Okay, so how did I actually get rolling with this whole career thing? Honestly, it wasn’t some grand master plan at first. It kinda just… happened, piece by piece.
Fumbling Around at the Start
Straight outta school, man, I felt totally lost. Had no clue what I wanted to do. Ended up grabbing this random office gig doing data entry. Sounds boring? Yeah, it absolutely was. Typing numbers into spreadsheets all day. I remember staring at that flickering screen thinking, “Is this really it?” Felt like a hamster on a wheel.
Did that for maybe a year. Saved up a little cash, but man, I felt drained. Zero energy. Then one random Tuesday afternoon, I bumped into this old friend at the coffee machine. He mentioned he was building simple websites for local businesses. Something clicked. It sounded… possible. Messed around with free website builders that weekend, felt weirdly excited.
Taking a Scary Leap
Sat on that coffee machine idea for weeks. Finally got the guts. Quit the soul-crushing data job. Yeah, scary stuff. Told myself I’d try the website thing for three months – if I starved, well, I starve. Bought a cheap laptop, hit the library for free internet. Started cold-calling tiny shops downtown:
- “Hey, your website look like it’s from 1998? I can fix that… cheap.”
- Practically begged that first pizza place to let me build them a simple online menu site.
- Charged peanuts, like $200 for the whole thing. Took me ages too, but seeing their name pop up online? Felt amazing.
Figuring It Out the Hard Way
Word started getting around, slowly. Got a few more gigs. Mistakes? Oh yeah, tons:
- Promised a bakery online ordering. Took me a month to learn it wasn’t just magic buttons.
- Undercharged constantly. Could barely pay rent.
- Panicked when the florist called screaming her pictures looked tiny.
Felt like putting out fires constantly. Started watching YouTube tutorials like crazy. Learned to code basic stuff myself. Started writing down every little problem I solved, every new thing I figured out. Scribbled notes in cheap notebooks everywhere. Still do that, actually. That habit? Lifesaver. Those notes became my personal “how-to-fix-it” book.
The Weird Little Things That Pushed Me Forward
Wasn’t just grinding away though. Weirdly, the small, annoying stuff helped the most. Like:
- Getting yelled at by that florist? Taught me to triple-check everything BEFORE showing the client.
- Almost crying over that bakery order system? Made me realize I needed help – hired another guy who actually knew what he was doing.
- Seeing my messy library notes? Organized them into actual guides. Started sharing bits online for free, just to help others.
That free sharing thing? Changed everything. People messaged me saying it actually helped them. Started writing more. Got invited to this tiny meetup group to talk about my scribbles. Super nervous, stuttered through the whole talk. But folks listened. Asked questions. Didn’t get laughed outta the room.
Where It’s At Now
Fast forward? Still building websites, sure, but also coaching folks starting out like I did. That nervous meetup talk turned into workshops. Those messy library notes? People actually pay for the organized versions now. Crazy. The key wasn’t waiting for some perfect moment. It was starting with that awful data job, listening at the coffee machine, and just… moving forward. Even when it meant falling flat on my face. Still mess up plenty! But now? I got my own personal “how-to-fix-it” book.
