Life update

Four months in and freelancing is going slowly, though I’ve picked up another regular contract and received a few more enquiries now that the quiet summer holiday season is over. I’m also in the process of getting a custom design for my PHP Developer site, as I don’t think it sells me as well as it could – hopefully this will be in place by the end of November.

I got a low mark in my coursework for the financial adviser qualification, which was disappointing, especially as I did well on the first exam. According to the Chief Examiner’s report I wasn’t alone – I’m not sure if this is an indication of the people taking the course or the coursework itself. The main question was certainly confusing, requiring you to write a magazine article but also prepare a bibliography according to scholarly convention – a sort of academic paper/magazine hybrid. Anyway, I’m currently waiting for the results of the final exam which should be released in mid-November, with the worst case scenario being a resit (or rethink) and having to put back my plans for financial advice by a few months.

Voluntary work is going well though, and pending election at the AGM in December I’ll be joining a local branch of Citizens Advice as a trustee. I’m still looking for one or two more opportunities but nothing has come up yet.

The University has also re-advertised my old position at a higher grade, which wasn’t unexpected but still a bit annoying. The application deadline has passed but I don’t think they’ve shortlisted yet – despite not being involved I’m still interested in knowing who has taken on the role…