A Job, or A Pearl of Great Price?

I worked for corporate America working way more than a nine to five job. I had my own office and was coordinator for nine engineers for a major airline. I will not mention the name, because I am under a gag order not to let you know who they are. Most days, I would work more than 15 hours, and being on salary, I was not paid any overtime for all the hours that I slaved away to make somebody else look good.

I encountered immediate sexual abuse from one of the Top Engineers on the staff, and because he officially filled in for my boss, who had suffered a heart attack, I had no one to turn to for help. Day after day, this cocky engineer would try to bait me with his nasty sexual suggestions. Eventually his hands thought they had the right to cop a feel. Then time and time again it happened because I was too scared of losing my job, but mostly of making him mad.

I am not here to retell a long story about that. One day I will write a book about a book about. I am here now to give you some insight as to why I decided to go home where it was safe and "Start my Own Business".

At that time, I knew about as much about the Internet as a child. My husband went out and bought a brand new computer which was not the kind I was use to at work. Those PC's only allowed me to use their database and functions about the company or to make reservations on Saber ... This computer had all the modern functions, and I quickly discovered the Internet.

I joined the big "A" Internet provider and started my quest to surf and learn. One day I got an instant message that invited me to visit a website. I did not even know what a website was, I was so green.

The fellow on the other side of that message had a quest. He taught hundreds of people how to build websites using that Internet Provider's simple software. Well, that grabbed my interest and I wanted to find out what a website was, and how to get my own, and yes how to create my own look.

He tried to walk me through the simple program, but I was too hungry to stop there. Soon I was asking the bigger questions that the program would not let me do as a member of their service. Even when I had my free website created with their program, the links to my-place looked more like their address than my own. I think it was something like this (example link only):

members.soandso.whateverprovider.dotcom

That long address simply did not look professional enough to me if I wanted to take a website further than a "Shout Out" about myself. No, I had been working from the time I was thirteen and I knew I had to find a way to make a living fast or live a life with a fine line between each day and the street.

So I began a relentless pursuit via instant message and email to "Pick This Teachers Brains Apart!" I bugged him so much that in hindsight I am amazed that he did not turn on the Blocker to my messages. I can tell you now, I am grateful that he did not. As a matter of fact, this man was a retired Marine that taught himself programming and Basic and had actually written his own simple software.

Over the course of about three months of constant prodding, I finally had myself the basic HTML knowledge to build a pretty impressive site. Still something deep down was missing. I bugged the man to teach me more ... I wanted my own domain! Finally I found out how to purchase a domain and that I had to host it somewhere and I forged ahead!

The teacher stayed with (example link only):

members.soandso.whateverprovider.dotcom

for his own website and we stayed in touch for years. When I got my domain and hosting paid for, I went to work with the little knowledge of HTML that I had. I grew frustrated and nothing looked like I wanted it to, so I knew I had to do what the kind retired Marine had done and that was to teach myself. I went to libraries and I bought books ... only to find out that they couldn't teach more than I already knew.

I found out how to right click on people's websites ... so I had a new toy! I studied and studied the source of every website that I came to. I began to discover CGI and Java and PHP and Flash and all those fancy doohickeys that went with them. I noticed that although I could not write my own CGI and different scripts, that I could search the universe and somewhere in someone's source I could figure out how to do the same myself.

I found sites that gave free scripts and CGI, and you name it. That empowered me and gave me alternatives! I guess I had been at it religiously for nine months of self teaching and experimenting when I realized that visitors were starting to hit on my website. Then it happened! I started getting instant messages from people that had seen what I was doing and they started to try and pick my brain for help. My Marine friend was sending his overflow of students to me! He once told me that I had given him the greatest honor when he had witnessed his own student pass him up as a web designer. I was blown away! I cried nearly every time I thought about his awesome compliment to me. It was a bigger rush whenever he would ask me how I did such and such. Then one day he told me I was gifted enough to open up a business online and get paid as a webmaster!

I was excited, and to this day, nearly eight years later, I have not lost that zeal and excitement as I design each and every new customer's website for them. I learned how to do shopping carts and how to give my customers their own classified ad programs and set them up and how to create unlimited email accounts and bulletin boards and forums and even how to design their own graphics.

Like I said earlier, I had not been doing this long when the phone rang, and a lady at the end of that line offered me an interview to come talk to her boss about a website. The name of the company is a household name. I was so happy that I demanded that I would do it for FREE!

I went to that interview. I walked in that massive board room and felt so small next to all those big executives and board members! Finally after a long line of questions the CEO looked at me and asked me what it would take (money wise) to build them a website.

I remember the sick feeling that rose up in the pit of my stomach as I could barely speak. Finally the lady that called me asked for a break before I had time to reply. I was so scared I felt like running out the door and forgetting the whole thing! The lady would not let me out of her sight! She walked up to me and invited me into another office. She sat down behind her big and beautiful cherry wood desk and asked me, "What will it take to have you build our website?".

I just knew I had to ask a fair price and I didn't want to seem greedy and I was too timid to hurt anyone's feeling. I put my head down and shook as I questioned, "Seven dollars an hour?" ... There seemed to be the longest silence ... the world went hushed! The lady was an executive and right hand to the CEO! I just knew she was going to ask me to leave! She jumped to her feet and slammed her fist down on her desk and said, "Look At Me!" I was nearly in tears! She said in the most straightforward voice and with the strongest gaze ... "Never undersell yourself! I have seen your work and I have watched your website as you have developed it and I like what I see .... BUT!" there it was the big "BUT" ... she continued ... "Never look down when anyone asks you what you think you can do and what you think your worth!" I started to choke back the tears. I was still wounded to the depths of my soul from the sexual abuse of an executive. The lady sat down and said to me, 'When we go back in that board room, you are going to look directly into the CEO's eye and you are going to tell him you will take SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR!"

Needless to say, I fell down to my knees right then and there! I cried like a baby and told her that I could not do it, and by then I had lost any courage to go back into that room. She said, "straighten up your face and just follow me". I finally went back into that room where they were all waiting for my answer. The CEO looked at me and asked with a firm voice, "Well, have you had enough time to think about my question?" I was about to say, "I am so honored to be sitting here, let alone to be invited to build your website, but I will do it for FREE!"

I believe with all my heart that the lady knew I was not going to have the courage, as she smoothly walked over and stood beside me and said, "She will take seventy five dollars an hour." I thought the world was about to come to an end. I was expecting to hear all those board members break out in laughter. I began to collect my briefcase and I stood up to leave, and to my utter shock and awe, the CEO stood up at the same time and said, "Welcome! if you need anything at all or need our logos and our press releases, please feel free to ask Linda." I turned to see who Linda was, and another hand came forward to shake ... it was the lady that had taken me into her office and under her wing!

That day never escapes me, but the lesson that Linda had taught me never went away! I made $10,000.00 for that website! I worked from my home and had no deadline! It took me three weeks to get it to my specifications of perfect! I went in to collect my check, and I was so shocked to see a check for ten thousand dollars that I tried to give it back as a mistake!

I have grown since then, and I have built hundreds of websites ... all from that one that got me ignited! Suddenly I had a Mayor and some Doctors and a Newspaper ... and it has never stopped!

I learned some precious and priceless lessons in all that I have experienced in building my own business. But the two most priceless were the two lessons I learned (1) from a retired Marine ... and that is "To Pay it Forward", and (2) from the Lady Executive.... "That Each of Us is Priceless!" Yes, that's where the corporate American business that kept the sexual pervert and fired me for asking for help, left me. I was lower than dirt!
I have taken pleasure in reaching out to others and giving them a hand up instead of a hand out, and I now have two students that have passed me up ... like my teacher told me. I too feel honored! One became a millionaire ... after picking my brain apart, as he ventured off to build a web design business. The other came to me via another instant message as he rudely cussed and ordered me (a stranger) to put music on his website. I had never talked to him before that day, but he had heard about me somewhere. I informed him that if he will leave out the cussing, that I would be more than happy to "teach" him how to "fix" his own website. I wanted to give him a hand up, not a hand out. He was a gang-banger at the time, and had a pro-drug website. I never judged him and that gained his attention! He quit the gangs, went back to school, and has not only become the CEO of a web design business, but that has given him the key to the door of his 'passion'... to be a music producer!

Linda once told me how it took her blood, sweat, and tears to reach her goals, and how she taught herself nine different languages, and that the prejudice she had received not only from being female in corporate America, but being an Afro American female made her more determined to reach me!

I would still be sitting home, most likely depressed like I was, and feeling like life had done one great big number on me! I lost touch with my Marine and Linda, but I have never lost the gifts they gave me! One day I will see them face to face.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤Resource Box¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Stormy Gale has been writing for the Internet for over 10 years.
She has designed numerous websites and eBook's.
Visit my site for more information.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or eBook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
© 1995-2007WonderwebPro Creations All Rights Reserved.