Comments on: I’m no marketer, yet – end of blog http://www.alexwilliams.ca/blog/2008/07/14/im-no-marketer-yet-end-of-blog/ High-Availability Guru Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:42:14 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Barry Hess http://www.alexwilliams.ca/blog/2008/07/14/im-no-marketer-yet-end-of-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-5180 Barry Hess Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:00:15 +0000 http://www.alexwilliams.ca/blog/?p=103#comment-5180 All I can say is good luck, Alex. I'm close to where I want to be (at this point in my career) and I'm fairly hopeful I will be where I want to be by next year. It's great to have a good team of people to work with, a little change in the pocket for the family, and a flexible schedule, that's for sure. Just be sure to recognize the positive steps you've taken. Sometimes it's easy to always be in pursuit of the extra little slice of perfection without realizing how much you've accomplished already. All I can say is good luck, Alex. I’m close to where I want to be (at this point in my career) and I’m fairly hopeful I will be where I want to be by next year. It’s great to have a good team of people to work with, a little change in the pocket for the family, and a flexible schedule, that’s for sure.

Just be sure to recognize the positive steps you’ve taken. Sometimes it’s easy to always be in pursuit of the extra little slice of perfection without realizing how much you’ve accomplished already.

]]> By: Geoffrey Simpson http://www.alexwilliams.ca/blog/2008/07/14/im-no-marketer-yet-end-of-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-5178 Geoffrey Simpson Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:59:14 +0000 http://www.alexwilliams.ca/blog/?p=103#comment-5178 The most comforting thing I can tell you right now is that you are not alone. Thousands of us desire for something more, something different, something that lets us exert our creative juices more than choosing a pleasing color pallet for a website re-design. We are knowledge workers, we use the logical problem solving part of our brains all day, every day, and it can get very tiring. We challenge ourselves constantly; we thrive on learning and increasing our realms of knowledge. There is no end to the passion we can show for things we feel worth to impart our passion upon. For a time, mine was business. I wanted to know and learn everything I could about management, running a successful business, blah blah blah... I spent several years of my life (part time) to get a Masters of Business Administration degree, and I got it. I thought that heaven's gates would open up and the perfect CTO position would be laid at my feet. A position that I could leverage my technology undergraduate degree with my newly printed MBA diploma. A position that would be perfectly tailored to my creative side while still stimulating my technical side. It didn't happen. I don't have the answer for you. It is fantastic that you are a passionate person. The world always needs more passionate people; we are the ones who make things happen. The IT world is a cruel world. It is cruel because it pays well. You probably will not be able to find a marketing job that pays close to what you can make as a PHP developer. I wish it were not the case. In the ideal world, we would be able to do what we are most passionate about while still providing for our families and feeling like we are prospering. This is why we idolize people like Tim Ferris, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Jobs, Joel Spolsky and Bill Gates, not because they are rich, but because they are doing what they are passionate about, and people can tell. Create your own opportunity to do what you are passionate about, and realize it might change. As Dr. Seuss said, "Today is your day, so, get on your way." -Geoffrey Simpson gts@gtsks.com The most comforting thing I can tell you right now is that you are not alone. Thousands of us desire for something more, something different, something that lets us exert our creative juices more than choosing a pleasing color pallet for a website re-design. We are knowledge workers, we use the logical problem solving part of our brains all day, every day, and it can get very tiring. We challenge ourselves constantly; we thrive on learning and increasing our realms of knowledge.

There is no end to the passion we can show for things we feel worth to impart our passion upon. For a time, mine was business. I wanted to know and learn everything I could about management, running a successful business, blah blah blah… I spent several years of my life (part time) to get a Masters of Business Administration degree, and I got it. I thought that heaven’s gates would open up and the perfect CTO position would be laid at my feet. A position that I could leverage my technology undergraduate degree with my newly printed MBA diploma. A position that would be perfectly tailored to my creative side while still stimulating my technical side. It didn’t happen.

I don’t have the answer for you. It is fantastic that you are a passionate person. The world always needs more passionate people; we are the ones who make things happen. The IT world is a cruel world. It is cruel because it pays well. You probably will not be able to find a marketing job that pays close to what you can make as a PHP developer. I wish it were not the case. In the ideal world, we would be able to do what we are most passionate about while still providing for our families and feeling like we are prospering.

This is why we idolize people like Tim Ferris, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Jobs, Joel Spolsky and Bill Gates, not because they are rich, but because they are doing what they are passionate about, and people can tell.

Create your own opportunity to do what you are passionate about, and realize it might change. As Dr. Seuss said, “Today is your day, so, get on your way.”

-Geoffrey Simpson
gts@gtsks.com

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