Managing My Career: Peaks and Valleys

Original photo by faithfulllyyy

I quit my job a little more than two months ago.  Over these past two months I've had a lot of time to look back and analyze what I did wrong and what I could have done better career wise.

My first and biggest mistake was that I took my job for granted.  I actually knew better, but I got lazy.  I read a book back when I first started my previous position called Peaks and Valleys.  It is a quick and excellent read.  I highly recommend it.  Any way, I was on a Peak with my previous position.  I had reached the top of that particular climb.  I was so proud of what I had done and enjoying the view so much, that I forgot to prepare for the next peak.  In preparing for the next climb and peak ahead of time, the journey to the next peak is that much easier and faster.  Typically, the result is a "higher" peak than the previous one.

So, instead, I've gone down and down and down into a valley.  Valley's aren't bad, they just need to be managed when you are at the top of a peak.  Again, to make the journey less arduous.  My journey is going to be VERY arduous at this point.  This particular valley I'm in is very deep.  Again, not a bad thing, there is just a lot more work to be done before I get to the next peak.

The other positive thing about managing your peaks and valleys is that when you are at the peak of one climb you can see WAY off into the distance (if you bother to look, which I didn't.) and see all kinds of other peaks and valleys all around you.  It makes it easier to pick and choose which direction you are going to go in order to make the next adventure fruitful.

To help me manage this crazy valley I've started to follow Careerealism as well as Dale Partridge.  Both of these websites are awesome.  Careerealism is a daily e-mail with all kinds of great advice.  Every Sunday they do a webinar on a career or small business topic.

Dale Partridge is this 20-something millionaire that has all kinds of really good advice.  It is both humiliating and humbling to read.  They guy is a small business genius.  Creating something that makes money is as easy as breathing to him.  Thankfully, he does have a lot of really good advice.  He isn't so far advanced that he cannot relate to the little guy just starting out or struggling with their own cause, like myself.

So, if you are at a peak, or think you might be at a peak, take a look around.  Pick your next peak and start doing the work now, while you're at the top to get to the next peak that much quicker.

Otherwise, I'll see you down here in the valley.  Just know that there is plenty of fresh mountain spring water and beautiful foliage down here in the valley.

Keep it rubber side down!
Clayton

Now what do I do. . .

Original photo by

ben ullman

So, I've made a heavy investment into the RC world financially.  To date, I've spent $1300.00 on RC stuff; 3 RTR trucks, two chargers, LiPo batteries, and all kinds of miscellaneous parts.

I LOVE it, obviously.  However, there isn't a good track that's close to where I live.

In my previous post about RC cars, I was looking forward to checking out SDRC Raceway. Well, I checked it out this past Wednesday night for their Wednesday Night Worlds racing.  It was awesome and intimidating at the same time.  It was serious racing and every single person had invested a ton of money and time into the hobby.

That's what I expected to find, but wow, it was serious.  I think the guys were all having fun, but there wasn't a lot of vocalization of it or body language that was easily interpreted that way.

The other problem is that I've finally come down from my previous spending habits when I had a real job and was making real money.  I'm working part time making $12 an hour currently.  I don't have tons of disposable cash, none for that matter.  My point is, SDRC Raceway is 27 miles one way from my house.  My truck gets 20mpg, average.  Gas here in SoCal is around $4 to $4.50 a gallon.  So, I'm using three gallons to get there and back.  Doing the math, that's $12 to $13.50 in gas or, to do more math, two hour's work (because of taxes).

Yeah, not cool.

I've heard through the grape vine that a local park in Escondido, Jesmond Dene, has an RC track.  It isn't "official" in that the Parks and Rec Department doesn't maintain it.  At the same time, I guess they do allow it, or at least haven't bulldozed it flat.

I don't know how good or otherwise the Jesmond Dene track is.  I haven't been there yet.

I did just finish a small business class.  I've written exactly one business plan to date.  With all of this info my mind is a-buzz with ideas for getting the two local RC hobby stores; Hobby Town and RC Hobbies involved as well as The City of Escondido and possibly Schneider Grading and Excavating to help build an official outdoor track, maybe at Jesmond Dene.

I'd also like to get RC Hobbies and/or Hobby Town to promote a "run what 'cha brung" kind of event.  It'd be cool to get the local enthusiasts out and get them involved with the whole thing.  Plus it'd be a good way to see what the "market size" is for the business proposal on the outdoor track.

Any way, here's to future plans.

Keep it rubber side down!
Clayton

X Fusion bicycle forks

Original photo by

Chris Yarzab

X Fusion forks are a relatively new company in the mountain bike game.  For the sake of simplicity on my part, I'm not going to discuss any of the Freeride/Down Hill, Trail/Enduro, Enduro/Freeride, Enduro/All Mountain forks X Fusion offers.

Instead, I'm sticking with the XC/Trail offerings: The Slide 29'er fork and The Velvet 26"/27.5" fork.  Both of these forks can be found in X Fusion's RL2R or RL2 configurations.

Both forks have a climbing lock-out feature.  The last "R" in RL2R is for the handlebar mounted remote, allowing the climbing lock-out to be controlled without moving your hands off of the bars.  That's a nice feature for hard-core XC racers.

The 100mm travel Slider is a bit heavier in weight at 4lbs compared to the Rock Shox Reba RLT at 3.67lbs or the Fox Float at roughly 3.5lbs depending on the configuration.  Not a show stopper, it is easier to lose a pound or two from riding more as well as gaining the power and endurance from all the riding, than it is to shell out several hundred more dollars for a lighter fork.

The X Fusion Slider RL2 can be had at $500, the Reba RLT 29'er sells for $700, and the Fox Float 29'er sells for around $750.

The Velvet fork has all of the same technology as the Slider, but instead of 29" wheels, it is geared towards the 26" wheel and 27.5" wheel.  The Velvet fork can be found for around $570 for 100mm of travel and 27.5" wheel size.

So, if you are in the market for a new front fork check out X Fusion.  They have a fork for whatever type of riding you plan on doing.

As always, keep it rubber side down!
Clayton

My newest toy

Original photo by

Les Chatfield

So, I recently got back into RC cars.  It has always been an interest of mine.  My dad started it by buying my brother and I static models to build.  I absolutely loved ships, jets, and airplanes.  Then, my brother got a Tamiya Hornet one year for Christmas or his birthday, I can't remember.  What I do remember is watching him and my dad build the kit and then watching my brother race it around the yard.  I was smitten.

Original photo by

Marcel030NL

I had the Nikko Turbo-Panther RC car and then I upgraded the body and front wheels to make it look like the Turb-Aero RC car.  That was my ride until I was old enough to have my own job and my own money to buy the real thing.

My first proper kit was the Traxxas Rustler. I bought a "ready to run" package from Stormer Hobbies that included the kit, a battery pack, a charger, controller, receiver, and two servos.  Keep in mind, this was back in the mid-90's, there wasn't a single "Ready-to-Run" kit on the market.  You had to build the kit yourself and supply all of your own electronics to it upon completion.  When I had more money to burn after the initial investment, I upgraded to a Hitec SP-520 electronic speed control to replace the servo controlled mechanical speed control.

Then, a buddy of mine sold me his Associated RC10-T.  This was still the mid-90's and Associated had only just released their updated version the RC10T2.  What an awesome machine the 10T was with it's aluminum tub chassis.  I made that thing into a serious racer, but never raced it.  I had the MIP CVD's, Lundsford titanium hinge pins, Lundsford titanium turn-buckles, RPM 2.72 transmission, several motors of various turns, Novak forward and brake only esc, etc.

Original photo by

BHS Black Hole Sun

Finally, this saga ended at the end of college with my Tamiya TB01 on-road touring car.  That thing was a blast too.  I did many upgrades to it as well, including finally purchasing an FM controller which were a big deal in the late 90's/early 2000's.

I gave it all to a local hobby shop when I moved away from college.  All my parts, controllers, the three kits, everything.

Then in 2012, I finally stepped back into RC.  I had been keeping in-touch through the various publications like RC Car Action and RC Driver.  I purchased a Losi Mini 8ight from the RCX show at the Long Beach Convention Center.  The 1/14th scale Mini 8ight is based on Losi's 1/8th scale 8ight buggy.  The mini version rips.  It comes ready to rock with everything in one package; brushless motor and esc, 2.4GHz controller and receiver, painted and cut body, etc.  All I had to do was charge the battery pack over night with the cheap little wall charger and play in the morning.  At the time, I was living near all sorts of popular tracks like OCRC Raceway in Huntington Beach, CA and West Coast Raceway in La Mirada, CA.  West Coast Raceway has since closed its doors to the public.

However, neither track had a 1/14th scale race at the time and the Mini 8ight doesn't make a good backyard basher.  So, I sold it to a co-worker and went searching.

Original photo by

Yada Liao

I have since landed on my newest toy, The Traxxas Slash 2wd VXL.  It is a Short Course Truck and it is awesome.  Basically, the Traxxas Slash is the SCT that all of the other trucks on the market currently try to emulate.  Sure, there are more race pedigree trucks to be had, but overall the Slash is #1.  Plus, everybody and their brother makes aftermarket replacement parts for the Slash.  You could basically build one without owning the original Traxxas version to start with.  The only upgrades I've made so far are an IFA billet machined gearbox in green, a Proline Flo-tek body, and a set of steel race duty MIP CVD's.

I'm looking forward to bashing and racing my Slash. I live near another cool track called SDRC Raceway.  They have local races twice a week: Wednesday Night Worlds and Friday Night Fights.  So, we'll see and go from there.

Until next time, keep it rubber side down!
Clayton