Scott A. Wilburn » work http://scottwilburn.com PHP/MySQL programmer in the Pacific Northwest Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:40:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 My Lastest and Greatest Web Project http://scottwilburn.com/2008/01/21/my-latest-and-greatest-web-project/ http://scottwilburn.com/2008/01/21/my-latest-and-greatest-web-project/#comments Mon, 21 Jan 2008 23:01:24 +0000 scott http://www.scottwilburn.com/2008/01/21/its-up-and-going-pchquiz4cashcom/ pch-top-mail1.jpg

If you’re wondering why I’ve been so quiet lately, it’s because I’ve been working on one of the biggest sites I’ve ever helped launch: www.pchquiz4cash.com. The site is written using PHP/MySQL and offers quizzes which users can answer questions and win cash if they ace the quiz. The site was launched at Christmas and if you visit the site you can see how many people have taken quizzes. As of this post, it’s nearing 300,000!

That’s the good news. The even better news is that I launched this site not as a small employee of some large corporation, but as part of a business partnership. If all goes well, I will be able to say that I am successful in business and don’t have to depend on working for someone else for my livelihood.

]]> http://scottwilburn.com/2008/01/21/my-latest-and-greatest-web-project/feed/ 0 Laid off again… and a chance for a new beginning http://scottwilburn.com/2007/08/01/laid-off-again-and-a-chance-for-a-new-beginning/ http://scottwilburn.com/2007/08/01/laid-off-again-and-a-chance-for-a-new-beginning/#comments Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:57:45 +0000 scott http://www.scottwilburn.com/2007/08/01/laid-off-again-and-a-chance-for-a-new-beginning/ Today was my last day at Klir Technologies. It was announced yesterday that Klir would be closing its doors. Honestly, I was ready for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I was treated fairly and treated with respect at Klir and I will miss working with some good people. For me, I now have the opportunity to focus on my own business and get some rest and relaxation for the remainder of the summer. I hope to now call the 40 hour work week a thing of the past.

]]> http://scottwilburn.com/2007/08/01/laid-off-again-and-a-chance-for-a-new-beginning/feed/ 0 Eliminating work-related stress, opting out of the rat race and living on “island time” http://scottwilburn.com/2007/07/29/eliminating-work-related-stress-opting-out-of-the-rat-race-and-living-on-island-time/ http://scottwilburn.com/2007/07/29/eliminating-work-related-stress-opting-out-of-the-rat-race-and-living-on-island-time/#comments Mon, 30 Jul 2007 05:08:41 +0000 scott http://www.scottwilburn.com/2007/07/29/eliminating-work-related-stress-opting-out-of-the-rat-race-and-living-on-island-time/ The 40 hour work week is taking its toll on my health.

I’m sure this sounds crazy to someone who works 70-80 hour weeks for Microsoft, but enough is enough. I’ve had tingling in my extremities, dizziness, back pain and tightness in my throat. I went to two different doctors, a naturopathic physician and my chiropractor and the consensus seems to all point to one thing: work-related stress. My job is not particularly demanding, but I am required to be there 40 hours per week (or more), even if there’s no projects to work on. It’s the constant sitting in front of a computer and the idle time that is just wearing on me in the corporate environment.

I went on a camping trip to Orcas Island this weekend to have a good time. Unfortunately, I brought my stress with me and wasn’t really present to the fact that I was on this wonderful island with an easy-going pace of life. Something has to change.

Eliminating work-related stress: The way I see it, the way to eliminate work-related stress is to eliminate the source of the stress: working for someone else. Easier said than done, getting away from working for someone else is something I have been focusing on how to accomplish for some time. Rent and bills have to be paid and just quitting my job is not something I can just do. That brings up my second point.

Opting out of the rat race: Most people in Seattle and other American cities run the rat race. I define the rat race as working long work hours for someone else to buy material goods and over-sized houses that are really not necessary. In fact, as Americans, we work longer hours, buy bigger houses and have more stress-related illnesses… and for what? I would like to “opt-out” of the rat race and the corporate work environment.

Living on “island time”: On my first night on Orcas Island, I went to a potluck dinner at a local home and on the coffee table was a book entitled On Island Time. It got me to thinking: I’m tired of working by the clock and I would love to live on “island time”. I’m tired of being required to go to a set office location each day. I would like to buy a 40-50 foot boat as a live-aboard and have the freedom to work where I want. There’s really no good reason why I can’t do work on my own schedule, from any location I choose, for my own clients. I think about it a lot… and it’s time to stop thinking.

]]> http://scottwilburn.com/2007/07/29/eliminating-work-related-stress-opting-out-of-the-rat-race-and-living-on-island-time/feed/ 1 Enjoying my government-paid vacation http://scottwilburn.com/2006/09/11/enjoying-my-government-paid-vacation/ http://scottwilburn.com/2006/09/11/enjoying-my-government-paid-vacation/#comments Mon, 11 Sep 2006 08:35:43 +0000 scott http://www.scottwilburn.com/2006/09/11/enjoying-my-government-paid-vacation/ September is a great month to be on vacation. The weather in Seattle is still nice, but the crowds at the parks, beaches and downtown are smaller because the kids are all back in school. So here’s a rundown of the various things I’ve enjoyed since my layoff:

  • Went kayaking in the Washington Park Arboretum
  • Attended a pre-season football game at Qwest Field (gotta love those tight pants)
  • Upgraded my web server to PHP 5
  • Spent time with my family before my brother’s wedding
  • Made a huge pot of homemade chili

I have plenty more things planned for my time off, including more work on my business and job interviews. It has been a nice break from the usual routine.

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