Well this is more of a pity life story than anything else so read at will, I would really love some suggestions or opinions cos I am young and still have lots to learn!

I'm currently getting all my stuff sorted out here in Johannesburg before I leave for London at the end of the month. I'm going to join my girlfriend to sought of 'sort my life out'. Life in SA is kinda hard it's easy to get distracted and fall into the wrong area...so i'm trying to just get out of my situation. I'm not saying London is any better for a person my age, but I just want to get a routine going...and have time to sort my priorities out. This means getting a job as a bartender or waiter or anything cos unfortunately I have no qualifications. (Due to all the bad distractions.)
I have consistantly messed up any opportunity that was given to me, including a BscITCS degree i was studying in Cape Town (bachelor of science information tech computer science), a BA degree and a software devel DIP in JHB.
So it's like im 21 now and starting to feel the heavyness of life. I really want to start something. My talents I like to think are limitless (excluding qualifications), and i'm at a stage where I need to start applying my skills.
So I would love some opinions or suggestions on my plan (my life revolves around analysing my future thanx to a lil anxiety problems that nevers allows my mind to chill.) So here it is: I will be living in London for as long as I want. My main purpose of going to London is save some cash and come back to South Africa and start my own freelance web company. At this stage my girlfriend has already saved 1000pounds she is hoping to come back with at least 4000, which is a nice R40000 in SA. I have all the contacts I need in SA to take my web design seriously, including many friends studying at the counties' top design college. So it's all there waiting for me I just need to work out how its gonna work. At the moment i'm sorting out my CV, fixing up all my offline websites and trying to get a new hosting account from my friend in London. (All my web knowledge is thanx to a stranger in London who is kind enough to give me unlimited hosting.) I will upload all my website thusfar to something like www.richard-designs.com for my CVs sake.

I was wondering if anyone started anything similar to what I plan? If anyone has any pointers or suggestions. What exactly is needed to start a small web CC other than a PC and phone line?
Aaight end of boring life story
btw i shouldnt really be doing this but for those who are curious to see what me and my gf look like, view attached files, couldn't help myself...1st pic gf on left, 2nd pic my dirty self
peace Rich

Attached Images

	DSCN6513.JPG (71.0 KB, 21 views)
	DSCN9367.JPG (59.7 KB, 19 views)

Well, I don't have experience in what you plan on doing, but I can do my best.

• Take a look at this page http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articl...egeAdvice.html. The author has many good points that apply to life, not just CS graduates.
• I think the average for companies is 5 years before they start making a profit, so plan on that before you start.
• Realize that your chosen industry is very crowded, so consider what you will offer that will set you apart. Since you have good contacts at the schools, you may want to offer good deals to the students (like graduation discounts) because they will need hosting when they leave.
• Don't forget cheap labor...uhh, I mean internships. Offer hands-on training to your friends at school in exchange for valuable, real-world experience.
• Even if you can't get a degree, get the knowledge. Best recommendation is to go to school but audit the classes. It's cheaper, you get the knowledge you need, and you don't have to take any tests; you just don't get the degree. I'd advise business courses and computer/tech classes. Also graphic arts since you want a web design biz.
• Keep your skills up to date. While in London, see about getting an internship at a web hosting/design company or a part-time job. It doesn't matter what you do initially because then you can dazzle them w/ your skills once you're on the inside. Don't forget businesses that aren't necessarily directly related to web design, such as newspapers, graphic arts, etc. The skills you learn will carry over.
• Maintain your portfolio. Keep track of everything you do so you can show them to employers, customers, investors, etc.
• Don't forget volunteer work. Many non-profit organizations need help, especially with technology. Offer to make a new web site or maintain the current one. Get letters of recommendation.

Good luck!

__________________
Common Sense v2.0-Striving to make the world a little bit smarter.

My suggestion is to NOT get trapped into becoming "distracted" again. I know how hard it is to change this behavior without changing the environment, so moving to London you have the opportunity to change your head. When you hit London, do not get distracted. Period.

But before you get there (you have a month) get a plan in order. Will it include school? Internship at a web-business? You've got the job idea taken care of, but don't limit it to the choices mentioned. The head change must start now, not after you arrive.

And don't get trapped into "paralysis of analysis" -- analyzing your life until you get it figured out before doing something.

I'll recommend a couple books that may help:
"The On-Purpose Person" by Kevin W. McCarthy
"The Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz

Good luck. Hope it works out.

__________________

Cow: You're a lawyer too?
Mooseblood (mosquito): Ma'am, I was already a bloodsucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase!

Thanx for the help guys


I intend to do that...even if it's just a data capturer job or anything similar...even if on contract work. As I said my only problem is no qualifications but I can I do it I just need ppl to see! I've have some good feedback (gumtree.com) so far I just haven't been able to apply for anything cos I want to finish the sites i'm working on to add to my cv.


This will be my biggest hurdle when arriving. From what my sister and gf say the last thing I really have to worry about is money. (Not forgetting I own a british passport which opens up many areas including social security 8-) but have to see.)
Do not get distracted. Period. That is the mentality i'm working towards..and damn London is worse than JHB from what i've heard I just gotta be mature and rational...and not fall in with the wrong crowd.

This has been my problem my whole life...I exhagurate everything in my mind. Ofcouse this over clocking of my brain helps when coding but I tend to build mountains out of hills...and therefore never have the power to climb. In the past I relied on prescriptions to chill me out...but this time round I wanna achieve by myself. The mind is a very powerful tool, it can achieve anything, ya just need to know how to use it...and i'm learning.

Ho hum the reality of life is not a nice one...at my age i'm not part of anything but a struggle. I'm not a scholar nor part of the working world...the next couple of years are gonna be the hardest of my life I reckon.
Thanx for the advice yo

First, I have to say that your girlfriend is VERY hot! You lucky dawg you!

Now... Cody is obvioulsy a very wise man.


I couldn't have said this better myself! I was just suggesting the very same thing to my niece last week. Get into a commerce or business school with the objective to actually learn how to run a business. Never mind if you don't do well or end up with no paper qualification at the end of it. But if your focus is to understand what is being taught, you might end doing very well anyway!

While you're doing this, you could use ANY job (even the ones you do part-time) to network and improve your people skills.

After studying and a few years refining your people and leadership skills, you could effectively run any kind of business if you set your mind to it.

Remember, the private hospitals raking in millions of dollars every year is nearly always run by a businessman, not a doctor. In other words, you don't need to be a web designer to start a web designing company. As long as you can inspire any designer (you hire) to be the best he/she can be, you're good to go!

__________________
J de Silva
Learning Journal | GIDForums™ | GIDNetwork™ | GIDWebhosts™ | GIDSearch™

Thanx JdS, hot my gf may be she is young and literally drives me crazy at times...nothing is more destructive to a males' mind than a females' mind
I thought I would have to do some business course and I really dislike that field. I reckon for the meantime i'm just gonna get as much experience as I can and when I come back to SA i'll just do freelance web design for as long as I can...and see where it goes from there...maybe something will pop up
Thanx for the advice
peace

As an old married guy, it doesn't get better as time goes on.

Most businesses that don't have some business training in their leadership generally die an expensive death. If you dislike business enough, partner with someone that has the knowledge you lack so you can concentrate on the fun stuff.

Before you get back to SA, have more of a plan than waiting for something to "pop up". Make decisions and plans, rely on you, not fate, for your future. The thing I've heard is "if you don't know where you're going, you'll hit it with unerring accuracy!"

__________________

Cow: You're a lawyer too?
Mooseblood (mosquito): Ma'am, I was already a bloodsucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase!