Hi Kay...

Okay, here's my wed designing "big break" story in a nutshell:

I was a graphic designer by trade. Struggled to find a job that I got my
degree in until I found work and a graphic production artist at a newspaper.

Ended up doing auto ads for two years while at the newspaper. Didn't win any
awards or anything but my ads were very well received from clients and the
staff until I asked for a raise.

How good were my ads? It only took me two weeks to find a job at a design
form in the DC metropolitan area. I went in there with blindfolds on though
'cause I thought this was gonna be my big break to get away from auto ads
and do things like magazine layouts, local TV ads - maybe even some
illustration.

Instead, I got stuck doing... Yup. Auto ads!

So, one day, I took a one day course on how to create a web page/site using
basic html. From there, my wife bought me Pagemill 2.0 for Christmas one
year (yes, Pagemill. Don't laugh!).

>From there, I used my Photoshop skills to create my graphics and Pagemill to
build my very first web site. I purposely made it a portfolio-themed web
site and I printed out all the pages and put it in a small booklet format
using the clear binders you can get at any office supply store.

>From there, I packaged my resume with those samples and started sending them
out.

Two months later, my design firm was bought out by a local competitor but a
week before we learned this, I got an interview with the company that I'm at
now. They were looking for someone that had web design experience and from
the interviews I had, I must have made an impact because they quite
literally hired me on the spot.

>From THERE, I joined this list, started making fun of two specific Canadians
and the next thing I know, those same Canadians are asking me to help them
write book.

It's been a pretty strange and wonderful 5 years though. Don't know what the
next 5 have in store for me but I can't wait!

:-)

-Chris


--
Chris Flick
Web designer, cartoonist, illustrator
3454 Belfry Lane
Woodbridge, VA 22192
(703) 590-0803
chrisflick@csfgraphics.com
http://www.csfgraphics.com

Co-author of the following books:
Building web sites with Macromedia Studio MX
http://www.interactivityunlimited.com/book/studiomx/

Building dynamic web sites with Macromedia Studio MX2004
http://www.dynamicmx.ca




>
> Hi All,
>
> I usually lurk and have learned so much from you all. Here's my story: I
> had quit my job as an electrical engineer to stay home to raise my
> children. Now, 12 years later, I find myself a single mother with two
> young children (well, one is almost a teenager) without a job, and of
> course, with no work experience to show for. Volunteer work doesn't count
> for real work experience - rather unfortunate and unfair IMO, but such is
> life in the real world.
>
> Anyway, I would appreciate some help and advises from you all as to how to
> break into this business. I prefer the flexibility of working from home on
> my schedule since my kids still require my attention after school. I'm a
> fast learner and have already picked up HTML, Javascript, ColdFusion, SQL,
> PHP/MySQL, and I'm willing to do anything (well, work-wise only ;-) to get
> my feet wet.
>
> TIA,
> Kay


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