Take this job and shove it. Possibly. Most likely.
With my bigger-money job (writing scripts for TV animation) a complete wasteland of non-employment for all, I've started hustling for more web design gigs. I ended up getting hired part-time on a Craigslist job to do basic web page building with "an up and coming marketing firm"...which turned out to be one guy in a dingy, cluttered room off Magnolia. Sometimes another guy shows up. He's theoretically working to promote an informational book -- on how to convert you car to run on water, whatevs - he wrote in three weeks. Niiiice.
After two days it became apparent that 1) I'm wildly overqualified for the job, 2) the guy who hired me was tickled pink to discover this and wanted to utilize it because 3) he has little to no idea how to generate content for all these sites he's building. Now he's wanting to know if I "couldn't just come up with some stuff?"
Uh, no, not for what you're paying me.
He's not at all averse to paying me more (once he's "able to," oy), and there's certainly no reason I couldn't write content for him, cuz you know, professional writer and all. However, I have little or no inclination to continue working for him, much less violently expand my duties. Mostly because 1) I think the subject matter his sites claim to traffic in is a lot of reactionary crackpot nonsense, and 2) I think he's sincere, but scattered and squirrely. He can't even narrow down what he wants me to write to anything past a massive generalization. "Could you just write some stuff about green technologies?" "Write what about green technologies?" "Just... you know, anything you want." Dear God. It's your site, you nutjob. Why should anyone visit it if even you don't know what it's about?? And 3) I'm trying to figure out where I want my work life to go these days, and I'd like to figure it out a little more slowly. Not apply-for-a-part-time-code-monkey-job-with-a-guy-you're-reserving-judgment-on-and-in-two-days-become-master-of-your-domain-literally.
And yet... something to keep money from hemorrhaging out of my bank account would be awfully good... and developing content for websites is probably a skill I should learn. I was assuming a person could come in and just do the page building part, simply plugging in content given to them, but in some cases, generating the content is likely part of webmaster-dom, yes? And I assume most marketing people don't necessarily have an affinity for everything they help develop and put out there -- they just do it because it's their job.
Fuck it, I should learn it with someone else. I don't want this to become Tranny Boy all over again, only with work.
Anyone who agrees is welcome to say so. Anyone who thinks I'm missing the point and don't understand what website work is about is welcome to say so, also.
ETA: I went in today for about 5 minutes, a time taken up exclusively by arguing. He got mad at me for not working the two days I was supposed to be doing so "at home." (Which, you know, I didn't.) Even taking that into consideration, his mood and attitude had changed dramatically from the week before - all the upbeat encouragement was gone. I told him I still wanted more specific guidance (which, were I serious about continuing to work with him, I should have asked for during my at-home days. During which time I should also have been working). He said he'd already given it to me. "You're a creative person, right?" he challenged. "Come up with something." (Oh fuck you twice for throwing out the first resort of the uncreative.) "Do some research and come up with something." Which, again, would put me solely in charge of determining the website's editorial direction, for a pittance a week. I was sorely tempted to tell him my script-writing rate. I asked why the client he was doing this for wasn't providing content. He erupted with "You don't get to ask why!" I quietly closed up my laptop, returned all but two days' worth of his money and left.
So, I don't really like how it happened, but I think the result is for the best. I worry a little that I signed a W-9 and the guy has my SSN, so if he gets pissy he could wreak a little havoc. But perhaps he won't - I mean, I returned 80% of his money?? I just hate disapproval and conflict, but maybe now 1) I won't feel guilty for quitting on him and 2) he won't feel like he lost anyone he wanted to keep.
I hope. Geh?
After two days it became apparent that 1) I'm wildly overqualified for the job, 2) the guy who hired me was tickled pink to discover this and wanted to utilize it because 3) he has little to no idea how to generate content for all these sites he's building. Now he's wanting to know if I "couldn't just come up with some stuff?"
Uh, no, not for what you're paying me.
He's not at all averse to paying me more (once he's "able to," oy), and there's certainly no reason I couldn't write content for him, cuz you know, professional writer and all. However, I have little or no inclination to continue working for him, much less violently expand my duties. Mostly because 1) I think the subject matter his sites claim to traffic in is a lot of reactionary crackpot nonsense, and 2) I think he's sincere, but scattered and squirrely. He can't even narrow down what he wants me to write to anything past a massive generalization. "Could you just write some stuff about green technologies?" "Write what about green technologies?" "Just... you know, anything you want." Dear God. It's your site, you nutjob. Why should anyone visit it if even you don't know what it's about?? And 3) I'm trying to figure out where I want my work life to go these days, and I'd like to figure it out a little more slowly. Not apply-for-a-part-time-code-monkey-job-with-a-guy-you're-reserving-judgment-on-and-in-two-days-become-master-of-your-domain-literally.
And yet... something to keep money from hemorrhaging out of my bank account would be awfully good... and developing content for websites is probably a skill I should learn. I was assuming a person could come in and just do the page building part, simply plugging in content given to them, but in some cases, generating the content is likely part of webmaster-dom, yes? And I assume most marketing people don't necessarily have an affinity for everything they help develop and put out there -- they just do it because it's their job.
Fuck it, I should learn it with someone else. I don't want this to become Tranny Boy all over again, only with work.
Anyone who agrees is welcome to say so. Anyone who thinks I'm missing the point and don't understand what website work is about is welcome to say so, also.
ETA: I went in today for about 5 minutes, a time taken up exclusively by arguing. He got mad at me for not working the two days I was supposed to be doing so "at home." (Which, you know, I didn't.) Even taking that into consideration, his mood and attitude had changed dramatically from the week before - all the upbeat encouragement was gone. I told him I still wanted more specific guidance (which, were I serious about continuing to work with him, I should have asked for during my at-home days. During which time I should also have been working). He said he'd already given it to me. "You're a creative person, right?" he challenged. "Come up with something." (Oh fuck you twice for throwing out the first resort of the uncreative.) "Do some research and come up with something." Which, again, would put me solely in charge of determining the website's editorial direction, for a pittance a week. I was sorely tempted to tell him my script-writing rate. I asked why the client he was doing this for wasn't providing content. He erupted with "You don't get to ask why!" I quietly closed up my laptop, returned all but two days' worth of his money and left.
So, I don't really like how it happened, but I think the result is for the best. I worry a little that I signed a W-9 and the guy has my SSN, so if he gets pissy he could wreak a little havoc. But perhaps he won't - I mean, I returned 80% of his money?? I just hate disapproval and conflict, but maybe now 1) I won't feel guilty for quitting on him and 2) he won't feel like he lost anyone he wanted to keep.
I hope. Geh?