September 2012 and beyond.
This will be the first post of what I hope to be an informative and useful series ahead. They will be under the category: Online Business
I have been in the technology business for over 25 years, and for the vast part of them, they have been 
good years. My work has consisted of helping corporations (large and small) develop, deploy and maintain technology-based solutions. I have written and created hundreds, if not thousands, of emails, reports, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and such. Spent tremendous amounts of hours in conference rooms, planes, trains and automobiles, not to mention the large list of hotels I’ve stayed at. I really have no complaints to talk about. Overall, it has been a good time, done some great projects and developed long-lasting friendship. Although things have not come “easy”, I’ve accomplished most of the goals I’ve set out to do (in retrospect they were probably not high-enough) with a combination of hard work, teamwork, good luck and good wine along the way.
I never got into golf or fishing. My hobby happens to also be technology . Sometimes they take the form learning something new, developing an applications, helping a friend with his / her startup. My wife has always been on top of me about this, to get a “real” hobby, as she does not think these are true hobbies as, she explains, they do not take me truly away from work. However, in my view, they keep my mind and soul learning, which feed the personal passion inside (maybe a topic for a blog entry of its own!)
As I get older, a series of question keep ringing on the side of my mind, and it gets louder every week.. Is the “work-for-the-man” something I want / can / should to continue doing? Is this what is all about? What is next for me? How can I convert what I know into something not tied to “a job”?
Career, Work, Job
I would like to explain what these three terms mean to me, and I think the best way to start, is to put it into the following statements:
| Job: | Over the years, I’ve had many jobs that have provided monetary compensation for what I did. Some more than others. |
| Work | I have worked to provide significant value with every job I’ve been engaged in. Each job requirements me to do different type of work: Project Management, Technology Advisor, Pre-sales Solution, Developer, Manager, Consultant, etc. |
| Career: | I have made a career out of helping people architect and implement technology solutions within their organizations to solve pressing challenges. |
Probably No Different Than…
My story may have different context or details than many others out there, but at the core, it boils down to the same message:
I am grateful for everything I have been able to do, but wondering what to do next…
I have read the books, read the blogs, and listen to the podcasts…
Recent Catalysts
For me, what triggers change, is not about one specific thing, or another, but a series of them – a trend that “pops” and finally clicks inside you. So here are a few of the things tumbling on my mind just recently:
- My work is getting a bit “heavy” – It is not that is getting difficult, but it is getting to be “old” and too much of the same thing.
- Out of the blue, after a long flight back home on a late Friday night, as I was waiting for a colleague to disembark the plane, I get to chat to a pilot (“Skip” ) standing next to me. We exchange a few pleasantries, and asked him how long has he been a pilot. He proceeds to tell me it has been way too long, and that he is looking forward to retirement in a couple of months. My friend shows up, and as I say goodbye, the pilot pulls out a business card, and tells me that his “move forward work” is to help other people find the next steps in their lives, and prompts me to call him in a couple of weeks. (I have not yet)
- As we were comparing notes on teenagers kids, a friend of mine tells me about his neighbor’s son, 16 years old, who has been making good money online via his blog (he did not know details).
- During a yard sale this summer, I noticed a lady sitting by the book boxes, scanning each with her phone, and separating them into three piles. She was very methodical about it. I had to ask what she was doing.. She looked at me, and told me, checking the used book prices with my Amazon application.
and the most recent one:
| Interesting thing, as I write this blog entry, my wife brings to my attention an article she is reading on the September 17th 2012 issue of Time Magazine which is written by Doctor Oz and would like me to read… It describes the five stages/categories of change: 1) precontemplation, 2) contemplation, 3) preparation, 4)action and 5) maintenance – |
I am leaving stage 3) and getting into stage 4)!
Source:fibromyalgiacompanion.com
What’s next?
Some people play the stock market. Not me … I have always been very entrepreneurial. Over the years, I’ve heard of people making money on the Internet. I thought, at the very basic level, I understood how it was done (something to do with advertisement, and people visiting your site). So I began to seriously research this topic, and found out that, I knew very little.
I have the best intention to describe my journey along the way… Not sure how long will it last, but is an adventure I plan to enjoy, and hope some of you will join…
More soon…
Search Topics:
Starting something new, Online Business, Change,
