Hi I used to be a Finance Director in London, but after a life changing experience I decided to re-evaluate my career, and turned to something far more creative, hence the web design. I could do with some clients to turn this into an honest career, so if anyone can offer any leads etc that would be great. My website is at Website design. Web design Kent, Surrey, London homepage. Would be fun to get some feedback. Cheers Ian
Hey Ian, Well done on the change to doing something you enjoy! Site is looking good, not bad at all. The flash header is really slow, the file is not huge but plays really slowly - is this intentional? People do not stop to look on the web so make it short and snappy! Leads come with time and contacts. Looks like you have done some good sites already so hopefully they will bring you repeat work and referrals. It really does take time to build up a client base so keep handing out the business cards and getting those quotes out :banana Good luck, Mickey
Hi Hi Mickey, Thanks for the kind words. The Flash animation is turning over at max speed i.e. 120 fps. I would have liked it to go faster, but that seems to be it. I think it's the transparencies that slow it down so much. Still, I learned a limitation, so not all bad. Thanks again for the encouragement. Best Ian
Speeding up Hi Well, I thought of shortening the speed that each cube vanishes. I guess that will look less smooth, although at speed it might not be detected. I'll give it a go and see what happens. Watch this space! Thanks for the tip. Best Ian
At 30 fps it should still look smooth enough, films usually use between 24 and 30. Your current high fps combined with all the transparencies is most likely what's slowing everything down as it's going to be incredibly processor intensive. I wouldn't worry too much about the animation being less smooth, you can get away with an awful lot if the animation is moving fast. Good luck, look forward to seeing what you come up with! Ben
Hi Ian, can I just ask how old you are? I have decided to go into web design and have just completed an online course. I absolutely love it. I am a housewife and mother of 3 so have not worked for about 15 years and even then the jobs that I had before wern't challenging or rewarding and would probably be classed as menial. I am a little worried that I may have started this too late, I am 36. I do have little self confidence, I suppose its because of being out of work for so long so a completely different scenario to you but I just wondered when is too late to change your career? Any thoughts from other members would be appreciated.
Never too late to start! There are lots of web jobs out there and while the industry may historically not have liked hiring people not in their 20's times and changed and become a lot more sensible. A lot of employers love hiring people of your age and circumstance as you have had your children so are unlikely to be taking maternity leave again! Also your mothering will more than likely have made you a more reliable and conscientious person. Lack of confidence can sometimes be a hindrance at interviews as web designers often need to think on their feet, often needing to fix problems. I am not saying you would not be able to look up a problem in Google, find a solution and complete it but lack of confidence at an interview can give this impression to potential employers sometimes. Best thing for you is quick wins to boost your self esteem. Do some sites for your own personal pleasure or as freebies / cheap deals for friends and family. Online courses are OK but there is so much to web design that when you get into doing these things you will learn a lot more! This also helps build a portfolio you can use when you go for interviews and to pop a few on your CV to help you get in to the interview. Good luck! With commitment and perseverance you will be fine
I have never been confident during interviews, even all those years ago when I was a "confident teen".:laugh2 The thought of an interview terrifies me!! Oh well, maybe freelancing is for me Sorry for hijaking your thread Ian:embarassed
How old? Ha! I'm 45 years old. I still go to rock concerts (saw 30 Seconds to Mars at Hammersmith the other night), own a Les Paul and an Ibanez Jem7VWH, have two grown up kids and I have been a qualified Accountant for nearly twenty years. Plus I've had my axse kicked on a squash court by a 65 year old. You're as old as you feel. Stick with it! Confidence is all in the mind. Best Ian
Ooh an accountant... a good person to know! I wonder if we'll get a forum for the nitty gritty side of running a freelance business. I know the ContractorUK site has a lot on this, but who wants to go over there! Had any luck with your flash animation Ian?
Hi Working on it now. I've turned each square into a movie clip symbol and standardized the tweening. The effect so far is much quicker, and I'm aiming to have it up and running early next week. The thing about being an Accountant is: a) People think you know everything there is to know about finance. b) When you go to a party someone always introduces you to another accountant as though you really want to talk about it over a beer. c) It pays well. Dammit. (yawn). Cheers
