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Pity Party needed

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    Pity Party needed

    D-Day has arrived. I am being forced to learn and use MS Access! This is by far the worst "assignment" I've ever been handed and quite frankly I feel very sorry for myself!

    Needless to say I am gearing up to starting my own database development business so that I can use my beloved Alpha5 software. My new computer should arrive at home in a week or so, and I've already received the Alpha5 Software...if anyone wants to throw some business my way to get me going I would really - I mean REALLY appreciate it.

    I'm very scarred about starting my own business, as I am not a sales person and I'm afraid I won't be able to make the money that I need right away...I'm scarred that I'll lose my home, go into bankruptcy for lack of drumming up work. I could always go out and get another job - but finding a good paying job in this poor county is near impossible.

    Thanks for listening and wish me luck!

    Wanda

    #2
    RE: Pity Party needed

    Good luck from Clinton Oklahoma
    Betty

    Comment


      #3
      RE: Pity Party needed

      Hi Wanda,

      I have done some really cool things in Access. You will find that certain things like ActiveX controls are 100% integrated and OLE with Word and Excel is as you would expect fully compatible. That being said you will also find that things you now take for granted - email, reports, stability - will require extensive coding and expensive supporting software i.e. exchange server. There are many 3rd party addons available for presenting data in much more complex ways than is typical in Alpha but you can plan on spending a ton of cash for those tools and their developer licenses.

      Marc
      www.a5solutions.com
      Marc King
      A5solutions

      Comment


        #4
        RE: Pity Party needed

        Betty! Clinton is my old stomping grounds - what a small world! I couldn't have received better luck from anywhere other than Clinton Oklahoma - this IS a sign of good fortune. I believe we've written before about our roots, but I think you were not living in Clinton at the time. Thank you so much for your encouragement :)))

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Pity Party needed

          Thank you, Marc. If the county wants me to be a full fledged Access developer, then they will have to be willing to invest in it - and we are so broke now, that I suppose I'll be expected to do the impossible...

          Comment


            #6
            RE: Pity Party needed

            Don't forget that you understand the county's wants, needs, and resources.

            You may think that they can bring in an outsider to do your job, but they would have a much harder time finding someone capable of understanding what you already know than you will have learning a new program.

            I am familiar with corporate suspicion of a program that only I am capable of developing locally. You have to be willing to demonstate its ease of use and be willing to train your assistant/eventual replacement.
            There can be only one.

            Comment


              #7
              RE: Pity Party needed

              I have been begging them, practically, to let me show them Alpha's ease of use, flexibility, and have encouraged them with pc-type magazine articles. They let me go so far as to get a run-time license and develope an application that is now in use by 5 family center sites. The application is getting rave reviews, in fact :)

              The reasoning behind them wanting me to learn and use Access is pure ignorance..."because everyone uses it". My thought on that is, well, then get one of those many hoards of users to develop with it, then. Another grand idea my supervisor has is that she wants me to further my "Senior Analyst" career. Why? I don't want to or need to and never would have applied for the job 6 years ago if it was simply an "analyst" job. I applied and got the job because it was specific to database development for a large grant.

              I just hate this. They got me over a barrel...

              Comment


                #8
                RE: Pity Party needed

                Hey Wanda

                The PC world has evolved into the old mainframe world... Used to be nobody ever got fired for buying IBM, now nobody ever gets fired for buying Micro$oft.

                I am a little jealous though... when I throw a pity party, nobody shows up, but look at the responses you've gotten.

                Chin up.

                Allen

                Comment


                  #9
                  RE: Pity Party needed

                  Thanks, Allen...'tis so true - actually getting laid off could very well be a blessing - at least I'd have some income while starting up my design business.

                  About nobody showing up - are you as "up front" as I am? Go boldly before those from whom you want pitty! They'll either give it to you to make you shut up, or they'll mean it - in either case, you can pretend that the whole world cares, but is simply too busy...I'll come to your next pitty party - but ya' gotta' boldly advertise it, okay?

                  See ya ;)

                  Comment


                    #10
                    RE: Pity Party needed

                    Wanda -- you mentioned finding clients for your own business

                    We have formed the Alpha Five Guild to help Alpha Experts do exactly that.

                    We are in the process of refining and improving the Guild as well -- so stay tuned

                    In the meantime check out this article in the last newsletter
                    ----------------------------------


                    Alpha Guild Lead Follow-up
                    by Bill Warner and Howard Cornett

                    The Alpha Guild has been in existance for 9 months, and in that time, over 15,000 potential customers have been contacted. There is even more to come - are you interested in being a part of it?

                    http://newsletter.alphasoftware.com/0040204.htm

                    Thanks and best Wishes
                    Richard
                    Richard Rabins
                    Co Chairman
                    Alpha Software

                    Comment


                      #11
                      RE: Pity Party needed

                      Thank you, Richard...there is a lot I need to do YESTERDAY! I will definitely check out the Alpha Five Guild :))) It's hard to know where to start, as I don't want the business until I have the time to manage it - which isn't until I quit my current job - which is very frightening because I have no other source of income...I don't think I'm supposed to do anything until I get a business license...but at least I bought the new computer AND Alpha software...which just arrived yesterday and today at home :)))

                      I LOVE MY ALPHA FAMILY!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        RE: Pity Party needed

                        Wanda,

                        First, I wish you a huge amount of good fortune. :)

                        Second, professionally speaking, your boss is an idiot.
                        To require someone to learn something "because everybody
                        uses it" is a ridiculous reason. The requirement should
                        be based on _real_ needs. IOW, they have something that
                        can only be accomplished with MS Access. As you have
                        already implemnted your application and it's been well
                        accepted, it goes without saying there is no need.

                        You might also wish to impress them with the quality of
                        support available. Challenge them to post a question on
                        Microsofts BBS (or equivalent) and see how long it takes
                        to get an answer. Then they should do the same on Alpha's
                        BBS. I bet we beat them by at least a day, most probably
                        a week.

                        I'm also willing to bet you can call up and speak with
                        Richard or Selwyn Rabins directly. Ask them how quickly
                        they can get a hold of Bill Gates?

                        regards from the East Coast,
                        Melvin

                        Comment


                          #13
                          RE: Pity Party needed

                          Melvin, you're so right on target and believe it or not, I've done all that you suggest - STILL to no avail! I think it's just that my supervisor wants to feel powerful over me for some reason. Darn it! I hate it when someone feels they need to compete with me. I am NOT competitive except against myself. The frightening part is that it simply proves that I have no saleswomanship skills, and even though Alpha can sell itself through its superior software, I am dealing with a county of IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!

                          But, I must forge on...will try to get my son up for the weekend to help me design a web page - then on my weekday off - Monday - I'll go apply for a business license...must think of a name, quickly.

                          I'M SO SCARRED...but will persevere :)))

                          Comment


                            #14
                            RE: Pity Party needed

                            Hi Wanda,

                            First I must wish you grate success with your new venture!
                            I know how you feel and what you are going threw my situation was a little different I quiet my job because my boss stole my overtime pay from me and I had to show him
                            he was not going to do that and get away with-it.

                            Anyway my wife said to me NOW WHAT and I said I am going to start my own business she said ya write you can�t do that we have a 2 1/2 year old daughter we are living
                            Month-to-month we live in an attic apartment for 350.00 a month that we have trouble paying every month.

                            I said exactly that�s y I am going to start my own business
                            so you and are daughter can have a better quality of live
                            and so we can stop living month-to-month she said what if?
                            and I said what if I don�t?

                            Anyway I started my own business and 1 1/2 year's later
                            we moved out of the old attic apartment into a whole house
                            with 3 bedrooms 2 baths an office with an outside entrance
                            we stayed their only renting for 6 years then we bout are own house.

                            I am not a salesman either in fact I hate the selling part
                            but I do love the work, going into full force does not work for every body it would be better to retain a paying job and get your business built up before quitting your current job by working an extra 10-20 HR's a week but if time is something you have none of then I guess you have no choice.

                            As a closing note as Richard stated maybe the guild would be the ticket for you I have been trying myself to get involved with that but I am not technically ready for that and like you I don�t want to get involved with something innless I can give it 110%

                            GOOD LUCK
                            Ray

                            Comment


                              #15
                              RE: Pity Party needed

                              Wanda,

                              Ah yes, ignorance rears its ugly head. I'm always amazed at how decisions are made in buracracies (sp?). They often have little to do with productivity or what's best for the organization. Sounds just like what happens in Washington these days.

                              Here's my thoughts. Don't quit the day job. Instead, work on learning the new software. Ask to be sent to any and all classes on Access you can find anywhere in the country. Buy all the expensive books they'll let you buy. Heck, if you bought all the books out there on Access, you'd break the budget. IOW use your employer to educate you. In the meantime, find someone who needs an application you know you can develop in A5 and program it in evenings, weekends, vacations, etc. When you have it working, you have your first reference for further work. After that, begin to sell your services more seriously and when you are an expert at Alpha and schooled in Access, you're ready to move on, educated at your employer's expense.

                              I wish you well. Your experience is exactly why I no longer work for a big company. I'm poorer, but much happier.

                              Ohlen

                              Comment

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