Daily Workflow and Responsibilities

What does a regular day as a web developer look like in terms of tasks, projects, and common challenges?

Works full time for Dental City, currently in the process of redesigning their current website. Nicholas Works closely with the marketing and I.T. department and says he is constantly in meetings through-out the day discussing and implementing the needs for everyone in each department but most importantly, the user. Nicholas has been in this field for more than 10 years but is still constantly learning and sharpening his skills.

Are you often required to manage multiple projects simultaneously? If so, how do you stay organized and prevent feeling overwhelmed?

Currently works on one website which is the Dental City site but deals with random tasks through-out the day such as working on SEO landing pages, troubleshooting, debugging, and designing. What ever is needed for the website, they are on it.

What does the collaboration process typically involve when you work with designers and other team members on projects?

Works with a small team, Collaborating with graphic designers. Nicholas works on functional requirements but as a team works very closely together bouncing off information with each other. They will get together to work on wire frames and mock-ups for future ideas. Nicholas has a Hybrid position so if needed will stream share with his team or in office will collaborate in person.

Technical Skills and Development Process

What is the most common challenge you face during web development projects?

Input from others in the company, getting input from the sales team, purchases, and accounts receivable. Basically, managing everyone’s requirements. Making the customer’s job easier.

Which server-side scripting language do you use most frequently, and what kinds of projects do you enjoy building with it?

Nicholas is not deep into the back-end side of things. HTML, CSS, WordPress are his main tools. He states that he doesn’t need to go into PHP files, so he is more front-end. He mentioned that they have been training with his colleagues on React and Node.js. Their company will use SQL database from a standpoint.

Was there a programming language or technology you initially struggled with? If so, how did you overcome that difficulty?

He jokingly states, “If I don’t like it, I avoid it”. However, He was never a fan of ASP.NET, he figured out what he likes to do and works with that for his position. He found the position that works best for him with the languages and technologies he enjoys the most.

What are the key steps you take to test a website for performance, quality, and overall functionality?

Testing for speed of the website, adjustments with JavaScript when needed, mobile optimization, accessibility they pay attention to more such as fonts, colors and, typography for their user interface. Every time they do something new, they have to test the functionality to make sure it doesn’t break anything and must document each time they make updates to the site. They are currently working on their documentation, which is about 8 pages long.

Could you describe your experience and approach when implementing accessibility standards on your websites?

Their Main focus for accessibility is to adjust color layouts, fonts, and typography. Nicholas says to just be more aware of accessibility standards as it is crucial in web design. Their site will not be 100% in accessibility but to make progress is their initial goal.

Personal Growth and Industry Awareness

How do you keep up with the latest web development trends, news, and best practices?

Nicholas follows a whole bunch of Facebook and LinkedIn groups dealing with the website development community. He recommends I join groups, his examples that relate to his position were HTML/CSS communities, WordPress communities and E-commerce communities.

Are there any specific resources, communities, or tools that have been particularly valuable in staying current?

Nicholas says to stay current, it’s best to keep an eye on the entire industry in general, AI is new and 10 years for now will be a lot different so he is staying up to date with that as it could potentially be helpful. CHATGPT is a tool he will use to troubleshoot and retrieve snippets that could help his process.

Personal Reflection and Motivation

What do you love most about being a web developer, and how has your career in this field impacted your life?

His first year went to NWTC for a different program, bio-medical electronics but was not for Nicholas. He stated he had taken a web design class in high school and then decided to pursue that instead as he felt that he enjoyed that the most. He said he graduated with about 17 people in that program and about half of them (including himself) are still in the field, he loves this career.

Looking back on your journey, what advice would you offer to someone considering a career in web development?

He said in a heartbeat, connections would be the advice he would offer to me and that’s the reason he picked up a call with me to do this brief interview, I am extremely grateful for his time. Business and networking are important and keeping connections with classmates, instructors, and, current or past co-workers as there are a lot of areas to grow your career so connections in this field are important.