http://www.wrappedinglass.net

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was very informative without being really heavy and boring. A great read for designer-types who are getting into mobile web design.

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I once had a co-worker tell me the same thing… that he’s shy and not good with groups of people.  I didn’t think any less of him for telling me that.  It was forthright.  It was honest and frankly, I appreciate it now in reflection.  How brave it is to step forward and admit something personal about your nature.  I respect him and am going to totally be honest with myself and others when I approach and event like this moving forward.  (Thanks, Mike)

I have also come to understand that I do well in small groups of like-minded individuals.  Kasee and I had this idea to start up a knitting group and its been going so well… amazing people that I have met, all joined together by the common threads of knitting.  Its really refreshing to get to meet such intelligent and crafty women.  Really a breath of fresh air.  I am soooo grateful that I started knitting a few years ago.  It has giving me so much of an outlet and in some cases has even been a savior.

We’ll be meeting every Tuesday night from 7pm to 9pm at the Bean Good Cafe, located in St. Louis Park, MN.

We’ve started a group on Ravelry and Facebook.  So if you’re a fiber enthusiast, please join us!

A graduation party to follow on the 26th to celebrate with various family members and friends… And the rest will be history… but a good one at that.

I am grateful.

The state of the current economy threw me into the the world of being a Contracted IT Professional.  I was wary of just about everything so I felt this was the best way to go.  It gave me a sense of “control” over my fate thanks to my new found fear of commitment.  (Because really, when you are laid off, you hope to never have to break down in tears in front of a “Career Transition Consultant” again.)

What I experienced over the first 6 months as an inexperienced contractor was pretty interesting, upon further reflection, has lent me the following pieces of advice:

• Don’t assume that the Contracting Agency has your best interests at stake.  They don’t.  They are just on the other side of the fence, trying to gather a paycheck that very much depends on the successful acceptance and completion of your work.

• 2 out of the 2 firms that I worked with both told me the positions they were offering are “contract to hire.”  2 out of 2 of those positions were not.

• Contractors charge more for an hourly rate than what would normally be your salaried rate.  Why?  It’s simple… you don’t have benefits.  Sure, most agencies will offer medical insurance and a 401k, which is lovely.  However, forget about any vacation time, personal days, or sick days.  This is all on you.
  • This eluded me on the second position. I was so enamored with the position and the employer (and the fact I was told it was a “contract-to-hire”) that I told them what I would like for a regular salary, assuming I would be an actual full-time employee sooner rather than never… and so I lost approximately $10/hour and that only made the experience bitter sweet when Memorial Day was coming around and I learned there were no paid holidays either.

• In a contract situation, giving two-weeks notice is really next-to-impossible to “grin and bear it” through.  Once your allegiance (or gratitude?) is no longer an option, the employer or contracting agency pretty much black lists you, so you might as well just move on.
  • In one instance, I had cut my contract short due to health issues and the recruiter stalked me with phone calls basically harassing me telling me he didn’t believe me.
  • In the second instance… well, I’ll just opt to not say anything since I can’t really say anything nice at all.

Will I continue to contract?  Sure.  Though these lessons have come at a personal expense and you can bet I’ll be looking over the finer details with any agency that I work with.  And I’ll increase my hourly wage a bit too.  At the end of the day, my contracting mantra has become “It’s Business.  Do what’s best for YOU.”

I have learned so much throughout the years of working on my Bachelor’s Degree.  While it may have taken me 19 years to do it, I have come to see myself as “Resilient.”  I survived the death of a Father (who I know would be so proud), two failed marriages, moving between three states, major health issues, and finding myself married again to man who has lovingly supported, sacrificed and encouraged me to finish it during those pinnacle moments when I felt like taking the “easy road.” And on my Mother’s 70th birthday, I am grateful to have her with me to celebrate one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

The best thing is… they are no longer better than me… because I have a degree too.

Thank you, DePaul University School for New Learning.

I worked on a few elements of this site, the login area, find a location, tables and disclaimer text to name a few.

Nice to see it out there!

That being said, I am pleased to offer up the final paper for my Advanced Project should you be interested in reading about User Experience Methodology for Web Standards-based Design.