365 days

At 8:15 pm mountain standard time one year ago today, I left Colorado to return to Las Vegas. I'd like to recap the events thus far that have taken place since then. First, the temperature when I left Colorado was around 10°-15°F, so cold my transmission wouldn't shift correctly for nearly two full hours. I make the long(±16 hours) and I make it to fabulous Las Vegas. I make contact with my friend out here and I start my new job. It's calling people again but that's ok. I can't pick and choose at this point so I'll take what I can get. That night, I sleep like I haven't slept in a long while. Over the next few weeks, I get used to my new routine. I get up each day, I drive the 17 miles to work, I call people, I go "home." I repeat the same the next day. Thanksgiving and Christmas pass without much fanfare. Then comes the new year. 2010. Wow. The "oughts" are over. I begin with being forced rather abruptly to move. My friends neighbors had been keeping tabs on my comings and goings and they noticed that I seemed to stay the night a lot. And since I wasn't on the lease, that was a problem. But it was ok. My job had worked fairly well, so I had enough(barely) to move in to a 400ft^2 apartment. Where I still am. Then the drama started. Shortly after I moved, my friend decided he didn't like where he worked (we worked together) so he quit. And went to a new office selling grant writing services. After several weeks of persuasion, I went as well. And what a glorious mistake that was. It was contractor work so if I didn't make sales, I didn't make money. At all. I made a sale my second week and then never again. It didn't take long to realize this was unsustainable. So I left. And went back to my old job. Meanwhile, I'd completely drained my savings and defaulted on my credit card so I needed money bad. I went, hat in hand to my old job. And amazingly, they took me back. But my heart simply wasn't in it. So I went through the motions. And I didn't make many sales. Then it happened. I was placed on the bubble--meaning that if I didn't make a sale, I was done. And sure enough, no sales. On July 3, for the first time in 10 years I was fired. It was ok though. I'd find something. Not in sales, but something. I never wanted to make another sales call as long as I lived. Unfortunately I still had bills so I started receiving money from my parents each month. Not a lot, but my bills were more or less covered. All summer I looked. For anything that wasn't a sales job, but paid well enough to be worth my time. Nothing. Turns out, I'd been fired in the worst employment market in history in Nevada. I'd held out hope for one job above all others. A specialist at the Apple Store. I'd applied the week I was placed on the bubble and I'd been checking in fairly often since. On September 21, a full 3 months later, I received an email. I was invited to a "Hiring Seminar" held by Apple. And I NAILED it! I knew more about the products, I guided to more computer than the customer would need, and I went for the upsell. Every chance I got, I went for the upsell. Because I knew that's what they were looking for. Know the products and present them well, help the customer find a product that fits their needs, and maximize the profit opportunity from them. Less than 3 hours later, I got the follow up call. I'd been wanting this for a long time. And here it was. The nice young lady scheduled me to come in for a panel interview. I think I did well, but it was much harder to stand out this time. They asked me to fill out the paperwork for a background check and as soon as it came back, they'd contact me. Well, they contacted me. "We've decided to go with more 'qualified' candidates." This taught me a very important lesson. For whatever reason, I don't qualify for a job that requires a background check. (My dreams of a good paying job with Comcast were dashed at the same point.) So I needed a job that wouldn't require one. Like a sales job. So I went back. And here I am. Physically the only difference between me today, and when I left, is about 6" more hair, and about 10 pounds more. But I'm a completely different person. In January, I saw the iPad and my life was changed forever. When Phil Schiller demonstrated the iWork suite of apps on the iPad I had an epiphany. This was a completely new way to interact with computers. And I wanted to develop apps for the users of this new platform. I had no experience at all, but I didn't care. I want to develop software. For iOS. The only thing that has thus far prevented me is the same as always. I don't have money. But for the first time ever, I have a crystal clear vision of what I want to do. When I quit my old job, I had no idea what I was going to do. Something online but beyond that, I had no vision. I was using a sniper rifle with a coke bottle for a sight. Now I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm currently learning Python to tie together several open source programs to generate income 24/7. It's going to be amazing. And more importantly, it'll allow me to focus full time on my app ideas. It's going to be a fun few months. My friend received a text yesterday. The people who ran the old office want him to run a new floor. What an amazing year gone by. There have been a few ups, and a lot of crushing downs, but overall I'm better off now than when I arrived. And I'm still goin' up! :) $$ G'nite.