Comments on: Open Thread: Where Were You 5 Years Ago?

By: Michelle @ Your Virtual Assistant

Michelle @ Your Virtual Assistant — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:45:52 +0000

Five years ago I was a 6-6′er – now I’m a Virtual Assistant. Often the hours are just as long but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Five years ago there was no Facebook or Twitter for me. I didn’t have my own website or YouTube channel either!

By: Inpunsene

Inpunsene — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:28:22 +0000

How many Twitter followers is needed to get lots of traffic and business to your site?

By: Brett Ludeke

Brett Ludeke — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:56:18 +0000

A lot of people’s “5 years ago” seem to be right where I am at now. Right now I’m working all the figures to see if I can survive doing photography jobs. I’m standing at the edge of the pool wanting to dive in but a little to scared. 5 years ago I was just accepting my current job which is just a paycheck for me. I hope in 5 years I will be where many of you are at now and operating a successful business for myself.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:39:07 +0000

Five years ago I was living in Italy, (I’m now back in the UK) and had just started a course of fine art at the Accademia di Belle Arti (Academy of Fine Arts) in Rome. Since then I’ve completed a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration in Coventry and I’m now working as a full time web designer for a firm here in the UK. In between I also did some freelance work.

By: masee

masee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:48:04 +0000

I read blogs all the time but this is the first time I actually wanted to comment.

Five years ago I left my cafe job and went travelling through India with my brother. Our trip has ended in Goa where I found out via email that my girlfriend (at the time travelling through South America) was pregnant with our first son. We both had to come back home (London) and started thinking about parenthood.

Since then I have started working as Intranet designer/developer, finished a degree in software development and had a second son.

Now while working full time I do some freelance work as a web designer/developer and starting a partnership business with my current boss creating white label websites.

By: Behind The Web Design

Behind The Web Design — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:18:31 +0000

Well, five years ago, I was starting my freelance business for few weeks, full of worry and joy, designing my businesscards, puting a last hand to my website, following the local newcommer’s business meetings and so on…

By: Amanda Cobb

Amanda Cobb — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:44:27 +0000

Five years ago I was doing a study abroad in Australia for my junior year of college, and planning on trying to land a job in publishing after graduation. I certainly had no idea that I’d end up in Austin, Texas of all places, and running my own freelance design business. A roller coaster is an apt description for that journey, but what a ride!

By: Lee Munroe

Lee Munroe — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:12:33 +0000

2nd year of Uni, out partying, playing Halo, designing Flash websites… loving it :)

By: BHMediaMarty

BHMediaMarty — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:30:57 +0000

5 years ago today, I was in hospital with pneumonia.

I’d just finished renovating my new office, was all set to move in but my poor health rendered me hospitalised for around 10 days. I remember at the time my parner had an ear infection so she couldn’t hear, I couldn’t breathe so I couldn’t talk, phoning the doctors was a nightmare, and then, when I was admitted to hospital all I was bothered about was someone bringing my laptop in so I could complete a website.

This was all within 6 months of quitting my secure job where I’d worked for over 10 years and a mere 3 months after my eldest Son was admitted to hospital for an emergency Appendix operation and i’d spent 3 weeks working from a hospital car park waiting for a parking space to visit him.

To say my first year as my own boss was a nightmare is an understatement. Still, I persevered, got over pneumonia and got back to working in the office, which was accidentally burnt to the ground just over a year later by some youths who’d started a fire up against the back of my office and hadn’t taken into account that fire tends to burn up over and wood has a habit of catching fire, so the rather poorly open vented eves that overhung their fire didn’t stand much chance.

2 near death hospital attendances, escaping 1 burning/collapsing building, having 3 large customers go bankrupt owing me sizeable amounts and various other mishaps along the way but I’m still fighting the good fight and determined that my decision 5 years ago was my best one, with one exception…… I really should have done it sooner.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:31:34 +0000

Five years ago I was in college! I was JUST starting the transition from a TV production and design concentration to interactive media and design. That year I entered a flash animation in my university’s Multimedia competition (MultiVisions) and I won 1st place in the “Animation for the Web” category.
I went on to take several more classes and started picking up some freelance work… graduated… moved to New York… freelanced some more… and now here I am! Full time designer with several freelance clients on the side. I couldn’t be happier with that decision I made five years ago :)