Start Of A Morning
Today is round two of telecommuting and so far I think it just might work out for me. With my current job (as a web designer/developer) I have a huge luxury of being able to work from anywhere I have an internet connection. With today’s world of communication chances are everywhere I go with a laptop or my iPhone I’ll have some sort of WiFi connection that i can link to and VPN into work.
Though one thing I like to do before I start my day is get my caffeinated treat which is usually in the form of either a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino or a Tim Horton’s Iced Cap. Some people might think that odd to get a cold drink on a drizzle, cloudy day like it is today but they help me get me through my morning!
While I was walking around Denman Street here in Vancouver’s Westend it was neat to see people heading to work in their various forms, mainly suits though. There is the odd tourist but definitely not like you see in the afternoon here in English Bay, especially if the weather turns sunny like it is supposed to.
It is also interesting seeing the City of Vancouver out preparing First Beach (English Bay) for the coming of tourists . I did not know they groomed the sand and moved the logs around but it is nice to know that they do this every morning. It also did have me wondering why English Bay has nice green grass whereas other parts of Vancouver has burnt dead grass. Though being an icon of Vancouver, I guess it would be better to have nice green healthy grass that lots of people can lie on and enjoy right?
The above photos were taken with my 3G iPhone and as I use it more and more for the camera I find that the quality is really nothing special. Perhaps I should get in the habit of carrying my Canon SD750 around with me again because it of course is a true digital camera.
Telecommuting for Work
I am glad I get to telecommute for work. The plan is for me to telecommute for 3 days and then be in the office for the other 2 business days. Which works out well because there are distractions at work that makes it hard for me to do my job. Some people might not think it’s hard to be a web developer, that is, program hundreds of lines of code (using PHP etc) while people are around you talking. Some people might think because I am at home I’ll watch TV or something but in all honesty, I am more productive at home than I am when I am at the office.
Bettering my skill set
Though the next few weeks might be a test as I am also going to school 3 times a week. I have a Graphics Design (which is being called Communication Design now) which will allow me to be more confident with graphic layouts and I will also be taking an Adobe Illustrator course. Hopefully these two courses will help me learn to become a better web designer since I’m pretty proficient in being a web developer, and yes they are two different things. If not they will at least give me better insight into the graphical aspect of design so I might better understand what it is other people want, need or even do.
One class (the graphic design one) is 2 days a week and the Illustrator class is once a week. Some people have said as a Full-Time employee this might be hard to do, but the graphic designs course is 6 weeks whereas the Illustrator one is 12 weeks. I guess I’ll see if the 6 weeks course is too much but I want to do this and I have to remember to do my homework/assignments. After all this is to better myself, to become more confident in the world of Web Design and Development right?
Although you have not fully achieved “dot com mogul” or “freelance” status just yet, it’s great to hear that you are diving into the “work from home” phenomenon. I agree that I am more productive at home than I am at an office, but that could also be because I am now paid piecewise rather than by the hour or salary.
Don’t think for a moment that home is going to be without its distractions, but somehow, those distractions can sometimes be quite welcoming. I occasionally leave the TV or radio on, just so that I can have some background noise. The silence can get quite deafening otherwise.
I agree work at home is not without its distractions. I’m 2 minute walk from English Bay, the Seawall and Denman. I sometimes leaves the radio on so I can listen to music but I don’t turn the TV on because I don’t watch TV. When I last worked from home I did not leave the place for 8 hours and found that made me a bit sketchy. So I have to ensure I go out on my lunch break to stretch out my legs and relax if I am stressing over work.
I didn’t know you moved downtown! Anyway, good luck with your ambitious venture (i.e., working and going to school at the same time). I don’t think I could work at home. I would just feel like I had a day off!
@Rosie I haven’t moved downtown quite yet though I am here like 90% of the week.
Love telecommuting!
Living downtown (or at least spending so much time there) can certainly be distracting! It also affords for quite the nice view of the seawall, etc.
@Michael I thought being down here might be distracting but so far I don’t stray far from my computer while on work hours. Though once the end of work day happens I head outside and enjoy the sun!