Growing up, I bought into society’s notion of what made for a successful and rewarding life. For me, the blueprint for finding fulfillment looked something like this: Step 1. Get good grades in school. Step 2. Attend a nice college. Step 3. Land a secure job with an attractive salary and benefits. Step 4. Find…
To me, as well as many others, WordPress is more than a technical choice, it’s a lifestyle choice. I didn’t see it as such right away. Looking at the last 4 years of my life, I can fully appreciate its impact. Aspiring to a life full of adventures and whimsy; I never really fit the…
This story involves me as a blogger, the Prime Minister, me again as a web developer, an Islamic cult attempting a coup d’état, and me again as a solopreneur. Oh, and WordPress. And ISIS. WordPress: My First Encounter In the beginning of 2006, everyone in Turkey was talking about blogs. It was the hot new thing…
Topher asked me to write an article for HeroPress as we sat together in an alcove in the Philly Convention Center. I was in a vulnerable space. My lightning talk at WordCamp US had concluded, and I was settling into the experience of being at another WordCamp. I thought about the life experiences that brought…
Hey folks, HeroPress contributor Michael Beil is fighting for his life right now. Michael’s a personal friend, and a tremendous person. There’s an online donation form to help with medical bills and life in general. If you can, please help out. You can read Michael’s HeroPress essay here.
I’m on a plane. They’ve just served lunch and I realise I’m stuck. There isn’t enough room to slip out for a bathroom break without tipping my meal and the trolley blocks the aisle. I cough and notice I’m tense, what’s going on? I enjoy flying, why should today be any different? Is it that…
Transparency makes the world go round I like being honest, so please allow me to provide a context for this story. First of all, I’m a pretty introvert kind of guy, and I often need to be thrown in the cold water to start learning how to swim. This was exactly what happened with my teammate,…
Working in WordPress full time did not come quickly, directly, or in the ways I expected, and it was worth every step of the way. I started out in marketing in the music industry and ended up as the project manager at a WordPress development agency nearly 10 years later. Changing careers is a lot…
I was incredibly honored to speak at WordCamp US in Philadelphia this year. It was especially cool to hear from people all over the world watching on the live stream. The hardest part was telling only a few stories that would fit into the time slot, and not every story on this site. If you…
I didn’t go to college until I was in my 40’s. When I graduated high school I went to work for a family business. There has been one common thread throughout my adult career, my love for technology. I was 24 when I bought my first computer, it was PC running MS-DOS. Five years later,…
