1981 - Born in the North of England.
1988 - Receive my first computer as a birthday gift – a Sinclair ZX Spectrum.
1993 - Accidentally mess up my mum’s work computer by renaming system files. Oops.
1995 – Launch “Fishman’s Plaice BBS” using RemoteAccess software to provide people with dialup access to a shareware library and message boards.
1996 - Write my first instruction manual whilst volunteering in the IT department of a primary school. Headmaster provides a reference praising my “step-by-step instructions for the use of Apple Mac systems”.
1997 - Finish school with all A and B grades at GCSE. My media studies project to invent a product and produce a multimedia marketing campaign is used by the school as an example for future generations.
1998 - Run a little business empire employing friends to distribute flyers for local businesses to pay for my expensive cycling hobby.
1999 - Complete Advanced GNVQ IT and A Level Communication Studies courses. Get accepted to Coventry University on a BSc Computer Systems course. Working part-time in a furniture shop I have to assemble discounted timber bunk beds that arrive from the importer without any instructions. Noticing that I’m taking notes as I go, the boss makes me type up some instructions so that he can sell the beds at full price.
2000 - Ace a Java programming exam with the highest mark in the class by a large margin without revising or being aware of the exam’s existence (someone dragged me out of bed so that I could make it). Despite this success, I am disappointed that the degree course isn’t what I expected, so I switch to BA Communication, Authoring and Design, a course whose prospectus reads like it was designed especially for me.
2000-2003 – I work for Xerox part-time to fund my studies. Access to excellent print facilities aids the presentation of my degree work. Access to top-end software and customers who want design work sharpens my skills. I take on freelance design projects, trade on eBay and drive a florist’s delivery van to fund my new, even more expensive hobby of driving Italian cars.
2002 - Arrive an hour early for a deadline to submit a 2000 word essay. The lecturer says, “where’s the other one?” and hands be the brief. I cycle home, write and print the second 2000 word essay and cycle back to submit it before the deadline passes. I am awarded one percent lower than a First for the essay because I hadn’t spellchecked it. Get a six month internship at Enterprise IDU, where I learn a lot about wayfinding whilst designing improved signage for hospitals, museums and libraries.
2003 - I narrowly miss out on a First and graduate with a 2.1. I quickly secure a job as an Information Designer with Kudos near Manchester.
2004 - Kudos send me to work in Budapest for 2 months. Decide to drive instead of fly, for a blast on the Autobahns in my recently purchased bargain performance car. At 155mph my windscreen suddenly cracks so I slow down. To 130mph.
2005-2006 - Things are going well at Kudos. I design and implement a calendar-based system for distributing training materials and tracking their use in a project for InterContinental Hotels. I ramp up my eBay trading to pay off lingering student debts.
2006-2008 - Now debt free and with some savings, I quit work and travel for 18 months in India, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. I get a job fixing cars and changing tyres in a Perth garage on the back of self-taught skills that can only be gained through running Italian sports saloons on a student budget.
2008 - I return to the UK. Three job interviews in three days result in three job offers. Capita offers the least money but the best gut instinct, plus I can benefit from cycling the picturesque 15 mile round-trip instead of driving. Even in the winter.
2009 – The SIMS Documentation Centre I designed is well-received by colleagues and customers as an easy and attractive method of accessing user documentation for Capita’s SIMS suite of school management software. I am assigned to document Capita’s most complex, leading-edge flagship SIMS products.
2010 – Australia calls. After a successful 19 months with Capita (and 5000 miles of cycle commuting) I quit and book flights to Australia for February 2010. Thanks to three months of hard work on Australian farms, I secure a second, year long Working Holiday visa and hope to find a sponsor who can enable me to stay long-term. My goal is residency and my hopes are high. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure it’s an adventure.