technology

The Technology Timeshift and Careers

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We all know technology has changed how the world works, careers, go, and so on and so forth.  However I think one thing technology has done to careers – especially fannish and geeky ones – is that it's created an odd timeshifting effect.

Technology has the obvious effect of making a lot of things faster and easier to do and distribute to people.  The upside of course is obvious – the downside is that EVERYONE is able to do and distribute more things faster.  Everything is faster but the competition is the same – if not moreso.

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Let Me Bore You: Geek Your Budget

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It's time to geek your budget.

Financial planning is always important (if recent events haven't made that abundantly clear).  That's why you have to make sure that you have budget set aside for the "importantly" geeky things that make you both a geek/fan, AND a progeek.

Consider:

  • Are you setting aside money for the technology you use – a new cell phone, computer, etc.?  You're going to use those in the job search, in running your own business, to keep in touch, etc.
  • Are you setting aside money for conventions and events that are important to you both as a fan and as a networking tool?
  • re you making sure you have your assorted enjoyable pointless spending worked into your budget – so it doesn't sneak up on you?

I actually set aside money once a week for such things, and keep track of it.  That way I'm always prepared for my pro-geek and general fan needs.

For a lot of us our fannishness, geekyness, etc. doesn't fall too far away from our personal and professional ambitions.  Go on and geek your budget ahead of time – you'll be glad.

– Steven Savage

Technology, Speculation, and Failure

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I've talked a lot about technology in this blog – it's both a geeky subject, and something we're all interested in and dependent on.  Technology is changing fast and that changes jobs for ALL of us.

I want to address how technology is changing the nature of speculation and of failure in our careers.

For many of us progeeks and fan-to-pro types, technology is making some or all of our career ambitions easier.  If you want to be a writer, you can self-publish the first edition of your novel, comic, or book.  If you want to do a webcomic, the tools are there – including publicity tools.  If you want recognition as a history teacher you can edit wikis, write for blogs and websites, etc.  If you're a musician or an aspiring one I don't even HAVE to talk about what technology has done for you.

We all look at what technology lets us do from a positive side.  I'd like to call out another advantage that the onslaught of new technologies has done for us that we may not be looking at – speculation and failure.

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