It's a wrap! November 2017
Having come back to Vienna for real in May, even months later it still feels like I’m settling in. I’ve been walking around with widely open eyes trying to soak in as much information about local communities as possible. Researching startups, small businesses, agencies, and interesting people, trying to get a feel for who’s around and who I should meet for a coffee (or two). I’ve also signed up for a bunch of events and attended talks I’d usually probably skip. One of this month’s highlights for me has been the Journalistinnenkongress. I’m no journalist, yet as a concerned citizen, I have deep interest in how journalism is evolving and I was lucky to get a ticket through the Sorority network.
When you realise only 7% of Austrians are willing to pay for their online media consumption, and you know it’s an exception rather than a commodity to be a subscriber to a newspaper these days, it quickly becomes clear that monetisation is a challenge for news companies if they want to remain independent. Something I’ve been pondering about for several weeks.
This month, I was lucky to be invited to the university where I studied to participate in a strategic workshop and to speak in front of students about career development. As mentioned in my last month’s wrap up post, it’s always important to evolve and learn new skills, not just while you’re still a student, so I spent a lot of time (and money) on Udemy this past month learning new skills and refreshing my knowledge in areas I’m already familiar with.
I watched the Product Management Course, the Growth Hacker Course, and – what I’m most excited about – the Pre-Programming Course, which is a 101 intro to all the buzzwords developers use. I can only recommend this one to anyone who works in tech, as it will close all the gaps and answer all the questions you might have about terms you’ve picked up throughout your career but never questioned. And now that I’m recommending classes, I’d also love to recommend Tim Ferriss’ latest book, Tribe of Mentors.
I’ve been working on a new Skillshare class on editing smartphone photos which I’d like to publish some time in December or early January. I have capacities for consulting work and I’m also looking for clients who need long-term help. Should you know someone who needs help with positioning and customer development, don’t hesitate and pass my information on. Thanks a million and happy last days of 2017!
