Projects while 'benched'

[lilelvis2000]

Yep, thats me too. working away from home, I'm like a whirlwind at the weekends sorting everyone out. Now I'm benched and at home all the time I simply cannot be arsed

Imagine what happens when you retire? I often think its better to keep yourself busy by volunteering..keep the mind and body active and you'll live longer!

[TheRefactornator]

I guess I'm the one breaking the mould (hopefully not getting mouldy). Over the last 7.5 months on the bench I've:

• Designed, developed and deployed a content management system as a vehicle to learn ASP.NET etc
• Built a website in my CMS
• Learnt a fair bit of Silverlight and published some working samples of stuff I've developed with downloadable code. Been working on this some more today
• Recently got more interested in design patterns
• Been brushing up on UML to support the design patterns stuff
• Developed a skeleton high level enterprise system design for a potential gig to try and gather a bit of momentum with an old client
• Tiled the bathroom
• Cut the grass
• Done other mundane crap around the house

I couldn't sit on my arse doing nothing thing, but do I mostly sit on my arse tapping away on the keyboard. What's doing my head in is the constant phoning after every gig I go after because after a while they all seem to descend into treacle.

When I think about it, it's the thought of becoming homeless that's keeping me motivated.

[Pogle]

I'm the same, when benched I can't be bothered to do virtually anything useful, now I am working I have cleared out the whole house, had it painted and carpeted, built new furniture etc. Before that I sat on the couch for months thinking, I should really get this sorted out...

Yep, thats me too. working away from home, I'm like a whirlwind at the weekends sorting everyone out. Now I'm benched and at home all the time I simply cannot be arsed

[BrowneIssue]

Use your skills; improve your CV; feel better

How about finding a project with a defined end point: charity work.

There is IT 4 Communities http://www.it4communities.org.uk/

There is IT Can Help http://www.itcanhelp.org.uk/

Either of those look really good on a CV.

Have a look and see if there is anything that you want to do and go for it.

[lukemg]

I'm the same, when benched I can't be bothered to do virtually anything useful, now I am working I have cleared out the whole house, had it painted and carpeted, built new furniture etc. Before that I sat on the couch for months thinking, I should really get this sorted out...

[lilelvis2000]

Try and setup a Samba PDC using LDAP and getting the windows and other samba machines to recognise it! A "project" I have been working off and on for a few weeks now. Got the PDC working now..just have to migrate the local accounts to the domain accounts now....wheee...

Get on to the Samba 4 team and help them get it out sooner damn it!
http://devel.samba.org/samba/devel/TODO.html

Just a selfish suggestion.

[DaveB]

You could always offer your services on Rentacoder for the technologies you want to learn. You get a real project to practice on and you might actually get paid ( a small amount ) for doing it. You can also stick it on the CV afterwards.

[Shimano105]

I have loads that I could do. I have all the software to do them with. I have lots of books and free time.

I can't be arsed though.

I start off well enough, but after I've got a feel for using something new I kind of lose interest rapidly. Still, at least I do learn something in the 5 minutes that I am interested

Funnily enough, when I'm being paid to do something my interest seems to remain.