Success Makes Jack A Jerk

It's difficult for me to look at people who are in positions of extreme success, and to see them act the complete opposite of humble.

Kanye, you're a joke.
An awesome rapper, and a joke.

The Arts

To all of those who read this blog, I'd like to ask whether or not the poem was entirely out of place. I had expressed frustration with the boundaries of schooling and blogging, and was decided to take a step, via this blog, towards creative expression.

Was it too much? Does this blog need more consistency. I suppose I haven't gone over advice relevant to Generation Y in a while, and I'll probably be heading back there shortly. I had doven into the blogosphere rather quickly, and the idea of helping out Generation Yers was an immediately attractive idea for a blog. It offered a niche community that was self-motivated, so it was easy to work for this community because they were so specific about what they wanted. They wanted tools to making their lives work as part of a generation who faces challenges like dramatic shifts in the types of work now available (obviously the internet has a lot to do with that). And they not only want to keep up with the shift, they want to be on top of it. Hence their active engagement in blogging.

I have said this before, and I will say it again, starting a blog is one great way to stay ahead or on the curve. I have found that through diligent work within the blogosphere (commenting on other blogs, and having relationships with other blog owners) one can obtain readers, who can also become internet buddies (Torbjorn and Anna, you two are great!).

I have been able to amass a certain amount of comments and traffic on this blog. This was through hard work and persistence. Persistence = success. Were I to have continuously put as much effort into this blog as I had at one point, I would likely have many more readers, and I challenge you to go for as many readers as you can, as well as to come up with new ways of attracting them, and new topics to discuss.

Thank you for reading and I'll catch you in the blogosphere.

Disorder

The way the world works is in five ways.


But I don't know any of them.

I'm a stranger to order. A look into my backpack is a look into my brain.
Crumpled papers of assignments long lost line the bottom and the books are used as notebooks, the papers sticking out the sides have frilled edges.

There is rarely a working pen in the front pockets.
Maybe a highliter and some post-it notes, but not a pen.

(i haven't used a pencil in years. I don't like the way they scrape against the paper.)

I want to feel:

Passion
Music
Creativity
Instant gratification.
And sweet, sweet love.


And I want to swing for the fences.

Chronic Laziness

The thing about writing a blog on careers and success is that I'm not totally fascinated by all of this. I'd rather write bad poems or rants about why they ought to just give me a degree already.

I don't like school so much i'm starting to find. I'm just not motivated to do any of the work.

I'm beginning to think I should have been a marketing or business major. I like English, but I just don't find focused enough to do the reading. Besides, I've given up my dreams of becoming the next Jack Kerouac.

Websites Are Good For Your Career... And Here's Where You Can Learn To Make Them

In a prior post, I wrote about the importances of websites, and the ability to create and design them. Alexander K. Riley mentioned a great website where one can learn to write HTML as well as newer and more relevant types, for free.

www.w3schools.com

This website is an excellent place to expand your knowledge of the web. They offer step-by-step tutorials with very accessible examples. They explain everything from CSS to Flash. If you don't know what those are, start soon.

Mastering the lessons offered at www.w3schools.com is about as valuable as a college degree. And if you have both... all you need is a little ambition and you're on you're way to an early retirement, or at least a good paying job.

www.w3schools.com is a great way to learn basic and advanced html. In addition to many many other things. Visit it. I am ecstatic to have found it.

What To Do, What To Do...

Sometimes in life, we attach ourselves to ideas that lead us astray. Often, the signs of having been led awry are obvious, if one is willing to be objective about his or her own situation. There is, perhaps, a struggle involved in reaching certain goals, however, when that struggle begins to negatively effect the way we interact with the world, one ought to reevalute their position.

If you're starting a business, look to the people you trust for their opinions. In fact, look to everybody, people you do and don't trust. It's a good way to gauge where you're at. While some of the greatest visionaries may have had to "prove them all wrong," more often than not, I would guess that attempting to prove everyone wrong is a indicative of denial.

I could, however, and without being a hypocrite, but maybe being in denial, say forget everything above. You definitley don't want to sell yourself short, or be upset with the choices you make. If you end up regretting the path you've taken, it might be hard to attain contentment. But consider also that if you end up with nothing due to stubborness, you might not be content either.

The point is, that it's important to follow your dream. Cliche as it sounds, do it. Seriously, do it.
But at the same time, learn to live in reality. In fact, use reality as a meter. Take your dwindling bank account as a sign you need to start earning money. Take the ill relationships with family and friends as a sign you need to evaluate your demeanor or behavior. And take the signs that tell you you're doing great as a sign to keep on truckin!

Debt For Dollars

Have you ever heard the saying "You've got to spend money to make money?" Maybe you've heard it, but do you understand it?

The basic, and simple notion is that in order to create something that is able to garner revenue, one has to spend money on whatever that something is. If you want to build a website, you have to buy software, pay for a domain name, etc etc. A lot of us don't have enough cash off hand to start our own businesses.

Ever heard of a small business loan? Furthermore, ever heard of a credit card?

It's a dangerous tactic. Credit cards can have high interest rates, and if one has a high enough balance, high minimum paymets. As for the former, many credit cards will offer you one year of 0% interest. Others will offer you low interest rates for the first year or so. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE DEALS! They are truly good deals. They are free loans.
And loans can be quite expensive.

Now, I'm sure all of you reading this are thinking "Isn't debt a bad thing?" The answer is, of course it is. Starting any business is risky. But in todays world of youtubes and myspaces, and even much lesser known software companies and popular blogs, anyone can start a successful online business. Obviously not everybody will be as successful as Tom Anderson of Myspace, or Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook, but there are varying degrees of success.

Developing high traffic is a simple as good marketing. There are thousands of young professionals out there dying for a job in their chosen field. Consider hiring one of them to market your business for you.

Maintaing high traffic is dependent on offering good, entertaining or informative content. With user based content at an all time high, this can be particularly inexpensive.

Considering the former: DON'T GET INTO UNMANAGABLE DEBT! It's a quality of life issue, and you will not want to deal with the repruccusions. Make sure you are ready to make the payments on whatever debt you acquire, and make sure you aren't in danger of losing your house or car.

That said, you should be able to get your idea for a web page up and going for somewhere in the lower thousands. Do you know anybody who is into web page design? See if you can get a good rate with them. Shop around for the best deals. The more time you spend working out the logistics of starting your own business, the more efficient you will spend your money. Take your time, but start now!

And keep in mind, this post is to get your mind working positively. To let it know that there is oppurtunity out there for anyone who is willing to take it. I'm not advising putting your entire life at risk, but am advising that you consider taking some risk. The greater the risk, the greater the return. No pain no gain. You've got to give to receive. Etc. Etc.

Websites Are Good For Your Career: Follow Up

I got a comment from Brandon H at www.newlycorporate.com , who suggests that html is quickly fading. That would be a very important note to take. In this case, what do you think is best to learn as far as creating the most effective website?

Websites Are Good For Your Career

Learning how to design web pages in todays world is a ticket to success. It's a necessary part of every business and web page designers can earn thousands for a single job. Depending on who the client is, you could have a full time job for knowing how to design a web page. Knowing web scripts like HTML and Java is become increasingly important to entrepreneurs as well.

Have an idea? Make a website and watch your business flourish. Of course you'll need to do some marketing, in which case you might want to ask friends if any of them know about internet marketing.

Some ways of internet marketing, that don't involve paying for ad space, are forums. Go to forums that cater to your demographic or that discuss a problem your website can solve, and tell them about your website. Make sure you are not too forward with your marketing. Respond to the dialog and seem interested in what people are saying.

Also, use social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook in order to spread the word for free. Telling your friends and family is a start, however, if they are not part of the demographic, or are not interested in what your site has to offer, don't count on them as traffic builders. You need to find people who are interested in what you're website does, and this takes work.

Some ways of potentially building interest are giveaways. Host contests on your website, and require that your contestants sign up via your website. Incorporate the material on your website in order to get people browsing.

Also, if you live in a big city, consider posting fliers in high traffic areas. Make sure the fliers pique interest. So create an ad campaign for yourself. Watch commercials and look at billboards for ideas.

Check out Ryan Healy's blog from Employee Evolution. It's filled with great tips for contemporary marketing.

Most importantly, however, you have to learn how to build a website. HTML is the most popular script so far. Visit hwg.org. They offer classes online. They cost about one to two hundred dollars for basic HTML classes. But consider the price worth it if you can learn this valuable skill.

Do you know what that'll do for your resume?
Good stuff.