Adiakritos Journal

Thanks man. the same to you! I hope you resolved to get where ever it is you wish to go cause... that resolve I think is the only thing really pulling me through when I feel like getting distracted. Make sure you know how to plan your time! I figure out how many hours in a day I actually have to work. and do what I call "cycles" which looks like this...60/10/60/10/30
that is, 60 mins work, 10 mins rest, 60 work, 10 rest, 30 rest/small meal... I do this for everything. I use my cell phone as a timer and I alternate between standing and sitting work. This helps me be able to work everything I do, even if it is one thing.

Like yesterday I did just math for 6 hours.. with only those break in between. 6 hours of solid, undistracted work. Thats the best way to do anything man. Try it and you'll find time for everything. Thats whats happened for me.. so I hope its of the same significance in your life as it has been in mine!




A buddy of mine got a prospect to consider him in a job that he estimates to be like 2-3k. I fuckin hope he gets the guy to commit.. even for 1k, him and I can split it and that 500 dollars and another couple hundred in experience points ;-)

I told him to make a simple contract and have the guy to sign the dotted line.. so its officially and legally in play.

This sure beats the hell out of doing free work for people to build my portfolio.
 


One last thing.. I realize that my initial goal of $600 per day in 6 -1 months is nearly gonna be pushed waaay back haha. I'll get it though, as soon as I can consistently make marketing spending money designing web pages. and THAT I'll have to make a new goal.. Fuck it.. I'm gonna be making sites for 1k consistently by July. That is... taking into account all the sites I'd have done by the end of July and average over 1k.
 
Fused with a friend to build a small web design company. Bought a domain name, got the hosting, planning personal site and company details now.

No more 3k contract deal. We realized we were asking to much for the dead lines that were put upon us. The site we were to design if we accepted the job would be the back bone of promotion for a huge event that would be featuring Akon. The client would be spending 200k to feature him in addition to everything else they would purchase to host the event, using our site for promotion.. and the only knowledge I have is CSS... haha fuck that. I'm not getting sued for not meeting the dead lines and fucking up some event for some loaded jewish kids. lmfao I'll stick to a task I can handle with the guns that I got.
 
adiakritos said:
Fused with a friend to build a small web design company. Bought a domain name, got the hosting, planning personal site and company details now.

No more 3k contract deal. We realized we were asking to much for the dead lines that were put upon us. The site we were to design if we accepted the job would be the back bone of promotion for a huge event that would be featuring Akon. The client would be spending 200k to feature him in addition to everything else they would purchase to host the event, using our site for promotion.. and the only knowledge I have is CSS... haha fuck that. I'm not getting sued for not meeting the dead lines and fucking up some event for some loaded jewish kids. lmfao I'll stick to a task I can handle with the guns that I got.
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You backed out from that? Like the above poster said, fake it till you make it. Learn it as you go. It's his own fault for not doing due dilligence. It's just an opportunity for you.
 
We haven't really decided yet. We don't want to pass it up. Its a golden opportunity to learn so much. It'll really push me hard.

I'm having a hard time adding up the benefits against the consequences. For me really, there isn't any real consequences.. I'm the programmer behind the face of the guy who's signing the deal. I have no real legal affiliation. Although, don't want to fuck my friend over.. or anyone for that matter. I can leave the decision up to him and just work hard to serve up the best stuff I can. But I don't want to absolve myself of any responsibility for fucking up. Its like I'd get the money and credit for doing a good job and no blame for fucking up. Its a good deal on paper... though I've got character, man.

Really what the client has in mind is to have us create the site.. and then do all the events to promote the site its self.. not anything else.

They want us to make a facebook for universities type thing. I only have CSS and HTML knowledge with some basic programming knowledge. I don't know what I have to know to make that work.. or where to start. or how to set it up with joomla...

Any technical advice.. books.. tutorials... that anyone can offer me on using Joomla to make a facebook type of site?
 
I didn't think fake it till you make it meant taking on seemingly professional projects with novice practical experience.

I thought it meant thinking and behaving like a professional to take on challenges that are within reach given the time constraint. If there was no time constraint I'd take the job and go at it with more time to breathe.. and ultimately do a better job in the end. Thats what I envision at least.
 
adiakritos said:
They want us to make a facebook for universities type thing. I only have CSS and HTML knowledge with some basic programming knowledge.
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You need to look into something like an open source social network, like elgg, dolphin, or anything listed here open source social network - Google Search

That's a hugeeee undertaking if starting from relative scratch, so give yourself a hand and start from something prebuilt and customize it.
 
To add on to what emp is saying, it takes a lot of skill and practice to learn how to manage clients and projects. Getting stuff built out is actually not as hard as it sounds, as long as you have a good idea of the project and relatively good knowledge of coding. My advice is start reading like a motherfucker, books, magazines, good blogs, anything.

There's a lot of monies to be made in the world of brokering, no matter what the industry is. If you can learn how to handle clients and run projects, you can find some developers to make things happen. Then just coordinate things in the middle and start throwing some d's

Finally, get EVERYTHING in writing. Get a formal proposal signed off on, lay out your milestones for the whole project, get a sign off at each one. Always get formal sign offs on everything, I can't stress this enough. It keeps everyone on the same page and keeps you from having to deal with a lot of the client bullshit
 
Again, adding to what DCuck said, these are the documents I do for big projects and the ones I need a signoff for.

- Project definition
Defines the "scope" of a project. In abstract terms, what is being built, who is responsible, project goals and risks, timeline.

- Technical Specification
Wireframes, detailed techspec. This is THE central document and will take ages to complete and get a signoff on. Do not skip, THIS is your contract and THIS is what you base the $$$ on.

- Testing completed

- Launch, all done.

::emp::
 
emp said:
- Project definition
Defines the "scope" of a project. In abstract terms, what is being built, who is responsible, project goals and risks, timeline.

- Technical Specification
Wireframes, detailed techspec. This is THE central document and will take ages to complete and get a signoff on. Do not skip, THIS is your contract and THIS is what you base the $$$ on.
Click to expand...

Those first two are so fucking important. I recently was finishing up a big site build project for a client and in our final meeting, they asked if we could add a live chat section to each of their 5 business units on the site. They wanted 5 individual, live chat units.

Needless to say, they had already signed off on the scope of the project and I could just smile and say "sure, we can write up a work order for that and invoice you when you're ready"

Sign offs really do preserve your bottom line. It's easy to get sucked into doing out of scope work because you always want to make the client happy, especially when you're just starting out. Force yourself to stick to what was signed off on and do a kickass job and you'll do fine and the client will appreciate it.
 
Currently reading an ebook on how to work Joomla! and hopefully the end will give me some good instruction on how to apply the CSS I learned to my Joomla! sites. My brain feels like its wired on some weird hyper focus drug listening to Armin Van Buuren.. I sleep with the sound of drums echoing in the faint distance of my cerebral fucking cortex as images of code, on-screen font characters, and visual representations of my deepest random ideas swirl on through my mind...
every time I read the word Joomla! I feel as though I've been coaxed to feel a terets type impulse of excitement.
 
dchuk said:
Those first two are so fucking important. I recently was finishing up a big site build project for a client and in our final meeting, they asked if we could add a live chat section to each of their 5 business units on the site. They wanted 5 individual, live chat units.

Needless to say, they had already signed off on the scope of the project and I could just smile and say "sure, we can write up a work order for that and invoice you when you're ready"

Sign offs really do preserve your bottom line. It's easy to get sucked into doing out of scope work because you always want to make the client happy, especially when you're just starting out. Force yourself to stick to what was signed off on and do a kickass job and you'll do fine and the client will appreciate it.
Click to expand...

You still have to keep this in mind:
how-business-works.gif


::emp::
 
I'm wondering, Psychology as a degree is not what I'm looking for, a business degree with a masters is aparently mainly for people looking to get a job. A bachelors in business is for people who want to start thier own businesses...

What I want is to be able to open my own online businesses, and in the mean time fund the marketing and any other expenses with making web sites for people.

With that in mind, I'm wondering if I should just switch my major to a business and in the mean time continue what I'm doing with web design. Maybe take some extra courses in becoming certified while I get my BS.

I want to squeeze as much out of school as I can so that I can use that knowledge.

If anyone here has taken college courses to advance themselves in web design which ones did you take?

Right now I'm thinking I'll take two courses for the summer...
Projects Management and
Intro to "Certified Internet Webmasters Foundation"

Those are the only classes I can take that do not require prerequisites.

I want to keep on refining my plan for the steps I can take to getting where I want to go. I just don't know what to expect.
 
ok, please ignore the above post, as I'm about to restate everything in a much more concise way.


What I want is to be able to open my own online businesses, and in the mean time fund the marketing and any other expenses with making web sites for people.

I'm unsure of what the best options would be for me to get where I'm going..

I can:
Switch to Computer Science and do all the CIW stuff and then get BS
Get BS as I get the CIW stuff done on the side
Get BS and just do what I'm already doing and implement the business knowledge I pick up along the way.

which one of these makes the most sense? I'm not sure what to expect.

Right now I'm thinking I'll take two courses for the summer...
Projects Management and
Intro to "Certified Internet Webmasters Foundation"

Those are the only two courses I can take that don't require prereqs and they would both be counted as elective credits.

A psych degree would take me like 10 years to get as a PhD, which, at the time I'd need experience to get hired in a decent paying job. that or I'd have to get a degree in Psych and a degree in Business.

there are a few problems with those pictures:

1 that means I'd be finishing school with no real work experience by like 30.
2 I'd be starting off working with a boss
3 I'd be learning way more than I need to.
4 I'd be getting paid like idk, 24 k a year as a psych PhD at around 30.


please play devils advocate and coax me to find out more, think about things I've missed, and let me know what makes sense to you guys who've got the experience to know better. Gracias =) You all have been real encouraging and helpful, I'm real thankful.
 
I am/was a psych major and would advise you to major in whatever you are actually interested in. There are lots of "decent paying jobs" that only require a bachelors, what type doesn't matter. Talk to some people who are getting their phds, I think you might be underestimating the devotion it needs.

A summer class in web design and business admin or whatever can't hurt but the truth is you don't need a degree in either to make websites or run a business. A technical degree would help for sure but its not necessary or sufficient to make monies online. Degrees won't save you, just gotta do the work.

Also building websites for people sucks ass, would reccomend building your own for (attempted)profits. You're trying to start a business right, not freelance web design?f
 
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