Part 1: The Move

One of the miracles and blessings of the Internet is the freedom that we have to work from anywhere. Three years ago my wife and I took advantage of this to facilitate a dream we’d had for many years … but first, some background.

I grew up in England, and lived there until I was around 20. In college I majored in American Studies and thus had the chance to study in the US. I spent my junior year at the University of California in Santa Barbara and that, as they say, was it. I absolutely fell in love with America and during my final year of college back in England I made plans to return for graduate school. As chance would have it I got a scholarship to study at the University of Kansas and, in my naivete I figured “California … Kansas … How different could it be?” Continue Reading »

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Or: How to learn new skills on your employer’s time

I never was one of those kids who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. I still envy my friends who knew in elementary school that they wanted to teach, or be a doctor … me, I had no idea. I knew that I had little or no head for math & science, and I read like mad; but I had no idea what work I wanted to do. My parents never had the chance to go to college but it was taken as a given that I would, which suited me fine.

My first degree was great fun, but prepared me for … well, for very little really. I majored in American Studies, a combination of history and literature. It was the perfect choice for someone who loves to read, but has little patience for anything written before about 1850. The great thing about American literature is that there is none (or precious little) before then! Strangely, employers weren’t beating down my door to hire me with my shiny new BA in American Studies, so I decide to indulge a lifelong interest in theatre and go to graduate school. Continue Reading »

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Over the last twenty-something years I’ve had several different jobs and I’ve finally reached a conclusion that’s been coming for a l-o-n-g time. I don’t like having a job.

I went for about three years being self-employed — I was a graphic designer — and I loved the freedom of setting my own hours, working with a variety of clients and problem-solving on my own. But I found the ups & downs of a freelance income a great challenge, and eventually went back to a full-time job. Continue Reading »

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I’ve had this domain name for a while, ever since inspiration struck in the shower. (I guess it’s better to be struck by inspiration rather than by the shampoo bottle or worse, by the shower head. I need to get around to fixing that shower head …)

After exhaustive thought, I realised that what the world needs is another blog about making a living online. I even had that confirmed by one of my favorite bloggers, Lynn Terry at ClickNewz, during a webinar she hosted recently. She assured me that there’s always room for another blog, so long as the content is compelling … now, there’s a challenge I can get my teeth into. So, here’s the obligatory introductory post to set the scene. Continue Reading »

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