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Archive for the 'general' Category

Freelance or a Second Contract?

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

As one of those people who seems to always be doing something - read, study, projects, freelance and contracts, etc - I’ve been very lucky to have a disability pension as a backstop. If it weren’t for the Pensioner Education Supplement I would still be that bogun chucking fish down the wharf in sixteen to twenty hour irregular shifts. There’s something incredibly wrong when you’re stuck in the socio-economic poverty trap that pits your back against younger footballers just to afford a few steaks and a beer.

Since mid-2001 I’ve done a serious shit-load of schooling, too. I’ve done industry level certification in Web Design and Web Administration and I’ve made the Dean’s Honour Roll of Excellence for my Faculty through a Bachelor of Computing. I have only one project unit left at University to achieve my undergraduate degree. At the same time I’ve taught myself best practice front end web development methodologies (started with an Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Web Page, no less). I’ve spent long hours researching issues such as accessibility and usability, pushed my boundaries into working with PHP, and blogged like a mad banshee into the wee bloody hours. It was to prove a point - I am better than that man who stood on the wharf at 4am in silky fish soaked boxers totally exhausted (and exploited).

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Currently Reading

Information and Data Modelling (Second Edition) by David Benyon (Cover)With an eye toward implementing another web interface database solution from the ground up I'm casually revisiting David Benyon's Information and Data Modelling (Second Edition). Its critical to have a solid understanding of conceptual data modelling and knowing how to identify various things like fan traps and three way traps very early in the process. To that end, while its fine to have a basic understanding of third normal form and general ideas about relations (that which relational databases rely on), its also a great idea to spend time exploring the theory and case studies that lead to a higher understanding.

Often people I deal with just snuff their nose and say they can design a database - but often its a very naive approach. Having read this book about four years ago its time for a quick refresher over my holiday period. No, I doubt few will envy me.