[thelist] updating skillset (long rambling request for advice, vague or specific)

Dan McCullough dan.mccullough at gmail.com
Mon Sep 25 13:48:46 CDT 2006


Joel,

I really dont know where to tell you to turn.  Theres money to be made
in many areas, I have a lot of experience in the same areas as you do,
but more and more of my freelance gigs surround doing WordPress,
Joomla and other installs and then in XHTML/CSS customizing the look
and feel.  Which means my SQL, Oracle, Java, AS/400, MQ experience
goes out the window.  I dont mind I seem to have found a groove with
paying customers.

I guess if I had to say, I would look at brushing up on XHTML/CSS,
going with some PHP/ASP, and then putting your name out on Guru.com
and other freelance sites, some of those will have VB jobs and
possibly some consulting jobs.  My best customer tend to come from
word of mouth and referrals.

On 9/22/06, Joel D Canfield <joel at spinhead.com> wrote:
> so, I'm being thrust into self-employment again in a few weeks (company
> shutting down due to our three largest trading partners having bad
> years)
>
> I've spent the last seven years mostly working on the intranets of two
> Microsoft-centric companies. I've become fairly familiar with VBScript's
> FileSystemObject, and learned a lot about streamlining and automating
> business processes (good ol' hamster hunting.) I have database skills,
> and have designed some pretty extensive web/database tools for inhouse
> use.
>
> But, being insulated to some degree from 'real' web dev (I'm building
> *tools* for a captive audience, not websites) some of my skills are
> outdated, some may never have existed in the first place. I have built
> small websites for local bands and small businesses, but I don't think
> anything I've done in that arena has stretched me to any degree.
>
> So, without prejudicing you about what box to stay in, what skills
> should an experienced but tunnel-visioned developer brush up on to be
> viable as a one-man shop in the freelance world these days? (I'm
> specifically looking for job skills; I know what I need to know [for
> now] about how to run a business and how to keep my life in balance;
> mostly 'cause Best Beloved helps me with both.)
>
> Thanks muchly for any words at all.
>
> joel
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