I am Kohlim Jaeger (pronounced “Koe-LEEM YEAH-ger”),
the sole proprietor of Webdillo Design. Webdillo Design, created in March 2000, is located in the diverse and creative community of Oakland, at the heart of the technologically booming San Francisco Bay Area. Webdillo Design offers affordable services in web site design, desktop publishing, custom photography, graphic artistry, and business logo design.
• Visit the Dillos page to learn why on earth I named my business “Webdillo Design.”
Scroll down the page or click to jump to sections of the About Me page:
• Biography (education and professional background)Biography: Education
• (skip the narrative, and go right to the Resume)
• Personality
The Early Years
I spent the early years of my childhood in rural New Hampshire, attending the creativity inspiring Pine Hill Waldorf School. The focus of Waldorf School is on the development of the whole child rather than the development of specific skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic (which is not to say those weren't covered). I have many great memories of listening to Greek myths told by my teacher and illustrated with elaborate blackboard drawings, learning sustainable farming techniques on a working farm, building a small house, traveling to Cape Cod to learn about energy recycling at the New Alchemy Institute, and many other larger than life adventures. I credit Waldorf School and a family environment in which artistic activity was encouraged on a daily basis (and television noticeably absent) with the development of my creative abilities.
High School
At age 12, my family moved to Massachusetts, where I attended Cambridge Friends School (2 years), Wayland Public School (1 year) and then on to High School at Walnut Hill Performing Arts School (2 years) and then Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts (2 years). Throughout High School, I took many classes in both visual art and photography (including darkroom techniques for both black/white and color). Academically driven, I studied English (literature and creative writing) intensely along with 5 years of Spanish (and took a great trip to Mexico with my 9th grade class) and music (I studied violin for 11 years). I also took, (and didn't like at the time), a class in computer programming (PASCAL).
College
All set to go to Brandeis University after High School, at the last minute I changed my mind and decided to attend the University of Saint Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. This decision was motivated by a strong desire to travel and see the world, as well as the promise of a great English department (my intended major). St. Andrews is the oldest and most prestigious university in Scotland and is set in a beautiful seaside town about an hour north of Edinburgh. The Scottish university system works quite differently from the American system; it is an intensive program which results in an M.A. degree after only 4 years, and includes both a dissertation in the third year and an independent research project in the fourth year (as well as final exams which cover all four years). I ended up majoring in psychology (with specialization in cognitive, social and neuropsychology) with additional coursework in philosophy, art history, and English. In 1990, I graduated second in my psychology class with a First Class Honors Degree (yeah!!).
A Year of Travel
After graduation, I stayed on in Scotland to travel and take a break after a very academically intense last year of university. Later, my future husband (a Scottish native) joined me upon my return to the United States, and we spent a great few months traveling across the country from New England to California, our intended destination. After nearly five years of moody clouds and rain in Scotland, I was ready for some warm California sun!
Biography - Professional Background
The Girl Scout Years
After arriving in Oakland in 1991 and assessing the economic recession and the then current hiring freeze at the local academic institutions (where I had hoped to obtain a research position in psychology), it was time to consider other options. I ended up as an Administrative Assistant with the Girl Scouts, a large non-profit organization serving 30,000 girls and 12,000 adult volunteers in the Bay Area. The Girl Scout position gave me a lot of room to develop both creativity (taking on the design of many T-shirts, embroidered patches, event flyers, and the semiannual detailed event and program catalog). The position also involved extensive contact with the public, including reassuring worried parents of children going off to camp for the first time, resolving conflicts, problem solving, and similar real-world situations in which psychological knowledge comes in handy. I also wrote a detailed educational packet for High School-aged Girl Scouts to earn a proficiency patch in the subject of psychology (an exploration for both personal and career development). The Girl Scouts also sponsored me for a continuing education certificate program in Human Resource Management at California State University, Hayward, which I completed in 1995.
In 1994, I was promoted at the Girl Scouts to Program Coordinator, a position essentially created to take advantage of my organizational, creative, and human resource management strengths. Somehow, my career with the Girl Scouts, although not what I had imagined for myself in 1991, became a lucky accident perfect for developing and utilizing my many talents. Throughout my eventual nine years with the organization, I developed important skills such as resourcefulness within budgetary constraints, problem solving, graphic design, computers, creativity, publication layout/production/editing, time management, supervision, coordination, and customer service. It was a truly invaluable learning experience all around.
Time for Something New
And then the new millennium dawned, and I realized that it was truly time to move on, so in March, 2000, looking forward with great excitement to the next phase of my adventure, I left the Girl Scouts to start my own business around my computer and design skills, with a focus on web site design. My lifelong interest in photography and art easily incorporated into this plan along with my ongoing fascination with the written word (and an eye for detail and editing skills from years of Girl Scout publications). Web site design also allows me to make use of my psychological background, in terms of user interface and communication. And anyone who has ever visited a disorganized web site knows how important organizational skills are to the success of a web site. It seemed almost as though I had spent my life preparing to be a web site designer!
In May 2000, I took a part-time position as Office Manager/Personal Assistant to Ann Weiser Cornell, an author and workshop presenter on the subject of “Focusing,” a method of inner awareness for personal growth. This position has granted me the time and energy required to set up and run my home business.
I am truly excited to be implementing a lifelong dream of having my own business which uses my skills to the maximum benefit of others. And I'm doing something that truly inspires me. As my friend Andrew says, “if your work is doing what you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life!”
Online Resume
While the above is a mostly narrative account, a detailed summary of my work-related skills and qualifications, as well as my employment history is available online in typical resume format.
• Visit my Resume page to see the details.
Personality
Business, as with most things in life, involves working with people, with all their unique and idiosyncratic personality traits. In case you're wondering about who I am beyond my education and employment history, here's a little more about me:
How would I Describe Myself?
People who know me well, describe me as creative, organized, self-motivated, detail-oriented, smart, quirky, philosophical, and sometimes a little reserved/shy.
What motivates me?
Some people are motivated by fame, fortune, or fear. I am motivated by my insatiable desire to learn, always asking myself “What am I learning?” rather than “What am I earning?” I love to explore the world around me and try to figure out what makes it tick, what's behind it all. True to my degree in psychology, my main interest lies in learning what makes people think, feel, and act in the ways they do. How are we different from one another and how are we similar? I just love asking the big philosophical questions, too: What is the nature of reality? Why are we here? What makes life meaningful? Where are we going? As there are never any answers written in stone, this just provides me with endlessly fascinating exploratory material. I am also motivated by my desire to learn new skills and expand my own potential. I like to set myself challenges and then see if I can beat my own expectations. This usually means I have to do some research, solve a problem, overcome some internal obstacle, or just have some important inspirations – all of which expand who I am as a person.
What Do I Do in My Spare Time?
Besides enjoying web design, art, and photography, I also love to read, listen to music, collect armadillos (see the Dillos page), eat sushi, practice Tai Chi, dance 'til dawn, hang out with my cats on lazy Sunday mornings, snorkel when I get anywhere near a coral reef, have philosophical debates with my friends at every opportunity, and travel when I can.
What's My Sign?
And, in case you are interested in esoteric personality systems (more than likely, if you're from California)...
• Astrologically speaking, I have the Sun in Capricorn (right on the cusp of Aquarius), Moon in Virgo, and Libra Rising.• So hopefully, after you've read all of that, you now feel like you know me better! If you're curious about anything else, feel free to Contact me.
• In the Enneagram system, I am a 1 (The Reformer) with a 2 wing (The Helper).
• In the Keirsey Temperament system, I am an Idealist Counselor. Interested in finding out your own Keirsey Temperament? Check out the Links page for more details.
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