I Have Taken Lots Of Twists Along The Way And Am Now Extremely Pleased With Everything
I have lived in the Black Country now for sixteen years. It's odd as that's longer than I was at school and yet it seems so fresh and new. In fact, I travelled to a school reunion last weekend and it was funny seeing everybody in adulthood as I haven't seen any of them after the day I finished school. I'm very talented about being awful at ending contact with colleagues and not keeping in touch. I seem to find that you think 'I wonder how so and so is' and suddenly comprehend that you haven't heard from them in five years and feel too guilty to pick up the phone. Thank the Lord for social networking!
I have been in the Black Country now for sixteen years. It's weird as that's longer than I spent at school and yet it seems so fresh and new. In fact, I organised a school reunion last weekend and it was great seeing everyone as adults as I have not seen any of them since the day I finished school. I'm very skilled about being awful at losing contact with people and not staying in touch. I appear to find that you think 'I wonder how so and so is' and suddenly realise that you have not heard from them in five years and feel too guilty to pick up the phone. Thank goodness for social networking!
I travelled up here at first when I started contracting when I was employed by IBM on a project for the Midlands Electricity Board which was great fun. Since then my work has taken many different turns in both job and location, but now I am operating a business that offers SEO and IT support services to small business in the Black Country area and the larger West Midlands. It means that I get work at home which is in reality the one place I've ever wanted to work. I have been fortunate enough that business has permitted me to go to other places and I have been to Brentwood, Coventry, Newcastle upon Tyne and, most exotically, Canberra before an all too concise return to the North East.
But I adore being in the Black Country and being out and looking around it. It really is extraordinarily beautiful, not unlike my beloved Surrey, but different of course in that we are set in the centre of the Industrial Revolution. We needn't have to travel far to be surrounded by the remains of the past. This part of the Black Country was famous for chain and glass making. The chains and anchors for the Titanic were manufactured here and the movement of them to the railway was recently re-enacted for a Channel 4 programming. There are also canals everywhere you go connecting the coal, iron and steel industrial areas to the wider world.
Most of it has now crumbled of course, although bespoke metal bashing and steel product companies still exist. The modern Black Country now turns around small industrial firms, high tech services and some reliance on the transport industry which is still strong in the West Midlands with Jaguar Land Rover, and Rover also making a low level return.
As for me, I am more than happy now working for myself, using the knowledge that I've gathered in my job history and using them on my own terms. I learnt how to do IT support many years ago when I was working for British Gas and had a break from programming to have a go at something new, and that has dwelled with me through the period where I have been able to solve problems for people I've been working with quickly and not need to call out the support teams. SEO I have picked up in later time and have found that it is wholly matched the way I prefer to work and have always had an ambition to do as I have always loved creative writing.
So for the foreseeable future, I will remain focused on SEO with a bit of IT support as and when needed.
I have been in the Black Country now for sixteen years. It's weird as that's longer than I spent at school and yet it seems so fresh and new. In fact, I organised a school reunion last weekend and it was great seeing everyone as adults as I have not seen any of them since the day I finished school. I'm very skilled about being awful at losing contact with people and not staying in touch. I appear to find that you think 'I wonder how so and so is' and suddenly realise that you have not heard from them in five years and feel too guilty to pick up the phone. Thank goodness for social networking!
I travelled up here at first when I started contracting when I was employed by IBM on a project for the Midlands Electricity Board which was great fun. Since then my work has taken many different turns in both job and location, but now I am operating a business that offers SEO and IT support services to small business in the Black Country area and the larger West Midlands. It means that I get work at home which is in reality the one place I've ever wanted to work. I have been fortunate enough that business has permitted me to go to other places and I have been to Brentwood, Coventry, Newcastle upon Tyne and, most exotically, Canberra before an all too concise return to the North East.
But I adore being in the Black Country and being out and looking around it. It really is extraordinarily beautiful, not unlike my beloved Surrey, but different of course in that we are set in the centre of the Industrial Revolution. We needn't have to travel far to be surrounded by the remains of the past. This part of the Black Country was famous for chain and glass making. The chains and anchors for the Titanic were manufactured here and the movement of them to the railway was recently re-enacted for a Channel 4 programming. There are also canals everywhere you go connecting the coal, iron and steel industrial areas to the wider world.
Most of it has now crumbled of course, although bespoke metal bashing and steel product companies still exist. The modern Black Country now turns around small industrial firms, high tech services and some reliance on the transport industry which is still strong in the West Midlands with Jaguar Land Rover, and Rover also making a low level return.
As for me, I am more than happy now working for myself, using the knowledge that I've gathered in my job history and using them on my own terms. I learnt how to do IT support many years ago when I was working for British Gas and had a break from programming to have a go at something new, and that has dwelled with me through the period where I have been able to solve problems for people I've been working with quickly and not need to call out the support teams. SEO I have picked up in later time and have found that it is wholly matched the way I prefer to work and have always had an ambition to do as I have always loved creative writing.
So for the foreseeable future, I will remain focused on SEO with a bit of IT support as and when needed.