I am scared of height. I don’t look down from high-rise buildings and plane windows. While most people try hard to get the window seat on a flight, I find myself constantly getting ways to get rid of a window seat. Don’t take me wrong, I love to look at clouds but the awareness of 40,000 feet is a trouble for me. This fear of mine helped me land my first international client for a web development project.
A few months back, I was on a flight, traveling from Delhi to Lucknow. I got the window seat on a jet airways flight and it was the first time I got the window seat in any flight as this was the only time I reached the airport well before time. Also, I wasn’t paying attention when the attendant asked me about my seat preferences before giving me my boarding pass.
One fact about me is that I am scared of heights, and looking down from heights scares the hell out of me.
I looked at the seat next to me. I see this cute-looking girl dressed in formal clothing. Being an introvert, I am intimated by pretty girls I see on the flight, and casually being able to talk to them isn’t my cup of tea.
Soon enough plane took off and started climbing through the clouds. My fear of height overcame my shyness, and I asked the girl next to me.
“If you don’t mind, can you please take this window seat? I have vertigo.”
She thought I was using this line as an ice-breaker to start a conversation, she declined my offer politely by saying, “Thanks, but I am good here.”
I was already sweating, and my vertigo was well visible on my face. I requested again, ” Please take this seat. I am not just being polite to you, and neither was I trying to start a conversation with the pretty girl sitting next to me on a flight.”
She agreed and said, “Can you wait for the seatbelt sign to go off?”
I said okay (still sweating).
She sensed the urgency, I guess, and we switched the seat. She handed me a tissue to help me with my sweating.
After a few minutes, I took out my laptop, as usual, plugged in my earpieces. I opened adobe xd, a Tool I used to design prototypes for the websites (I build websites as a freelancer). I was working on the final touches of the prototype.
She took a few glances at my laptop screen and said, “Looks Good!!”
I was not aware that she understood UI/UX work. I responded with a smile, “Thanks!!”
She started asking questions about my work, and I told her that I work as a freelance web developer, just started one year back during the Covid-19 lockdown. She asked me to show some of my work. I showed her some prototypes and gave her a few website links that I built.
She told me that she works for a media agency and usually hires freelancers for their clients. She handed me her card and asked me to email her the next day.
Since it was a short flight, we landed at Lucknow soon. I waved her bye and got home.
I emailed her the next day and gave her the link to my portfolio. She looked at my work and asked me if I was interested in working with U.K. based client for a project.
I said yes, and after 4-5 meetings with the client and her, I found myself working with my first international client.
