Interview ? Running your own business in the IT Industry ? Day in ...

This week?s interview is with Andy, 48 from Cornwall, who owns his own IT company NCI Technologies

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about you?

A. My name is Andy, I?m currently 48 and a bit and still going strong with the exception of a few creaks here and there. I?ve been married now for 26 years and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren that we adore.

Q. How did you first get involved in your career and why?

A. I left the Royal Navy after 17 years service and tried various jobs that I could utilise my skills with. I found it hard to find anything that paid me enough in the area I lived, Cornwall, that would keep me focused for another career. My wife actually said to me ?You like working on computers, why don?t you do a computer course and try that industry?. I paid for a private company to teach me to MCSE standard over a 6 week period but after week 1 they employed me to teach the course as I knew more than they did. (I never did get my course fee back).
After working with them for a year I left to work as Senior Network Engineer for a local computer company. 3 years after that I started my own computer company.

Q. What is the most challenging thing about your work?

A. I love my job, computers for me aren?t just a business, they are a lifestyle. I think if there is a challenging aspect of my work it is deciding which way to direct the business growth when given so many choices from the IT industry. Having grown the business from me in my back bedroom to 27 staff in 7 years I think I have done a good job of that particular challenge so far.

Q. Can you tell us about any interesting people you?ve met through your work?

A. To me any person is interesting. Some of the small business owners I work with both as customers and as a competitor or partner have done many things that raises their status to me as interesting. Famous people I?ve met include having lunch with Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft, on 2 occasions. Bill Gates, ex President Bill Clinton and Richard Branson are amongst those I have met who have inspired me.

Q. What do you do when you aren?t working?

A. I relax by going to interesting places and taking photographs. Travel in my job is extensive so I get plenty of opportunity to take photographs in my spare time. I also love spending time with my children and grandchildren.

Q. What is your most favourite thing about your work?

A. For me my staff are my favourite thing. I love seeing the company grow and getting emails and letters from my customer about the great things my staff are doing. My success is down to employing people who love what they do and giving them focus.

Q. And the least?

A. Probably having to deal with customers who don?t have a valid complaint. These complaints normally stem from some of them thinking they know more than they actually do which is very common in the IT world.

Q. If you hadn?t chosen this career what would you like to do?

A. Be a travel writer and photographer. I love seeing different places and think I have a good eye for the shots I take, especially landscape.

Q. What tips would you give to someone looking to get into your career?

A. Be prepared for long hours, very long hours. Never take your eye off the cashflow and stick to your guns if you believe you are right. Don?t say things that you think people want to hear, say things that you believe in that will help them. Respect everyone, everyone deserves a chance.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to share about your career choice that you haven?t already mentioned?

A. Did I say I love it? If not, I love it. It is for ever changing, growing, adapting. Someone starting a business in IT now can, if they make the right choices, be very rich in a couple of years.

The Fun Questions

Q. What did you have for breakfast?
A. Orange juice and lots of coffee. I?m naughty, don?t tend to eat breakfast, plus I?m in a hotel in Montreal, Canada writing this after spending the week doing work for Microsoft and I only like my wife?s breakfasts, she?s an awesome cooked breakfast cook.

Q. Who would win a fight between pirates and ninjas?
A. The ninjas. Unless of course they were at sea but then how many sea faring ninjas have you met recently?

Q. If you were a tree what tree would you be?
A. A maple tree. Tall and wide spreading as I get older

Q. What is the last book you read?
A. The last book I read was one I wrote. Thinking of Maximising your Investment with Microsoft? Ask the Smart Questions

Q. Which of my blog posts is your favourite and why?
A. This one of course. Because it?s helped me put into words the things I love about my employees.

Q. What is your favourite song at the moment?
A. Bat out of Hell, it?s been my favourite my whole life.

Thank you for sharing with us Andy

Thank you for reading!? If you have enjoyed reading this post please share it with others who may be interested and I always enjoy receiving feedback and comments

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Source: http://showard76.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/interview-running-your-own-business-in-the-it-industry/

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For Kids, Natural Disasters Can Whip Up Worries (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Floods. Tornadoes. Tsunamis. Terrorism. War. Predictions of Rapture and Armageddon.

Current events have left adults reeling as one disaster seems to come hot on the heels of the last with no relent and no apparent end in sight.

Imagine, then, how kids are coping.

"For kids who are worriers, they see this stuff is everywhere," said Robin Goodman, a clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City and a member of the American Psychological Association. "They think, 'It can happen to anyone. We could be next.'"

Experts say parents need to be aware of the effect that the daily drumbeat of disaster, natural or otherwise, can have on children's sense of security and well-being, and be ready to support kids who need help understanding how these events affect them.

Kids who have grown up in today's media-saturated environment are more prone to be affected by news of disaster, said Todd Walker, a psychologist in private practice in Cincinnati and a member of the clinical faculty of the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology.

"Even more now than in previous generations, there's less of a distinction between real life and what you see on TV," Walker said. "In this day and age, watching things online or on TV is just one step removed from the event itself."

This may be particularly true for preschool children, who aren't yet media-savvy. "Young kids don't understand that it's the same newsreel over and over," Goodman said of day-long coverage of a particular event. "They think it's the same event occurring over and over."

The effect of disaster coverage can be compounded for children who are undergoing emotional trauma in their daily life, Walker said. For example, kids whose parents are fighting and about to divorce are much more likely to be affected by news coverage before, during and after a hurricane or earthquake, like that experienced in the eastern United States in the past week.

"At best, it would be, 'Uh oh, this could happen to us,'" he said. "But let's imagine we're kids: I'm 6 and you're 8, we don't know what is exactly going to happen with our parents and we're watching [a disaster unfolding] on TV. Our experience will be different than if we had a happy family life."

Walker and Goodman said the best thing parents can do to reassure their children is to talk with them about the disaster coverage in an honest and straightforward way.

"I always believe in asking, 'Hey, I saw you watching that show. What's that like for you?'" Walker said.

Parents may feel the need to hide their own feelings of anxiety to better protect their kids, but Walker and Goodman cautioned against that.

"Be honest in the communication as much as possible," Goodman said. "If you lie about it, they may feel they can't trust you."

It's better for parents to admit they're nervous, but then reassure the child that everything will be all right, Walker said. Give concrete examples of why the disaster couldn't happen to them or lay out the steps you'll take to keep them safe if, in fact, the possibility exists.

Other tips for helping kids cope with news of disasters, according to Walker and Goodman, include:

• Limit the children's exposure to media, and consider cutting back yourself. "Don't be checking the news all the time," Goodman said.
• Keep to a daily routine because that reinforces the understanding that life continues to be normal.
• Avoid whispering with other adults about the disaster. Kids may think the whispered conversation is about them.
• Point out hopeful stories that come out of the disaster, and note the fact that agencies like the American Red Cross are on the scene to help out.
• Consider volunteering or donating to relief efforts with your children so they'll feel that they're making a contribution.

But also keep in mind that all kids are different. Some kids might actually benefit from watching disaster coverage.

"Sometimes TV can create a bonding experience," Walker said, using the example of a young boy. "He sees somebody going through a disaster and it can actually be calming because he knows he's not the only person going through a rough time."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Child Health & Human Development has more about helping kids cope with crises.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20110830/hl_hsn/forkidsnaturaldisasterscanwhipupworries

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