Category: BlahBlahBabble

I got the call! I have a second interview on Friday at 9am with the same group I interviewed with on Monday! They like me, they really like me!

Having lunch with Kymberlie yesterday and visiting with Naomi last night made me realize one thing – I was right in trusting my instincts all along. I don’t think I could handle the stress and potential instability that a web design firm job would present right now. I would always be worried that they were going to go under. There are many other issues too – not bad things, but things that always bothered me. The web design firm world is a young industry. It is full of young employees (I was old at 33!) and as they age there will always be fresh young new people. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – fresh perspectives and all that. However, it leads to a casual work atmosphere that is normally not too professional. Some people love this. It drives me batty. Co-workers listening to loud music, goofing off a lot of the time – nothing gets to me faster. Not that all my co-workers were this way, but there were enough of them that it was annoying to me.

Lots of people suggested I go in to web design at a corporate job. However, I don’t have a design certificate or solid design skills. I don’t have a 4 year degree which is critical to compete in the industry here in Houston (since it is a very saturated industry right now.) I wasn’t a designer at my last job – I was in sales and then a project manager or an account executive if you look at the descriptions on some design shop sites. In the corporate world there is just one client – not several to coordinate, no sales positions. Basically the job I need isn’t out there.

An Admin job will put me back in the corporate world. It will allow me the low-stress work that I crave. As others have pointed out, I could finally leave work at 5pm and leave it behind – not eat, breath & sleep my job like I have for the past 2+ years. I need this. I crave it so much I can almost taste it. Ironically, I met with this group last spring when they had a potential web design project. I remember thinking at the time that it would be a great place to work. Now, not quite a year later, that opportunity is close. I seriously think I have a great shot at this, I think I would be perfect for the job, and doggone it, people like me! (Sorry, had to slip in the Stuart Smalley to see if you were still reading!)

I really wanted to write up a long post for the Bloggin’ Lovefest, but my friend Naomi called and was on my side of town earlier. I haven’t seen her in some time, and I couldn’t pass it up.

So here is my Bloggin’ Lovefest post, a bit late. Feel the love!

The Usual Suspects:
:: Jennifer – I can’t even count the number of nights that Jennifer & I have spent on IM, chatting about all different things from men, children, blogs, code, and so much more. I am so thankful that I got to meet her in person last summer (see all the Boston photos at Pixelog because there is a dimension to her that you may not see online. It’s there, but you don’t always see it on the surface. She ROCKS!

:: Kristine – K/Christine Power! Activate! Kristine has challenged me to look at new ways of utilizing MT, and when I couldn’t make something work, she has been there to help. Aside from the coding challenges she helps me with, she is such a positive and loving person (even on her most down days) that it amazes me. She has been there for me through many rants, been a shoulder to lean on when I needed one, and a friend to laugh with in the good times. I’m thankful that she’s my friend.

More Love:
:: Brandy – Mebot! I love Bran’s design work. It is always such a thrill for me to see new designs on her site. Her writing amuses me, her drawings are great – she is the best!

:: Ciscley – The number 1 fan of the first round of Blogwhore, Cis captured my heart with her witty commentary on the game. From there we have talked about photos, blogs, code, pets, you name it. She is amazing!

:: Donna – She’s Delirious Cool and I adore her for it. She has the ability to make me laugh, to make me cry, to make me think. Plus she mailed me really, really yummy pink cookies last fall!

:: ed k. – Ed will make you stop and think. We share a background in the legal field, which we discovered at the end of Blogwhore last summer. He encouraged me to join the mayhem at Big Blogger, and he was my number one fan. He is a man of great wisdom who manages to have a great sense of humor through it all.

:: Jennifer – J-Mo from my block, Jen lives right here in Houston and yet we’ve never met in person. Someday soon we must get together finally for those margaritas! She makes me happy, and that’s what matters!

:: Kathy – We read each other’s blogs in the early days, back in spring of 2000 was the first time I read hers when she ran a group for Houston bloggers. However I didn’t meet her in person until last fall, and I’m so glad I did!

:: Meryl – I have learned so much from Meryl in the years that I have known her. Again, a friendship that grew over IM, we used to watch the Amazing Race together. That moved on to snarky IM sessions over things like award shows and the horrid dresses some of the women would wear. Another blogger that I got to meet in person, she helped make my SXSW experience last year fantastic! I’m thankful that she is my friend & I wish her & her family the best as she is expecting a baby now!

:: The Mighty Geek – I laugh every time I read this site. Not just laugh, but laugh hard. If you are looking for a funny blog to read, be sure to visit the Geek. He will rule your world.

:: Promo – Through thick & thin, Promo’s been there. Whenever I need to talk about gadget goodness, he’s been there. I remember the earliest days of the Monday Mission, and it makes me smile when I see how it has grown. He is just an all around wonderful guy!

:: Rannie – We first met while playing in Blogwhore, but our friendship grew deeper after that. Through photo contests, photo tips, encouragement, chats about men, you name it. His photos are breathtaking, his words are wonderful, and he is among the best Blogwhores ever!

This has been fun – I still have a lot more that I want to share – so I will contine the lovefest on! Why limit it to one day when there is so much more? By the way – my list is as long as it is for a reason. I’ve been blogging since 2000 – there are a lot of people out there that have touched me, inspired me, and so forth. I would rather share the love with all of them!

I hate to make decisions. Really, really hate it. I’m sort of putting the cart before the horse here too, since there aren’t any job offers on the tables yet. But I discovered tonight that there is a design firm here in Houston (wayyyyy on the south side of town) that has an opening for a Project Manager. Most of the details cover everything I’ve done for the past 3 years – pricing proposals, working with clients, etc.

So here is the dilemnia. Do I stay in the web world or is it time to get out?

Path #1 – Web World:
Sales or Project Manager position. High stress. Work that I am passionate about. Work that I have been doing for the past 3 years. Volatile industry. Young industry. Companies come & go. Work that I’m good at and that I know how to do. Could end up changing jobs again in just a year or two if the company goes under. Small companies. Smaller benefit packages. Lots of overtime.

Path #2 – Corporate World:
Admin Assistant type position. Lower stress. Less overtime. Lower salary level (pay cut). Work that I’m not that passionate about, but more low key. Field of work I’ve been out of for 3+ years. Entry level position, will need to work back up to the salary I was at. Larger companies. Stability. More stability. Could stay at the same company for 20 years. Established firms. Less of a mental challenge. More low key.

There are pros & cons to both. Web work is fun and I’m good at it, but I just don’t know if I can handle the stress. However, the salary would be higher. Yet there is a part of me that keeps thinking of post that Promo wrote suggeting that you should look at your life and the choices that you make and ask yourself if they are worth it. Is it fair to Jason if I squander more precious time for an unstable industry and a job that demands my time as much as working in the web world again would? Or is it worth it to take the pay cut but have a more low-key job that allows me to cherish the time I have with him? To simply enjoy life? I just wish I knew what to do.

Like I said, I’m putting the cart before the horse though – it’s not like I’m trying to pick between two different job offers. I just wanted to take time to think about the options before I am forced to decide between the two.

Things you should know about going on around the web (or is it around the blogosphere?):

:: Rannie has set up the PhotoBloggies. Like Rannie, I was stunned that Nikolai didn’t include photoblogs in the Bloggies this year, although it made sense considering his definition of a blog. Feel free to nominate some of your favorite community or travel photoblogs!

:: Speaking of shameless promotion, Blogwhore 2: Revenge of the Blogwhore is drawing near. If you want to see what the first round of Blogwhore was all about, you can visit the game site here. Come on, you’re a blogwhore and you know it. Now is your chance to flaunt it. (FYI, since I was a contestant in Blogwhore 1 I am not eligible to play in this round. In case you were wondering.)

As for work related news – the interview seemed to go very well. There will be a second round before they make a decision, and I should know by tomorrow morning if I made the second round. She liked my diverse skill set, and even though they weren’t looking for web experience they had considered sending the previous person in the position to training to maintain the site once it is launched to cut costs – so my web experience caught their eye because they wouldn’t have to train me! All in all I felt “on” today, in a really good spunky mood (probably thanks in part to Ciscley’s comment in the last post and everyone cheering me on!) I felt like we really clicked, and left with a good vibe.

Before I left for the interview I got a call asking me to return to the temp assignment from last week – the person I was filling in for had a really sick baby on her hands last week and now she is sick. So after the interview I headed across town to the other company. So far so good – no tales to share!

Low-grade migraine all day. Allergies – sinus pains. Tons of cleaning done yesterday – spring cleaning started early. Ready for my interview – 9am tomorrow morning. Nervous. Tired. Time for bed. You?