaries of what you utilize and are taught in a Television newsroom isn't enough these days. Those jobs are no longer forever. I know that. Heck, I've known that.

The difference now is perspective. I know what it is like to be on the other side. To be on the other side and realize that your skills don't translate very well because you never had a chance to keep them up-to date. I won't make that mistake...ever again. Hopefully someone else can learn from what I did. Have a plan. Know what will keep you current. Know what it takes to get ahead and have the advantage over someone else. If you don't, they'll do the same thing to you.

Enjoy the original A-Team open...which undoubtedly will be better than the crappy remake: Thanks You Tube

Slow Ride

I really don't know who it was that said that "Some days are better than others", maybe nobody did or maybe I'm reading too much into it. Either way, today is one of those days.

Right now, I am where I've been for the better part of the past 2 months; in the house, on the laptop, searching the vastness of the Internets for potential work opportunities. It's interesting though; I have one opportunity now, though it's part time...low wage work in a restaurant, but it's paying work and will get me out of the house and away from this routine. I have another potential opportunity, a job that I will be interviewing for on Friday. It's part-time as well, but between the two, I will be paid enough and working enough that I can change my approach.

Today, however is a "Slow" day. I'm doing the same thing...but Michelle is home after having a procedure done at the hospital and resting and I need to be here to take care of her. It still leaves me with part of the day to do what I've been doing. And I...to an extent have done it though I don't quite feel the same sense of urgency at the moment. Is that wrong? Should I be doing more? Should I be more aggressive? I don't really know.

Supposedly the Job Search is a marathon not a sprint and I guess in a way that is true. But remember a while back I mentioned "Having a Plan". Right now, part-time work fits my "Plan" very well. Will one of the jobs lead to Full-time work? Possibly, but that isn't a priority. For me...in MY situation; I needed to find work to get some money coming in. I needed to find some work to allow me to buy some things that I want to achieve my "Master Plan". If I am able to get out there a bit with these jobs however, I potentially open up even more potential paths for me to travel down. When it all gets boiled down; isn't that really what it's all about?

It's not "Slow Ride" but enjoy a little "Slow Hand"...Eric Clapton and a live version of one of the Greatest Rock and Roll songs of all time (it's a bit long): Thanks You Tube