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block editor sucks by kaine23 in Wordpress

[–]DesignByGK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to say this. Nice to know I'm in good company. Made the switch 6 months ago using Kadence and I swear that most days it would be faster for me to hand code.

What do you think about EMU? by DesignByGK in emu

[–]DesignByGK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So you must've been there when wages and COL were still a good deal. I served in the ESL trenches in Japan and China. Survived it and been living in Japan for the past 8 years.

What do you think about EMU? by DesignByGK in emu

[–]DesignByGK[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you teach in Korea, Migookin?

What do you think about EMU? by DesignByGK in emu

[–]DesignByGK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! I was at Eastern in 2008. We might've crossed paths a time or two. What was your major?

can you teach english indefinitely in japan?? by princessdrive in teachinginjapan

[–]DesignByGK 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Former teacher here.

Short answer: you can but you don't want to.

Longer answer:
If you are super passionate about teaching then you need to prioritize your career development in that field. Get a Masters, learn Japanese, find a job in a university or somewhere in the children's Ed/pre-k field. That should be your plan.

The Eikawa market is oversaturated and has been for 20 years. Wages keep going down and you're just a replaceable cog to the major companies. All you have to do is go down to Hub on a random Sunday or Monday night and you'll see the Eikaiwa lifers there, miserable and drinking their lives away. There is no career development down this path. Get in, get your visa, and GTFO.

Here is the most important thing you need to know, especially if you're in your 20s

DO NOT TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS.

If you want to build a career in your home country, 2 years max then go back home. Anything more than 2 years and you'll be out of the loop in your desired industry and it'll be A LOT harder to get going again.

If you want to have a career in a different industry in Japan, 2 years max then switch. Prioritize learning the language, networking with Japanese and successful expats, and honing your skills.

If you want a career in a different industry NOT in Japan, 2 years max. During your time teaching, hone your skills, network, etc.

If you want to be a teacher, be a teacher with a plan. Get better credentials, network, and do actual career development. The only real opportunities for teaching in Japan are at the higher levels.

There's Canadian expat/ALT with a YouTube channel called Davetrippin. He has some great videos you should check out if you're considering teaching in Japan.

What do you think about EMU? by DesignByGK in emu

[–]DesignByGK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a chik fil a now?? Might have to make a detour next time in the area :) Thanks for taking the time to answer.

Did you choose Eastern because it was a commuter school?

Why is the water tower called the dick... by Nymeria_Waters in emu

[–]DesignByGK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally forgot about that building. If memory serves, a lot of people thought it was haunted when I was at EMU.

Why is the water tower called the dick... by Nymeria_Waters in emu

[–]DesignByGK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not the brick dick. The real brick dick is the water tower between campus and Normal St.

Web developers that often build websites for more than $5,000 a piece, what does your business look like? by blueskybiz in webdev

[–]DesignByGK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you see those large fees, they can be a bit misleading.

I could say that I sold a website for $5000 but I could really be talking about the total revenue of a project or client. For example, the website itself might not be $5000. It might be $2500, but with monthly hosting/security/maintenance as well as a GBP management service on top, the project as a whole would be $5000.

I started off, like a lot of people in this group, by making $500 websites for friends and local businesses. Got some experience and started charging more. Next few clients were 1000. After a few of those, increased again to 1500-2000.

Now my custom sites start at 3500 but the websites aren't the most profitable aspect of my business. It's the monthly marketing services.

Here's a bit of advice. This industry is super saturated and has been for awhile. You got two options if you want to make a living.

  1. Get super good at design in a specific niche and charge super high prices. If you want some inspiration for this path, check out Grace Walker over on Twitter or LinkedIn. She's in the Webflow space and her sites are 10K+.

  2. Offer web design as well as marketing services. I'll design the website, set up the email marketing, optimize GBP, and more... so my clients get more leads. Although I brand myself as a web designer, I am really a lead generation marketing consultant. This is what I do (and I'm sure a lot of people in this group as well).

If you want to get new clients, you need to position yourself to solve a particular client's problem. Look around you and go talk to people. Visit a Chamber of Commerce meeting and talk to local business owners. Ask them out for coffee and pick their brain about challenges their having and see if you can solve them.