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Out of context: Reply #63090
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Strange story to share, but I think that's the best platform to write this down.
Back in the days I was running my own BBS on our landline at night. I had lots of fun by drawing ascii graphics, and connecting with lots of people by being an active member on the Hungarian fidonet with my father before he became a full-time alcoholic and we lost almost everything.
The only thing which had insisted on was the Internet. I did everything to stay connected, and the only option I had was a really expensive CompuServe account including netscape navigator running on an overclocked i386 :) . So I told my parents that I don't need any pocket money, just make sure that the CompuServe and landline bills are countervailed.
When I was 16 my father left the family and we went poor, and I mean by that the bread on our table was on credit and the shoe that was on my feet literally fell off in school.
Fortunately I had a good friend at the Hungarian telco company Matav who helped me out with a special employees only call-back internet connection. Because paying for the CompuServe account was one of the many things we could not afford anymore. I was grateful to him. Not because my comfort zone turned upside down at that time I had to realize that we are in serious trouble.One day after the worst chirstmas I ever had he asked me if I could help him out. He took a job as system administrator for an advertising agency investing in a new shiny thing called the internet, and they needed a new website for that division. He knew that I had only one skill in my pocket and that was drawing. He convinced me to learn how to build websites. After learning the basics of HTML in about a week and how to use FTP, I went to an interview to his workplace after my school hours. Got the job and spent my time after school for almost two years building websites with the clients sitting next to me. Because of the business relations we built sites for high-profile clients like Honda, I had no idea what I'm doing :) My only goal was that it should look nice and the same on every browser.
It was the worst working environment what you can imagine, with daily humiliation (because i was to young), lots of professional incompetence (because the ceo knew nothing about the internets), and aimless business objectives (because the investors where domain brokers). I used this time to learn CSS, valid HTML, javascript and actionscript(1.0) :)
I left school for this (f. we needed the money), and after the company lost a major lawsuit against brands like diesel and playboy about their .hu domain registrations, the owners where fighting in my presence and I had to realize that it was all just window dressing. (i remember the day when the CEO was counting his 10% commission and asked me about the work I had done in the past month :)
I was so naive that I left that shthole because my salary, - as the ceo described - was pocketmoney.After a month searching I applied for a designer job and went to a small company with a bunch guys (3 or 4). They where picking up work with greater or lesser fortune from Elance. I was a layout designer with 3 site mockups / 8hours. The increase in competition made me nuts, I had to produce designs that clients buy without any major modifications.And after a couple of months we did more that just websites :)
Adding more value to the work was my goal from the beginning and we accomplished that by creating logos, and sometimes complete corporate identities for small clients. After some time it wasn't just gambling. I made my the fist exhibit design in the US for Cylant Tech at LinuxWorld, and we had customers like NASA :) We got some interesting long-term clients in the entertainemnt industry, and they allowed us to experiment with new tools, and technologies.
Today you know this company as ustream.tv :)After almost 5 years spent there, I had to leave the place because at that time ux and ui design was my job and we had some serious clients with some serious needs and I was unable to support them alone. I was the only designer for 6 coders for almost a year and we put all our resources in software development to serve the existing customers. the company drawn in this direction, I felt trapped and alone.
With a few clients my own started to build a full-service ad-agency with one of my best friends and failed :) We made some tv-ads and interesting mixed-media sites, but nothing turned out as I planed because they where more interested in money than building something. After this I was working as senior AD and creative director for various companies here in Hungary. Made exhibit designs and ad-campaigns for clients like Citroen. But it was always the same, even if I was be able to put some serious revenue on the table there was always something what ruined what I was trying to build.
Things like shitty 5 year NDA ad-agency contracts, clients calling because half of the billed products are missing because the CEO is a shit face peculator (f. never-ever get into this situation as CD), and the non-existing booking of a media platform in a campaign - because our partner had no experience as it turned out- are the best examples how many ignorant mountebanks I had to meet in my life.
My past two years where about leaving the country, and my first trip was to Melbourne, Australia. Large agency, lots of work and new environment made me forget about all the negative aspects of my past work experiences. After a year or so the company management changed one day to the next. (at network agencies this sht. happens) The new guys where more interested how to get me to teach newly hired and cheaper staff about mobile and webdesign than renewing my contract. The acme was in newyork in may at an agency-network event, when I was told that "the new people at our company are the future". I resigned on the next Monday and booked a flight back to Hungary.
The last time I took a job it was just about getting my know-how :) I just needed the money to travel back to Melbourne for a week arranging my things :) and they hired me as UX expert, with an account contract (rotfl I left my contract for an entire weekend in the ceos office a nobody noticed :), for 3 months I was playing their game, after a month they loved me but I got bored on senseless projects ripping off their customers in the US.
so suck it, I left them without guilt.incidentally I learned js, php, and basics of sql, and all that shit in the past 5-6 years, I have no need to worry because with my background I always find new work, but it's a bit harder to find a real partner :(
I'm still hungry, I'm about to leave, but where?
- maybe tldr. but give it a try********
- great story, a lot of us can probably relate to many aspects of your journey._niko
- I enjoyed it.********
- Trust is a hard thing in a partnership. I would say go it alone. You have enough experience to do it.eryx
- Do you live in an area where finding a partner is viable?bklyndroobeki
- sorry about your dad.Gnash
- i can tell from the story that you are either 45 or 25 years olddrgs
- yeah i'm 33 :) let's just say in Hungary business climate isn't the best right now :)********
- Well if you ever wanted to test out the NY waters- I'd welcome ya! my thought was that you might need to move.bklyndroobeki
- Han Solo dies in the endsofakingback
- maybe tldr. but give it a try