Jason Unger

Even Heroes Need Time To Find Themselves

Posted by junger - 10/09/09 at 10:10:37 am

I love Heroes. Or, should I say, I loved Heroes.

The show's first year was one of the best seasons of television, ever, up there with the first seasons of Veronica Mars and, yes, even 24.

The writing was great. The story came together in ways you'd never expect. And it always left you wanting more. (I was even going to a buy an extinct technology just so I could watch it in high-def.)

When the second season came around, it hit the usual sophomore slump. It was okay; not as good as the previous year, but worth watching. The third season was completely all over the place.

But the writers are doing something interesting with the current season. They're not coming back with a "bigger is better" plotline, or even doing a ton of marketing for the show. Instead, they're doing the opposite.

They're letting it rest in neutral, until they can really figure out what they should be doing.

Sure, stuff is happening, but nothing big. And even though it doesn't make for must-see-TV, it's probably the right thing to do.

When I got laid off this summer, it was almost a blessing in disguise. It wasn't a shocker; times were tough, nobody seemed happy and priorities changed everyday.

At the same time, I was pretty much directionless. I knew a change was needed. Hell, I had three interviews the week they let me go. And turning down the subsequent job offer was probably the best thing I could do.

When you're lost, you can't expect to find your way by continuing to do the same things. You need a chance to catch your breath and discover what works for you.

Even if you're in neutral for awhile, doing nothing is better than going in reverse. That just makes it harder to find where you should be going.

Goals Can Come From Improbable Places

Posted by junger - 10/08/09 at 10:10:15 am

For a guy out of full-time work, you'd think I'd be updating my blog more often, right?

Maybe it's because I don't have a topic — beyond me — or because I'm managing my other blog, Automatic Finances. (Reality check: it's mostly because I'm always looking for a new theme for this site, even though I know writing more content is way more important than a new theme.)

But, I need to blog here. And I have stuff to blog about. Like, I'm on a new podcast — Tech Blab, co-hosted with my friends Dave Weinberg and Noah Wolfe. You can download the first episode here or subscribe via iTunes.

In recording this podcast, I've found out at least 3 things about myself:

1. I am naturally skeptical about some things, like "game-changers" or anything that gets a lot of hype. I want to believe, but reality keeps me grounded.
2. There's a reason why I like John C. Dvorak. It's much more fun to take the counter-argument than go along with the crowd.
3. Debbie is right that I have a tendency to be a low-talker. Crap.

But I think I've also figured out why I don't update this blog as much as I should or could. For one, there's way too much already happening in the tech echo chamber, and I'm not one to just re-hash what others are saying or try and engage in the massive conversation.

Second, even though I enjoy writing, there's a reason I've pegged myself as a multimedia journalist — audio and video publishing is more exciting (and easier to comprehend) than only text. So maybe I need to do more multimedia here. Even if it just makes me feel better about myself.

So, that'll be my goal for this site: to produce more content, both audio and video. The 24 video recaps were fun, but that whole having-a-kid-thing threw off my timing and sleep.

Stay tuned.

Laid Off

Posted by junger - 07/01/09 at 06:07:46 pm

Three weeks ago, I was laid off.

It wasn't exactly a surprise — the writing was on the wall — but nevertheless, it's one of those things you hope doesn't happen to you.

But it did. And so all of a sudden, the company I'd worked for since the day I graduated from college, no longer needed my services.

There was an unemotional conversation with my manager, the guy who'd hired me out of college and been my manager 4 out of the 7 different times I was shuffled around (yes, in 4 years). Then the chat with HR, arguing over the difference between 'fired' and 'laid off.' It was difficult, especially because I consider us friends.

And that was it.

It was sad. But not a shock. The company had been through a few rounds of layoffs already (and a 10% paycut, which affected everyone), and things weren't turning around. And even though I can understand the business rational for the decision, it doesn't make it any easier.

It's one thing to move on from a position where you've essentially built a product and its reputation out of nothing. It's another to see it taken away from you.

My friend Ben Drawbaugh, upon hearing of my situation, posted a ridiculously kind recommendation on LinkedIn, which at least made me feel a little bit better.

I simply can't imagine CEpro.com without Jason. As far as I'm concerned he built that site and everything I liked about it.

This is how I felt about the site. Really, this is how you feel about anything you build from nothingness.

There's a lot more to this story, including how I got a job offer the day after I was laid off. I'm not sure it's appropriate to post now, but I will share it. Stay tuned.

3 Mistakes I Made in 2008

Posted by junger - 12/31/08 at 09:12:51 am

You know how pretty much every look-back-at-the-year-that-was post generally remembers the highlights of the last year?

Well, in order to start the new year on the right foot, it's worth looking back at some of the mistakes I made in 2008 and will try not to repeat in 2009.

Here are 3 mistakes I made in 2008.

I Tried to Do Too Many Things at Once

This has generally been my problem ever since I started working and launching side ventures.

Since I'm the creator-type and tend to look for instant gratification in my work, working online is a blessing and a curse.

I started way too many sites and considered ideas for others and tried to run them all — at the same time. I consistently broke my own rule of maximizing product development, not number of projects.

I Communicated Poorly

One of the things about working at home is that your communication needs to be extremely clear.

I can't tell you how many times an email or an IM has come out the wrong way or been misinterpreted because of the word choice. More often that not, this leads to a mountain being made out of a molehill.

The biggest thing missing from online communication is a person's visual clues. If only we all had video cameras and Skype …

I Lost Focus

The only way to get where you need to be is to know where that is. Too often, I didn't.

This year, I went through phases: setting goals, managing work and removing distractions, then the complete opposite. Keeping focus requires structure, and too often I left myself roam free.

It's not like I can't hit goals: cepro just hit its yearly goal on the nose. But in my own ventures, I couldn't keep the focus long enough to succeed. And that hurt.

Why I'll Probably Make These Mistakes Again in 2009

Reality check: I'm not going to be perfect in 2009. That I know. I'll certainly make these mistakes again.

But that won't stop me from trying. My goal? To cut down on these mistakes as much as possible.

With Every Transition Comes a New Opportunity

Posted by junger - 12/24/08 at 11:12:34 am

It's been a mind-boggling week for me.

Last Saturday, I found out that my biggest client was having a much harder time raising the cash needed to pay for my services and needed me to stop working.

Last Tuesday, my day job had its first layoffs ever in 14-plus years. While I'm still there, we were all given reduced working hours and had some benefits cut back.

On Monday, I sold the Online Savings Blog.

As you can imagine, a lot has changed — quickly.

Where Do You Go From Here?

This is the question most difficult to answer.

Two weeks ago, I offered a service, had a big product, and security at my day job. Today, I've got a lot less.

It's a lot of change in not a lot of time. It feels difficult — at least it feels like a big transition — but in reality, it's not a bad thing at all.

If you step back, you can see that now I have the opportunity to re-work, re-define and re-apply myself.

This sounds a lot like what you tell people who have just lost their jobs. It's not a loss, it's an opportunity. But saying it to yourself takes a lot of confidence — something that this kind of transition eats away at.

What I've Learned and Can (Hopefully) Apply

Now that I've got a fresh start, here's what I'm working on:

• Not overextending myself with too many commitments
• Not starting too many Web sites that I can't keep up with
• Not letting my constant flow of ideas overwhelm my current project
• Focusing on my strengths, not my weaknesses
• Not trying to do it all, especially if someone else can do it better

In a way, it's great timing that all of this has happened as the year comes to an end. With the calendar flipping around to the top, we all have a chance to start over and make 2009 better than 2008.

Remember: the next time transition hits you, consider it an opportunity.