This month, we sat down with the newest member of our web team, Michael! Though he may be quiet, there are many fun facts to learn about him. Sit down, settle in and read more about our web developer.
1.) Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Ajo, AZ. It’s a very small town south of Phoenix. Fun fact: Most people stop there on their way down to Rocky Point to get gas or buy Mexican insurance.
2.) What got you interested in the marketing/advertising industry?
I had always wanted to work for an advertising agency because I thought it would be a good opportunity to be exposed to and work on a lot of diverse projects. So far, that has definitely been the case.
3.) What are some challenges you face in your role at TJA?
I’m not the most artistic person in the world, so when tasked with doing both the design and the development of a website, the design part can be kind of a struggle.
4.) What success have you had in your role at TJA?
I work with some very talented designers here at TJA, which makes my work as a developer a lot easier. I think, together, we’ve managed to create some very cool looking websites for our clients. I’m particularly proud of some of the work I’ve done on the Tilted Kilt website.
5.) What is your favorite part about your job?
The people I work with. Everyone here at TJA is very supportive and friendly and it makes work a lot of fun.
6.) What do you know now that you wish you knew at the start of your career?
That it’s okay not to know everything. As a web developer, you encounter a lot of problems when a solution isn’t always clear. This used to really frustrate me but, as I’ve learned, it’s okay not to know how to fix something right away. As long as you persevere to find a solution, you usually will.
7.) What are some tools you use everyday that are specific to your role at TJA?
Most days, I can get by with just using my favorite text editor, Sublime Text, and my Spotify account.
8.) What’s trending now in your department? What do you see happening in the future?
I think in general there seems to be an emphasis on performance lately. There is increased focus on how quickly we can get a website to load on a user’s computer or smartphone and what we, as developers, can do to improve that.
9.) What kind of work were you doing prior to TJA?
A number of customer service or operations type roles. Originally, I wanted to be a journalist, and I was lucky enough to do some freelance work for the Phoenix New Times and AZCentral before finally settling into web development.
10.) What would you tell someone who wants to start a career as a web developer?
Becoming a good developer is a marathon, not a sprint. Really take your time to learn the basics before moving on to some of the more advanced techniques.
