Career options for jack of all trades webmaster?

Fed up and needing a change

[gingerbeer]

I've been working on my websites successfully for 7 years having never had a regular job before. I'm a one-person operation so I never worked with people apart from the odd instance here and there.

I'm now craving working with people and I'm also bored out of my skull with my websites to the point that it's making me queasy working on them.

So I'm turning to other webmasters for ideas. Where do I go from here?

My problem is because I'm a jack of all trades, I know a bit of everything but hardly enough. I've also never had external validation of my skills and that's making me doubt my own skills and experience (although sometimes I think maybe I know more than I think I know). So I'm thinking, do I have what's being asked for in the marketplace? I also don't have experience working with people or management other than managing my own sites.

I don't want to have employees and I don't want to be part of an agency. There's the option to start offering services but what kind? General or should I specialise in something but what?

Ideally I'd like to work on a single large project from a more strategic point of view but most commercial ventures leave me cold. I can't expand on my current websites because I've lost all interest in them. I'd also like to expand my skill set but with what? (I'm more of a marketer than a techie).

Any ideas? Anyone been through career changes? What was your progression?

Thank you

[rocknbil]

Welcome aboard gingerbeer, I have only one bit of advice to offer: if you don't love what you do, do something else.

I've gone from production to corporate to freelancer to developer for a company again, and only one thing compels. It's not the money, cars, houses, status, power, it's because I love what I do. That's really all there is to it.

[robzilla]

I could've written this post. Being a jack of all trades is great for a self-employed web developer (or is it?), but once you start looking for a job, you've got a serious problem. Vacancies for all-round webmasters are scarce, and when you begin looking into openings related to web development, design, online marketing, or whatever, you'll find that you need very specific skills. If you don't want to be part of an agency, however, but you do want to work with people, then setting up your own consulting business might be worth considering. Just remember that even (or especially) as a self-employed consultant, you'll need to brush up on and deepen your knowledge in the fields of the specific services that you offer. Since you're more of a marketing guy, look into Google Adwords and/or Analytics certification. I'm not sure if going from self-employed webmaster to self-employed consultant will actually satisfy your "needing a change", however.

Why not work for an agency, though? And what are the things you enjoy doing most of all?

[jecasc]

Maybe you don't need to change your job at all, but a change of location would do the trick. Are you working from home? Then maybe you should move your working place to a shared office space or business center.

In many cities there are business centers for small businesses or one man businesses where you can rent a fully furnished office space or workplace and share some of the facilities with others.

[wheel]

I'm now craving working with people and I'm also bored out of my skull with my websites to the point that it's making me queasy working on them.

Get over the queasy part. Work is work, quit complaining :). After 10 years, nobody 'loves' doing the same tasks you've done for the last 10 years.

1) Learn to love not the tasks, but the work envirnoment. personally I get to work from home, have no boss, work with my wife, take time off whenever I like, spend times with my kids, indulge my hobbies and on and on. The work is still work - but I absolutley love my work environment and wouldn't give it up for the world. I go cycling in the middle of the day if the mood strikes me. I watch the morning news with my coffee as my neighbors are scraping out under 3 feet of snow to go to work. It may be work, but it's a great life - appreciate that.
2) Relegate work to work time, and find something else to do that satisfies your urge to socialise. Volunteer a couple times a week (it's uniquely satisfying). Mentor someone. You don't have to socialize at work - and you don't have to give up the freedom of your work work environment just to socialize.

[J_RaD]

Get over the queasy part. Work is work, quit complaining :). After 10 years, nobody 'loves' doing the same tasks you've done for the last 10 years.

no matter what you are doing or how much you love it....... it will always become WORK.

[Leosghost]

art!=work

[Panthro]

Build a new site that forces you to be social!

[vik_c]

Build a site around a niche and then go interviewing people on that subject. Make videos, upload them. That way you'll meet new people every day. As people share your content and videos, the site will hopefully get popular and bring in some revenue. If you can do this with one of your existing sites, nothing like it!