Like many of you, I have the workaholic gene, and it has led me to many a long night and long week struggling with trying to do the job at hand just a little bit better.
It has also led me to many a time look in the mirror and ask “why are you doing this?”
So it was hardly a surprise when I decided this week to rewrite this website that my wife came in my office and asked “why are you doing this?” For four straight days I started the day at 8 AM with a cup of coffee and multiple computer screens, engaging in the task at hand, and only finishing for the day when I realized the house was dark and everyone – including the dog – was fast asleep.
Only this time I knew why.
You see, technology and I have always had a certain love/hate relationship. I hate the frustration of not being able to make a computer do what I want to, but love the feeling of finally figuring it out. It has been a hobby that has grown into a relentless mistress, as while I made my living as a sales executive, I just happened to be a good number cruncher who understood how computers and the internet worked.
This has resulted in me being the help desk to many of my older but less technologically gifted friends. When the internet took off in the late 90s and people were charging large sums of money to write websites, I learned HTML on my own and wrote a website for a fellow Hokie who owned a chain of dry cleaners. I said I wanted no money from him, so he in return gifted me a Virginia Tech football helmet and two tickets to the national championship game in New Orleans with Florida State.
I think I got the better end of that deal.
Over the years I’d write many more sites in HTML, then content management systems like Drupal and Joomla. I never did much work with WordPress, so when a young friend who had just started at a new company asked for some help with a problem with his company’s WordPress website, I said sure. Only the deeper I got into it, the more I realized I didn’t know enough to help him.
His site was like an old tire that had been patched too many times. I knew we had to provide another patch to kick the can down the road, but what he really needed was someone to come in and replace the tire. I didn’t know enough at the time to do that, and while we fixed the problem enough to go on, it has always bothered me I didn’t have the knowledge to help out a friend when he really needed it.
So this year has been my time to chase that great white whale known as WordPress. I also own DullesDistrict.com, and when that site’s vendor for Joomla themes went bankrupt and forced a total rewrite to continue, there was no question it was going to be WordPress. When that was completed in early October, I gave myself a month for my eyes to rest, then took on DDA Marketing this week.
I’ve learned a vast number of things this week because of it. One is no matter how old you are, learning is still one of the greatest feelings on earth. Tackling something you once did not understand, taking the time to stop, look up the problem on the web, then figuring it out is like the fountain of youth. Turns out every question in life IS on the internet. You just have to figure out how to phrase the question.
I’ve been married for 43 years, so my wife is so used to it when I say “I just can’t figure it out” she doesn’t even look up from her Hallmark Christmas movie while saying “well, you did the other 78 times you said that.”
Another is how enjoyable work is when you’re doing it to help somebody else out. My young friend must have gotten a dozen texts from me this week saying “I sure wish we had learned this two years ago when we were working on your site.” What I was really saying is “next time you get caught up in one of these website quicksand deals, I’ve got your back,” which is a nice and content feeling to have.
When younger, tackling technology issues immediately appeals to your greedy side, as you’d think “I can do this for other people and charge a lot of money.” Now that I’m old and don’t need to do such things, that feeling turns to “now I can help my younger friends and keep them from being frustrated” when they deal with technology problems. And in today’s world, everyone has technology problems.
So that’s the real reason I was doing it. Yeah, my eyes feel like they’ve been on fire all week, and my back feels like it has grown into being part of my chair. If Las Vegas took such bets, there’s a strong probability a nice long nap will be on today’s agenda.
But the WordPress monster has now been slayed.
Plus next time a friend needs help with a website, I’ll be ready. ?
