Herve's Bar & Grill
- Thread starter edX
- Start date
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
Trip, as soon as you graduate college, go to a technical school and become an IT guy or something like that, then your life will have more meaning and you will be making $$$ (that's big bucks).
Dlloyd: Sure, I know Cocoa. She works over on 9th Street and her real name is Helen.
No, actually, I don't know any application development languages, though I'm fairly proficient in HTML and I can work my way through Javascript. I'm taking computer science, as well, but we're currently working on programming Matt the Robot.
Androo: You should have left 2 posts ago.
And what's wrong with talking about porn, as long as we keep the language clean and don't post any pictures? I mean, we can talk about porn as a whole, can't we?
And I agree with Sogni about sports.
Dlloyd: Sure, I know Cocoa. She works over on 9th Street and her real name is Helen.
No, actually, I don't know any application development languages, though I'm fairly proficient in HTML and I can work my way through Javascript. I'm taking computer science, as well, but we're currently working on programming Matt the Robot.
Androo: You should have left 2 posts ago.
And what's wrong with talking about porn, as long as we keep the language clean and don't post any pictures? I mean, we can talk about porn as a whole, can't we?
And I agree with Sogni about sports.
hazmat
Rusher of Din
Trip, don't be so hard on yourself. I know when things suck it's hard to see it from the outside, but here's something that may help. Work your ass off just to get out of high school. If things really are bad, scholastically, and you have to do this year again, think about community college. I did my senior year of high school there and it was one of the best things I ever did for myself. See if there's a program like that where you live. They won't openly advertise it, though.
Just try and keep cool and know that things will get better. Trust me on this. High school was the worst part of my life. It can only get better.
Just try and keep cool and know that things will get better. Trust me on this. High school was the worst part of my life. It can only get better.
Trip
Registered
I think I expected too much of myself these past few years. I was expecting to get my own graphic design business (or freelance work) taking off. I've only had three clients in the past two years and only one has stuck with what I gave them (and it was free too). I was expecting to pass High school with an average, and then just move onto working full time on my business.
Now I can see all I can do is *try* to pass hich school. From there I really have no idea of anything. I can't do pro skateboarding because I suck, I can't do pro design/creativity because I really suck, and I can't really do much more than that other than sit on my butt all day.
Now I can see all I can do is *try* to pass hich school. From there I really have no idea of anything. I can't do pro skateboarding because I suck, I can't do pro design/creativity because I really suck, and I can't really do much more than that other than sit on my butt all day.
hazmat
Rusher of Din
Get out of high school and go to college. Have fun, learn some things, etc. Everyone goes through life at a different pace. Some 50 year olds have no clue what they want to do. Even when I got out of college I had no clue. I had a Linguistics degree. I worked at Tower Records. Then after moving away things started to click and eventually I fell into a track of jobs (computers) that I enjoyed and allowed me to support myself.
Give yourself a chance. Don't expect to have all the answers yet. You're too young. Even what you think you want to do now may not be at all what you want ten years from now. Just go where life takes you. Let it guide you. Things will happen. I think it wasn't until I was about 23 that I started seeing where my life was going. And that's pretty young compared to most of my friends. Some in their 30s still have no idea what they want to do.
Give yourself a chance. Don't expect to have all the answers yet. You're too young. Even what you think you want to do now may not be at all what you want ten years from now. Just go where life takes you. Let it guide you. Things will happen. I think it wasn't until I was about 23 that I started seeing where my life was going. And that's pretty young compared to most of my friends. Some in their 30s still have no idea what they want to do.
JohnnyV
Registered
If graphic design is really what you want to do, go to a graphic design school after high school!! They'll teach you everything you need to know (drawing skills and all I believe), plus you'll have some type of degree to show your clients. Don't freak out if you don't know what you want to do, no body ever knows. People and friendships come and go, and don't worry about what other people think of you! I used to worry about what others thought of me, then I realized it didn't matter. If people don't like me, oh well. I move on and find someone else who does, and who also appreicates me.
Trip - if you suck at design/creativity, judging from what I've seen from you - then I suck 10x more than you!
Having a business take off in this field can be hard - let me tell you! When I 1st tried to start I was working at a big company with ok pay (hated the comute tho), I *thought* I had their backing and they would be my #1 client. I started the paperwork and getting everything setup when 9/11 happened, I lost my job, never heard from them again and - well, it wasn't pretty. My 1st attempt at starting/running my own business failed badly, and I was forced to go back to my old job (way low pay but got to work on computers 'n networks).
I attempted it again and had to go in to surgery - was laid up for 6 months or so, it didn't fail but was put on hold for a few months.
Things are FINALLY moving - ever so slowly but it's moving... Maybe because I do more than one thing - leaves my options open if there is no work in one area there usually is in another.
Maybe concentrate on adding to your knowledge like I did through College - and your dream of running your own business might work out afterall!
I do Web, Graphics (for Web, Print, Multimedia and through a client - for pins, dash plaques (carshows), keychains, mugs, vinil banners, shirts, etc.).
I'm also a Computer Technician (Windows 'n Mac), a Network/Systems Administrator/IT Manager...
I usually have something going on - even tho it's sometimes (as of late - usually) just enough to pay rent.
Even at the low-end, I'm still happy with my company! I'm my own boss, I don't have to deal with corporate BS, commute is AWESOME and my company vehicle is a Scooter (Vespa Look-alike) that's fun to ride!
Oh, and did I mention I didn't graduate high school when I was supposed to either? I graduated 3 years latter because a back injury from an "accident" took me out of High School on my 1st year.
Don't give in Trip - there's always a way! You just have to keep trying. Eventually it WILL pay off!
With your talent? Man - maybe it's that you're offering them a FREE Service that they don't take you seriously! Try charging them a good amount and see what happens!
Oh, and I was to play College Football - and guess what took me out of that one? My leg injury! You just sound like a younger version of me, and I did alright... You having more talent than I do you will do much better! Trust me!
Having a business take off in this field can be hard - let me tell you! When I 1st tried to start I was working at a big company with ok pay (hated the comute tho), I *thought* I had their backing and they would be my #1 client. I started the paperwork and getting everything setup when 9/11 happened, I lost my job, never heard from them again and - well, it wasn't pretty. My 1st attempt at starting/running my own business failed badly, and I was forced to go back to my old job (way low pay but got to work on computers 'n networks).
I attempted it again and had to go in to surgery - was laid up for 6 months or so, it didn't fail but was put on hold for a few months.
Things are FINALLY moving - ever so slowly but it's moving... Maybe because I do more than one thing - leaves my options open if there is no work in one area there usually is in another.
Maybe concentrate on adding to your knowledge like I did through College - and your dream of running your own business might work out afterall!
I do Web, Graphics (for Web, Print, Multimedia and through a client - for pins, dash plaques (carshows), keychains, mugs, vinil banners, shirts, etc.).
I'm also a Computer Technician (Windows 'n Mac), a Network/Systems Administrator/IT Manager...
I usually have something going on - even tho it's sometimes (as of late - usually) just enough to pay rent.
Even at the low-end, I'm still happy with my company! I'm my own boss, I don't have to deal with corporate BS, commute is AWESOME and my company vehicle is a Scooter (Vespa Look-alike) that's fun to ride!
Oh, and did I mention I didn't graduate high school when I was supposed to either? I graduated 3 years latter because a back injury from an "accident" took me out of High School on my 1st year.
Don't give in Trip - there's always a way! You just have to keep trying. Eventually it WILL pay off!
With your talent? Man - maybe it's that you're offering them a FREE Service that they don't take you seriously! Try charging them a good amount and see what happens!
Oh, and I was to play College Football - and guess what took me out of that one? My leg injury! You just sound like a younger version of me, and I did alright... You having more talent than I do you will do much better! Trust me!
edX
mac shaman
Trip - i would say you've been given a fair amount of good advice so far that i would only be repeating with different words. i would only add that trying to judge your business success (and hence graphic abilities) at this point in your life is a bit premature. you're talking about competing with people with more training, more experience, more resources, and who spend all their time doing this, not just part time. not a fair competition or comparison. give yourself time as others have said.
i also thought i could do without college when i was going thru high school. i worked right out of high school instead. a good look at the real world and i was back in community college by spring semester. i did well enough there (real focus instead of the lazy approach in HS) that i got late admissions to san diego state for the next year. of course i ended up dropping out of there after 2 years and eventually wound up in CC again. to make a long story short - i didn't get my bachelor's degrees until i was nearly 40. now i'm at the point in grad school where i'm deciding whether to continue or drop out again and settle for a masters (instead of a phd.) and get to work. point being, things will never be perfect. but failures do not mean that you will never have successes. learning how to fail and move on to the next success is one of the best things you can learn in life i think.
i also thought i could do without college when i was going thru high school. i worked right out of high school instead. a good look at the real world and i was back in community college by spring semester. i did well enough there (real focus instead of the lazy approach in HS) that i got late admissions to san diego state for the next year. of course i ended up dropping out of there after 2 years and eventually wound up in CC again. to make a long story short - i didn't get my bachelor's degrees until i was nearly 40. now i'm at the point in grad school where i'm deciding whether to continue or drop out again and settle for a masters (instead of a phd.) and get to work. point being, things will never be perfect. but failures do not mean that you will never have successes. learning how to fail and move on to the next success is one of the best things you can learn in life i think.
Arden
Where mah "any" keys at?
Sorry, I meant high school. Graduate high school (concentrate on keeping at least a C average, hopefully a B average or better), then get into either a community college or a technical college and take up computer science. Believe me, it pays well.
And for my beaut, I saved up from my job. Yes, I have a job. It isn't a very good job, I make minimum wage and I get an average of 11 hours per week, but it's still $300/mo. that I have to spend on whatever I need to. And I needed to buy this, I use my Palm all the time, mostly for notes and such, but also for Mapopolis, contacts, etc. I'll scan my old IIIxe later and show you guys what happened to it.
And for my beaut, I saved up from my job. Yes, I have a job. It isn't a very good job, I make minimum wage and I get an average of 11 hours per week, but it's still $300/mo. that I have to spend on whatever I need to. And I needed to buy this, I use my Palm all the time, mostly for notes and such, but also for Mapopolis, contacts, etc. I'll scan my old IIIxe later and show you guys what happened to it.
mr. k
Registered
Trip - kid's like us just have too high of expectations! How many kid's do you know who can launch and successfully operate a graphic design business? And things like skateboarding are just real hard to learn.
I've wanted to get up on a little web design firm - design a site for myself, and then do some pro bono work for non profit's/small businesses in my neighborhood to get clients coming, and in about a month all I've got is a semi useful nav bar!
I've played soccer since I was about six years, and although I always really liked it I did really suck, until spring this year when I just got really focused and started to really play. After playing on the sophmore team last year I made varsity this fall.
The bottom line is - if you enjoy doing something, JUST DO IT. It doesn't matter if your good, being bad will just give you better motivation to improve. Just keep it up, maybe we can launch a design business together, save ourselves the trouble of starting out bad. ;^)
I've wanted to get up on a little web design firm - design a site for myself, and then do some pro bono work for non profit's/small businesses in my neighborhood to get clients coming, and in about a month all I've got is a semi useful nav bar!
I've played soccer since I was about six years, and although I always really liked it I did really suck, until spring this year when I just got really focused and started to really play. After playing on the sophmore team last year I made varsity this fall.
The bottom line is - if you enjoy doing something, JUST DO IT. It doesn't matter if your good, being bad will just give you better motivation to improve. Just keep it up, maybe we can launch a design business together, save ourselves the trouble of starting out bad. ;^)
Trip you got a lot of good advice. Life is hard sometimes ... or life is just life. I keep asking myself why I'm alive, and that's a why I think it's extremely hard to find answers. Maybe just because there is still something that I should do (so I might as well do something useful in the life).
When I studied, most of the people were a lot older than me, and they had it clear what they wanted. I felt a rush to finish all the studies, to get somewhere (which was after asking where) .. sometimes having some time in the middle can be good. Do something, work, travel, do things you like, and later come or go back to study or work with the things that you like.
And the 'real life' is far from schools. Universities teach you something, and I see plenty of friends trying to be perfectionists while studying, taking a lot of time for studies, ending their degree at 30-35 years of age (starting after high school, no non-study years in the middle!) abd then .. having really hard time realizing that ANYTHING they do in the work life will have nothing to do with what they studied. Theory, theory, theory .. and you end up with a good luck in an office doing a part time, underpaid secretary, or getting married and forced to be home .. (in south europe in the past 3 decades for many girls university has been a path out of being married and home, so if you could spend 10 years studying instead of doing courses on time in 5, it was 5 more years for you).
I did not go or get to do what I wanted to after studying. Many of the people I worked with had really deep insecurities (so do I), and sometimes it seemed I unintentionally made them feel even more unsafe. I had also two forces that were seen as handicaps: a double cultural background, in both places the 'other' was seen as a threat or soemthing else, and the sex. Instead of taking the advantage of having working groups with both sexes (as equal) I heard continuously "Don't tell me what to do with computers. You are a girl". One time, or ten times, might have been okay, it might have been because some people were old or old minded, but 10 times a day was far from it. I changed the field (and more than once), and something else happened too that forced me to go away .. at least now nobody tells me that I can't tell them what to do to the computer because I'm a girl, and less people see pluriculturalism as a threat.
And keep your body in good condition. Do some sports (as you do) .. I try to look healthy but sometimes I'm worried how I look when I wake up (when I see scared a scared face looking at me when I wake up coughing) or just having the pulse somewhere around 40 bpm, or I get pissed off with everybody when I have a day I feel completely off after having walked 1/5 mile that day. (No, I do not use the car. I do walk 30 miles a day sometimes. I do not stop adter being tired at whatever distance, I keep walking). Keep your body just working and you'll go more far.
When I studied, most of the people were a lot older than me, and they had it clear what they wanted. I felt a rush to finish all the studies, to get somewhere (which was after asking where) .. sometimes having some time in the middle can be good. Do something, work, travel, do things you like, and later come or go back to study or work with the things that you like.
And the 'real life' is far from schools. Universities teach you something, and I see plenty of friends trying to be perfectionists while studying, taking a lot of time for studies, ending their degree at 30-35 years of age (starting after high school, no non-study years in the middle!) abd then .. having really hard time realizing that ANYTHING they do in the work life will have nothing to do with what they studied. Theory, theory, theory .. and you end up with a good luck in an office doing a part time, underpaid secretary, or getting married and forced to be home .. (in south europe in the past 3 decades for many girls university has been a path out of being married and home, so if you could spend 10 years studying instead of doing courses on time in 5, it was 5 more years for you).
I did not go or get to do what I wanted to after studying. Many of the people I worked with had really deep insecurities (so do I), and sometimes it seemed I unintentionally made them feel even more unsafe. I had also two forces that were seen as handicaps: a double cultural background, in both places the 'other' was seen as a threat or soemthing else, and the sex. Instead of taking the advantage of having working groups with both sexes (as equal) I heard continuously "Don't tell me what to do with computers. You are a girl". One time, or ten times, might have been okay, it might have been because some people were old or old minded, but 10 times a day was far from it. I changed the field (and more than once), and something else happened too that forced me to go away .. at least now nobody tells me that I can't tell them what to do to the computer because I'm a girl, and less people see pluriculturalism as a threat.
And keep your body in good condition. Do some sports (as you do) .. I try to look healthy but sometimes I'm worried how I look when I wake up (when I see scared a scared face looking at me when I wake up coughing) or just having the pulse somewhere around 40 bpm, or I get pissed off with everybody when I have a day I feel completely off after having walked 1/5 mile that day. (No, I do not use the car. I do walk 30 miles a day sometimes. I do not stop adter being tired at whatever distance, I keep walking). Keep your body just working and you'll go more far.
dlloyd
Official Pianist
That's it
Someone I really respect told me once that putting your prices too low/free is worse than making them too high. The reason for this is that companies who see a price disproportionately lower than all the competition will automatically discount you as an amateur who does bad work.Now in my case, as in yours, that is not true but they don't bother to spend the time to find that out, they throw your bid away because the price is much lower. In the inverse, putting your bid much higher will make the think that you do super work, but quite often they won't be able to afford you.
The thing you must do is find out what your competitors are charging, and then put your bid in, maybe 10-15% lower. This will get attention onto you, but won't get you ignored.
Damn, I am really upset, I just had to make a THIRD warranty call because my iBook's power adaptor blew. AGAIN. This is the third time
Trip
Registered
Thanks for everybodies insight on this.
For those wondering what started this freak-out: I recently lost three graphic competitions to kids using Appleworks, I got turned down by a MAJOR client, and I've discovered that all of my friends at school are talking about how wierd I am behind my back.
Which sucks. Hopefully things will get brighter over these next few days.
For those wondering what started this freak-out: I recently lost three graphic competitions to kids using Appleworks, I got turned down by a MAJOR client, and I've discovered that all of my friends at school are talking about how wierd I am behind my back.
Which sucks. Hopefully things will get brighter over these next few days.
edX
mac shaman
oh, that explains it. frankly, i have always thought appleworks is under rated. it does a lot of stuff. plenty enough to be able to make some great graphics. sometimes when you learn to rely too heavily on all the tricks and gizmos of photoshop, you forget the basics that make up a good design.
can't say much about the client thing except what's already been said. but at least we talk about how weird you are to your face.
can't say much about the client thing except what's already been said. but at least we talk about how weird you are to your face.