I REALLY AM FREELANCING NOW!

So it's been a super busy couple of weeks. I've been to Business Gateway a few times, I've been fielding work requests, and I went for a sort of interview, not for a job but to attend an entrepreneur workshop.

Super interested, it will be 2 days a week for 12 weeks and I will be in Cohort 1 as it's the first time it's being run (another Cohort?). I don't want to say too much at this stage as it's just in the early stages and I may not get in or it may not get funding (it will be free if it does). Here's hoping it does as it should be a good experience and from what I have seen of the curriculum it will be great for Udny Solutions.

Speaking of Udny Solutions. In other news and this is a biggie… Udny Solutions received its first job last Friday. Hurray! we are up and running. It's not massive but it's a start and I'm feeling really privileged at the opportunity.

The job is to develop a new website for a local organization. A simple brief that needs it to be smart, colourful, and trendy, and I have to say I have spent all week working on it and have absolutely loved it.

I set myself up in my study at the beginning of the week and have lived the freelance web developer life there since Monday.

My boys are packed off to school for 9:00 am and I just start. I worked through till lunch, quick sandwich and then back to it till 3:00pm till I received the boys back from school. Once they are fed, homework is done, they are bathed, and off to bed, I have been going back to it for a couple of hours. I guess this is what work-life balance is all about.





I sent off the first draft of the site last night to my client and the feedback came back positive and they are chuffed to bits with what they saw. I will get full feedback including some changes next week.

I still have some things to do/update and complete the design document that I created. Yes, old habits die hard, I had to create a Software Design Document for the site as I worked through it. Mainly keeping track of all the design elements, login, passwords, and configuration choices I have made. This document will let me recreate the site in the event of a disaster, or more importantly, it will give me a good template for the next site. Acting as a prompt and memory jogger for all the things I need to do behind the scenes.

The postman also brought a good package on Tuesday. I had ordered via Amazon Prime a Digital Pen and Tablet for use with my Mac. Ordered it on Monday and delivered it on Tuesday, no fuss and I was home to receive the package.

The plan was rather than buying graphics and icons for my websites I would create my own (see above). And I have to say this pen and tablet was really cheap, but a real game-changer in terms of drawing things in a graphics package. The package I use is Autodesk Graphic, also cheap but with all the functionality I need. The pen gives more control when drawing than can be achieved with a mouse. I found myself quickly getting into the flow and swapping between the mouse and pen to make graphic elements for the website and I was really pleased with the results.

The postman also brought fake tattoo sleeves for the boys, I won't say why or bother linking these but hey young boys want things that young boys want.

In other news, I had to dig out my old Windows PC (what? Boooo!). A friend from way back has asked me to look at helping him provide support with a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) software package he sells. It runs on a Windows environment and not on Mac. So in going back to the dark side, I set up my old windows Dell Inspiron in my study. I know there are simulators out there to run Windows on a Mac, but I think this is a step too far at this stage.

If it takes off and I have to go out and provide field support I guess I will need to figure this out or even dare I say it buy a new Windows laptop.

Anyway, I need to install the software and play with it to see what is involved. I am looking forward to this opportunity too, web design may be cool, but I still have a soft spot for SCADA.

So spring is almost here and things are looking great. Till next week. Thanks for reading and massive thanks to the people I have met, been in contact with, and worked with this week, and here is a pic of some daffodils from my garden. Yea, I can go to the garden middle of the morning on a Friday. If it was warmer I could take my Macbook pro out there too. The postman also brought a wifi extender which makes this a reality for the summer.

IM GOING TO BE A CEO

So a job title describes someone’s job or position in a company.

I have had quite a few over the years.

My earliest job title was when I was 15 as a Sales Assistant in Boots the Chemist at the Eastgate Center in Inverness (and yes after playing havoc with their computers I went on to work there) I worked on the record and photography counter. I had a name badge with my position on it. Check me!

Next up I started working with my Dad in his own business (Tuckwell Cable Vision Enterprises) fitting TV and background music systems. I didn't have an official title but was an Apprentice Engineer. I learned a lot about running cables, using tools, and connecting and commissioning systems. We installed some of the first satellite dishes in the highlands, and at the time they were 1.8m across and came in petals.

I then went to University and became a Student, 2 summers were spent working with my Dad and I continued to be an Apprentice Engineer gaining more hands-on skills.

In 3rd summer I was offered a job in the Highland Council to be an IT assistant where I was responsible for maintaining network backups and doing print runs working on a shift rotation. I also became an expert in fixing the pole tax collating machine, which took ordered forms folded them, and put them in envelopes. It was temperamental, to say the least.

I left the Highland Council to work with Shell UK Exploration and Production and was lucky to get a year's contract as a Technology Advisor working in a new technology department. I would produce PowerPoint presentations for my manager and test and advise people on new technology, mainly multimedia and video animations. Towards the end of the year, I had my own office with my name and job title on the door. Not bad for 20-year-olds. I was creating training videos using the multimedia equipment that ran on the department's Apple Macintosh II, and yes the technology of the day was to record computer animations I created onto VHS tapes that could be played in the office and offshore.

My manager offered me an extension to create some additional videos, I was due to go back to university to complete my honours year. But a chance to make some additional money as a student was too good to miss. To work as a contractor for Shell I needed to create my own company so I could invoice them so I formed EngTech Enterprises, Just me making videos so I guess my title was Boss or Managing Director. I made a couple of training videos during the year and supplied Shell with a couple of hundred copies on VHS.

On completion of my honours year, I graduated and took a job with Aquidata Aberdeen. A small software company and I was employed as a Graduate Software Engineer. I worked with a Vax VMS and Visual Basic Systems.

The following year I left to join Kvaerner FSSL as a Junior Software Engineer. It was not much of a jump in the title at the time but my options with Kvaerner seemed better and I was able to get more exposure to industrial controls.

I worked my way through the ranks at Kvaerner FSSL as it became Kvaerner Oil Field Products, then Aker Kvaerner, and then Aker Solutions.

I progressed from Junior Software Engineer to Software Engineer dropping the Junior bit.

I went on secondment and became a Test Team Leader working shifts to test the Norsk Hydro Troll C topside control system.

I became a Commissioning and Support Engineer for BP Andrew topside control system, working in Middlesbrough and offshore.

Back to being a Software Engineer, I was promoted to Senior Software Engineer, From memory, I think business cards were all the rage in the company and I received business cards with my name and job title on them.

I progressed from Senior Engineer to Team Leader to Lead Engineer, and latterly to Principal Engineer. The last 3 were much and much the same just a different grade and standing in the company.

I spent a number of years trying to persuade my manager to change my title from Software Engineer to Systems Engineer, as the reality of what I was doing was more related to the design and implementation of topside control systems than it was to software. It didn't happen though as I was not in charge...

I have had a number of non-work-related titles also. I have been a Community Councillor for Foveran Community Council, I have been Secretary for the Hill of Fiddes Wind Turbine fund, oh and I guess Marshall for the Aberdeen and District Motor Club.

So yeah I have had plenty of titles over the years. Normally given by someone or a company.

Now I am starting my own business I need to give myself a title and this time I get to choose. I need something cool on my new business cards.

What title should I give myself?

Should I call myself CEO or should I make up my own new title that relates to my work as Director of Awesomeness?

Is it silly for the owner of a one-person company to use the title CEO? I guess as it's my company and an exciting new project it may change as I grow. So for now however pompous it may seem I'm going to be CEO of my own company.

>> So that's 21 different titles above I can count...