scripflipper.com

my name is michael ciccarelli and i'm a web designer & developer out of buffalo, ny. currently available for freelance and other opportunities.

Posts Tagged ‘nyc’

Back to Vegas

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sidenote

A few weeks ago I posted about Moving to NYC to take on a new job and city. What I didn’t mention was an offer I got to remain in vegas a few days before leaving. The contract would pay more then the position i had waiting for me in NY but I still decided to give the job I’ve already accepted at WBR a fair chance. Fortunately for me the Vegas offer remained on the table while I tested the waters in NY.

I lasted only 2 weeks in the city, mainly because the job wasn’t what I expected at all but also because I was having no luck finding an apartment. I was really hoping to get into a team environment that would give me an outlet to learn and collaborate in real life, everyday with people that share my passion and interest in web design. It wasn’t long before I learned i was 1 or a 2 person team, and the other member was another amateur web designer around my age…a nice guy but it just all wasn’t the “team environment” I expected so I bailed.

Anyways now I’m back in Vegas, living in these sick high-rises right on the strip (panorama) per my new contract..I also got a new car. I’m happy with my decision, I would have likely regretted not taking this opportunity for the rest of my life and after the 3 years I could always try NYC again.

Moving to NYC

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sidenote

I’ve been living in Las Vegas about 2 years now and I can’t really complain, it’s a great city, nice weather and plenty to do. I just kind of want a change of my current lifestyle, which has become rather lazy and and unproductive. I’m going to try living in NYC where everyone is on the go and give myself some more opportunities to network with people with less distractions.

I took a Full-Time position in the web development team at WBR and continue to freelance on the side. I enjoy freelancing and the freedom it provides but all that aside it’s never been great money unless you really are willing to commit and apply yourself by putting in countless hours of work, making new clients/connections and finding as much work as you can handle.

I’m pretty excited about the position I’ll be filling at WBR. Basically the company coordinates events/conferences all over the world for many different industries. Each one of these events needs a website and each website has a a 3-stage cycle including an annual redesign. So given the amount of events they already host there should be plenty of website design work for me during my time here. I’m happy with the starting salary they offered me and the job comes with lot’s of benefits, which is something I haven’t had while freelancing.

I think all in all it’s going to be a good change, waking up each morning hoping a train into the office to work until 5 then I can leave my work at the office and not always think about work. That is what I would end up doing while freelancing, never not thinking about work or rarely not on my computer when at home. Even though I’ll still continue to work on personal projects of mine and on some freelance work I imagine it will be in a much different state of mind, since it’s just side work and not my main source of income.

The office I’ll be working out of is located on 5th Avenue right around 45th St. which is midtown east Manhattan. I’m looking for apartments in manhattan but until I find something permanent I’ll most likely take a roommate situation temporarily, because I need to get out there by next week. I’ll also be only a few hour drive away from home so it will be nice to be able to visit more with my friends/family in Niagara Falls.