Eternal Sunshine

An educational journey through the Web Design world.

It is official. As of May 1st (technically May 8th when my classes are completed) I am a graduate!!

Woot! Woot!

It’s been a long time coming. Feels like an eternity coming actually but I’ve done it, and I’m quite proud.

Yay me!

Now comes the Bachelor’s in Web Development and yet more nerdery!!

Inevitably the closer a semester draws to a close the more stress my life seems to bring to it. It’s likely all unnecessary or blown somewhat out of proportion by my own wormy brain but so it is. There’s something about the mix of work, homework, life, daily bullshit that never blends pure this time of year. Everything wants it’s own portion of the plate and that plate gets smaller and smaller by the minute.

The added aggravations are nearing chaotic points. 3 more weeks. Just 3 more weeks.

I can do this, I’ve worked hard for this. I’m ready. Let’s do it!

Despite that I read my design blogs every morning amidst e-mail at work, I’ve been a bad bad little blogger.

I’m reaching the end of my time at LCC, which is both exciting and terrifying all at once. I have a good plan in mind for my remaining education (getting a bachelors in web development), but it still seems a bit frightening to be ending this now.

Part of my second to last ssmester is taking the portfolio course which is requiring me to do that which I’ve been telling myself to do for about 5 years – get a portfolio and portfolio website put together.

The unfortunate side effect is that extra time is not built into taking this course. It seems the closer I get to completed school the less time I actually have for school.

So it goes, so it goes.

On to more important ventures, there seems to be a trend on all the design blogs I read right now regarding going back to the basics – starting fresh and designing correctly straight out of the gate. Considering all of the important factors often overlooked at that first moment of aha! I’ve got the perfect design.

Usability, Accessibility, Color, Validation, these are the things everyone is writing about…and the things I’m always thinking about while trying to make something ‘cool’.

It’s good to see that shift from Web 2.0 thinking a bit.

Alas, that will have to do for today – work to be done in all realms of the world and not eneough hours in a day to do it.

The semester is over!!

*dance of glee*

However, work is pure insanity and I see no end in the workload anytime soon. So I will be doing the work thing then doing the at home accomplish nothing thing for the entirety of my break I think.

After I re-wrote my resume it hit me that I actually have some decent accomplishments under my belt for someone who techincally isn’t ‘degreed’ yet.

Considering that a huge number of people see some of the graphic work I have done on a daily basis through my state’s vacancy posting system (government jobs). Not too shabby. Being 2 out of 3 finalists for a departments logo contest. That’s pretty good too.

Building web applications several departments use, dealing with those people day to day. I guess I’m not doing too bad after all.

However that does not take away any of the frustration I feel here from time to time regarding the lack of a real ‘full-time’ job and benefits and what not. It’s a good thing I like my customers and my co-workers most of the time or I would go crazy.

Though I can’t think of anyone’s job that isn’t the same in that respect.

Classes are in full swing again, I’m working on a full blown site for a portfolio piece and feeling beneath myself re-taking a programming course I took when I first started this and didn’t do so well in. Now it seems like child’s play in a sad sad way. I do more complicated things at work than I am being asked to do for homework. That’s ok, it’s giving me a chance to learn a new language, new ways of doing things so I shouldn’t complain.

Ah, the daily contradiction that is me.

That’s enough for now, until next time I actually get around to posting, ta!

Who decides to quit smoking right before the most stressful time of the year (for her)?

Me…

3 days down…hopefully the rest of my life to go…

Summer as I know it is all but over and sadly I have to confess that my usual to-do list has very few done’s and far more do’s than I’d like.

For S&G’s…here’s the list again with additional comments from me…

• Re-write Resume I actually did this in the last few weeks because I needed to apply for a different position in my area at work. I think it turned out decent, and slightly more impressive than I was expecting.
• Get DisasterDesigns completed and online
• Research possible college options for future bachelor degree finishing I’ve narrowed it down to 3 options that I’ve sent away for more info on.
• Write/Call MSU regarding what I would need to do to finish my Psych degree I decided not to do this for the time being, I want to focus on getting the Bach in Web Design/Development first.
• Take on a few freelance jobs
• Work on the Marty/Me book project that is collecting layer upon layer of dust
• Read. Read. Read.
• Learn ASP.NET
• Refine Flash skills
• Create no less than 5 CSS templates for use with sites
• Improve layout technique and design in Photoshop
• Learn. Learn. Learn.
• Eat better, move more We have a Wii fit but I have not been on it nearly as much as I was the first two weeks we had it.
• Organize files on computer more efficiently
• Start an IRA Done, not much in there but done.
• Save $. Save. Save. Save. – I tried, I failed, I had too much stuff come up that depleted what I had saved for a rainy day…dammit!
• Start looking for companies to potentially apply with in the area and out of state
• Write daily entries here
• Sell things I don’t need. I’m adding more things to my selling list on Half.com as I decide I no longer need them.
• Start creating a more professional wardrobe. Comfortable but office appropriate.
• Plan out for a better financial year
• Relax and enjoy the sunshine – Have as much as I can but not as much as I’d like to

Sad isn’t it? I am in the process of watching a series of training DVD’s from TotalTraining that we have available at work. One on Visual Studio 2005, another on ASP.NET 2.0. I realize both of these are ‘old news’ in the programming word but they are new to me so I’m learning.

I’ve had my hands and brain in on several ASP projects and a few ASP.NET projects at work now, and I’m starting to really enjoy the behind the scenes world of web applications. I still love making pretty things but when something I make (down the line when I’m good at all this) is both beautiful and functional I’ll be one happy little geek.

Making a page pretty is fun, making it useful is rewarding. I’m working on it.

I can’t believe I’ve been out of school for almost a month and yet that big list of things to do this summer has yet to even be glanced at.

Work has been very busy, learning lots of new things which excites me. It’s also been very frustrating on occasion but such is life. Home life has been busy too, which hasn’t left much time for the interwebs.

I haven’t been keeping up with any of my design blogs as much as I’d like, or anything internet related for that matter.

Basically thus far this summer I am epic fail for a nerd.

I can live with that.

I am, after a weekend of many headaches, done with all projects and homework for the semester. JOY!

While I’m one of those nerdy people that love to learn and get excited about new textbooks, I’m also one that gets incredibly antsy with the onset of a semester off to pursue my own thing. I’m focused and full of ideas. I have to harness that joy and really work with it or I’ll end up being lazy all summer and accomplishing a great wealth of nothing. Which with as hard as I work most days wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

I have a sketch going for DisasterDesigns. Two in fact. I’ve all but given up on the layout I started working on a few months back. It’s too dark, I want something more sunny, light, clean and professional. So here’s hoping what’s in my brain will translate well to paper then to digital life.

My hope is to get DisasterDesigns up and running in 8 weeks. That is my plan. I don’t know that I will be able to fully accomplish this, but I’m going to try like hell. There are several aspects of what I want to do that I just don’t have the knowledge of how yet. I’ll get there, by books or just a ton of searching on Google.

Bring on the summer!

Well actually two links to more than one tut for the day. One from PSDTUTS, the other from Six Revisions.

Web Design From Scratch (Photoshop/HTML/CSS)

30 Exceptional CSS Techniques

That’s it for me, two final projects + work = no free time for two weeks!