The Accidental Designer - Part III
Mikey 9 commentsIt took me a few months to become comfortable in my new job. My skills improved each day yet I remained humble, and I am glad to say I didn't have that elitist snob attitude a lot of other designers seemed to have. That came later.
As the company grew we moved into a bigger office, and I was happy to be trading my shared small cubicle for something bigger. After a few years the company eventually let me down (with the ATO involved - but that's another story), and I resigned. Most of the other employees followed suit.
I had a plan. I felt I had acquired enough knowledge working so close to bald guy that I could start my own web dev company, and a few weeks later Creative 9000 was born.
"I accepted a webmaster's position for a well known celebrity who runs Perth's best known 'escort service'"
My Experience with bald guy's company and Creative 9000 opened many doors. I accepted a webmaster's position for a well known celebrity who runs Perth's best known 'escort service'. She wanted me to project manage a team during the development of what was going to be Australia's largest online gig and business portal.
I barely had my hands in Photoshop during that time as my role was primarily managing the project, although I created the design that made it to launch.
When the project eventually launched I had little to do. My employer was happy to keep me and I was happy to spend my time getting paid well to do personal projects.
But as a designer, I felt I had spent too much time away from a 'hands on' position. Less than 5% of my total time was spent on any design applications and I was getting edgy and knew I needed to move on. Designers are essentially artists after all and we need to keep venting creativity lest we go insane. That said, I find I enjoy coding just as much and sometimes preferable.
As if the design Gods were listening, I was suddenly head hunted by a company that we had contracted during the development of failed portal site. They offered me a Lead Designers position, which I accepted much to my former employer's annoyance.
She desperately wanted me to stay, even trying to negotiate a situation where I would be with her three days a week and them the other two days. That was never going to happen.
I expected my future with the 'fickle mistress' would not be promising if I had stayed. And as my partner and I had just given birth to our first child I needed something more secure and less stressful.
A lot has happend since then. Today I am Senior Designer for the same great Perth based company and I have a great team under me. I'm known as a bit of a web standards Nazi but in this industry that's actually a compliment.
"Any designer that claims he has learned everything has learned nothing"
I always remember my accidental roots and try not to get too cocky, although everyone tells me I have earned the right by now. I know my skills have been finely tuned for a while now. I'm happiest when designing and coding a harmony of XHTML and CSS.
Creative 9000 (which I was still running in my spare time) was eventually acquired and afforded me more time with my family, my second child being born about 9 months before the acquisition.
The awkward noob in me is long gone, yet I am still learning. Any designer that claims he has learned everything is lying.
I still look back and wonder where I would be today had I not taken that sick day back in 1999, and I can't imagine. It's classic serendipity.
But I do know that if a short round bald guy had not taken a chance on a Photoshop noob, my life would be completely different today.
Fonzie
Tuesday 13th February 2007 | 01:19 AMIt's a long way from making tunes on the Amiga, too!
Muzza
Tuesday 13th February 2007 | 04:11 PMGeez that small shared cubicle looks familiar!
Michael
Tuesday 13th February 2007 | 04:37 PMDoes that take you back, Muzza? :-)
Matt
Monday 26th February 2007 | 11:52 PMLOL i remember it all! even remember doing work exp with my older brother at the shared cubicle place :P Also going to his house to play quake 2 hahaha. oh the days! the days i miss so much :(
peace
serena
Tuesday 6th March 2007 | 01:36 AMI worked with Michael at his fickle mistress job and I have to add that I learnt heaps from Michael.
I had only used pulisher by this stage and once starting work on the entertainmetn guide web site i learnt mainly from Michael how to use Photoshop and dreamweaver and my skills got so much better becuase of it.
I am still amateur but do websites for friends and co-workers sometimes, but maybe one day I might get more time to hone my skills better.
Just want to say thanks to Michael, you taught me much and lead me on to a better knowledge past. There is not much on a computer I can't use now and love learning new things and programs.
I am sort of jack of all trades and master of none.. LOL
But I'm happy with that.
Thanks Michael.
Snowy
Sunday 25th March 2007 | 09:18 PMOne of the best stories I have read about accidental careers. Lucky you still like your career. Did 'bald guy' have a name? :-P
Thanks for sharing.
Fargo
Monday 2nd July 2007 | 12:29 AMCurious you made mention of the 'design gods'. Perhaps you are religious after all? ;-)
May I suggest of you made the text a little darker and add a few pixels to the line hight you will have one of the easiest to read blogs on the interweb. Very nice and it even validates!
Michael
Monday 2nd July 2007 | 09:32 PMThanks Fargo. I will take that under advisement :-)
Ross
Wednesday 7th February 2007 | 06:38 AMIts all true ;) Used to work with this snob ;) hes bloody good!