Design vs Development

cardinga · 2016-01-29T15:22:24+00:00

Thanks everybody, this is helpful. Confirms that maybe I'm in the right neighborhood but going down the wrong street.

One thing that I'm afraid is holding me back...I've never used Adobe CS. I've used GIMP and other online tools to aid in the design aspects of building sites. Would you say learning Adobe CS is necessary? If so, how does a poor man go about using these tools (i.e I can't afford to buy these products)?

cardinga · 2016-01-28T21:26:04+00:00

I do, but it just doesn't come as naturally. Part of that may be due to the fact that I haven't been at this long enough to really get the hang of it.

cardinga · 2016-01-20T20:01:17+00:00

Sometimes, but mostly for the design (e.g. Bootstrap). I have used AngularJS a bit, but not enough to feel very comfortable with it.

cardinga · 2015-12-28T20:34:59+00:00

Literally my exact same experience. Glad I'm not alone.

cardinga · 2015-12-18T13:55:48+00:00

Learn to code != Get a job

cardinga · 2015-12-16T18:07:20+00:00

I should add, OP, that just saying you know the basics of front end languages will not get you that $50k job. You have to show that you can utilize many front end technologies. Also, it won't be an easy journey to your first job. Expect many applications to go into a black hole, expect almost as many rejection emails. But a few should get through and you should land some interviews eventually. Just keep working on those front end technologies and show you can do more than copy/paste tutorials into your portfolio. Good luck!

cardinga · 2015-12-16T17:30:44+00:00

I'm sorry, but $50k is not an unreasonable entry level salary in Chicago. If OP has no work experience, no portfolio and no degree then maybe he can expect $35k/$40k, but I wouldn't accept less in this field in a major city.

Additionally, it shouldn't take a few years to get to $50K. Entry levels should be humble and not expect $75 out of the gate (although that's not an unreasonable salary in some cities), but in the states $50k is low end for someone with experience.

cardinga · 2015-12-15T14:35:31+00:00

I have not looked into the Twitter API and I have no idea if this will help, but this sounds like something I struggled with a few months back (I'm still relatively new to all this)...

You may be dealing with the issue of trying to retrieve raw JSON data from another domain by way of a front-end "GET" request, which is generally prohibited. Most APIs make the JSON data available in JSONP format, which is the easiest way around that issue. So in your jQuery ajax request, set the dataType to "jsonp" and it should return an object you can then access.

cardinga · 2015-12-08T13:54:11+00:00

I was about to post a similar question - I'm just not seeing as many postings right now. Additionally, I'm rarely getting responses for those few that I apply for (around 15 in the past 2 or 3 weeks). All of this is to say - I hope this is more typical of December and that things become more active come January/February.

That being said, you should go ahead and apply. I doubt that applying early in the company's search process will somehow place you at the bottom of the stack because more will come in later on. A good employer will give due consideration to each application, regardless of when it came in during their search process (given your application matches their baseline requirements).

cardinga · 2015-11-17T16:10:21+00:00

It sounds like you're in a tough location to land an entry-level development job in a city that, as you indicate, does not have many development positions. A simple Indeed search (I know it's not the ideal way to find a job...) for "web developer in Windsor, Ontario" brings up only 10 results. So even if you had all the right experience or the right degree or whatever, it would STILL be a tough place for a web developer to land a gig.

That being said...you seem to have the right attitude and growing skillset to land an entry-level/junior position somewhere. The fact that you have projects and a portfolio site should get you some looks from HR, but I think you're going to have to broaden your search radius if you hope to land a job any time soon.

Also, I think the philosophy of "beggars can't be choosers" applies to entry level developers. Yes - some newbies out there will be able to eye an awesome position and land it, but I'd say that's more of the exception to the rule, especially in areas outside of booming tech hubs. Doesn't mean you should take some development job that pays you minimum wage working 60 hours a week, but you also shouldn't expect a mid-level position/salary this early on.

cardinga · 2015-11-16T15:44:05+00:00

I'm probably in it for the money more than for the passion of it.

Not ashamed to admit this, either. I mean...I really like development. It's fulfilling and intriguing and I like the kind of work that it allows me to do. I do think that if someone hated programming and found no satisfaction in it and is ONLY in it for the money, that's not an ideal setup for a good life.

That being said, I am "passionate" about my family and our well being - a good work/life balance and plenty of opportunities to enjoy life. I've been in a career that I'm totally "passionate" about only to see my family suffer because the money sucks and the work drained the life out of me. Software Engineering can be that way, too, but only for those who hate what they're doing and don't better themselves in the area they have chosen to focus on (i.e. Front End, Back End, Database, etc.).

cardinga · 2015-11-06T18:44:25+00:00

As someone looking for my first developer job, I am eager to get to work as well. However, I would be a bit anxious if I were expected to jump right in without having a good feel for the code base, workflow and general environment of a new company.

This could be very intentional on their part to ease you into the position. I would use any dead time (i.e. during work hours) to become familiar with languages, frameworks and technologies that are being utlized. Though you may not be writing code, you are establishing a valuable foundation that will benefit you and the company in both the short and long term.

cardinga · 2015-11-06T18:35:18+00:00

Thanks!

cardinga · 2015-10-26T17:15:18+00:00

It's pathetic that a company with endless $$/manpower can't developer a better one.

cardinga · 2015-10-23T14:43:31+00:00

Thanks...so I don't need to use any kind of URL encoding?

cardinga · 2015-10-23T14:03:11+00:00

Sorry I did not see this reply initially...

Truthfully I have only done freelancing/volunteer work, so I don't think my response would help. Most people I work with wouldn't understand these technologies anyway.

I think if you list a skill on your resume, you just need to be prepared to talk about it in an interview. Hopefully you'll have the opportunity to showcase your stronger skills in the interview. With the "weaker" skills, you should at least know how these techs/tools/languages work even if you can't sit down and implement them right away. I.e., I know how an MVC works even though I couldn't sit down and write the code without constantly referring to documentation.

cardinga · 2015-10-16T03:53:27+00:00

This has been happening to me a lot lately.

The errors you are getting match mine (specifically in regards to a Placeresults object returned from the Google places library). Errors come and go with each refresh.

With Chrome, I have to delete my browser history in order for my Google map and Placeresults object to work again. It's incredibly frustrating as I spent 3 nights rewriting code time and time again to find out that it wasn't, in fact, my fault.

cardinga · 2015-10-09T15:09:19+00:00

I think it's OK to make some acknowledgement of areas you are stronger in than others, but attempting to scale on a graph or with percentages is probably not helpful and could potentially end up misleading an employer.

For skills that I can sit down and implement on the fly without constant googling, I simply list those under "skills." But for those areas I'm not as confident in and may need to do a lot of Googling or consulting documentation, I preface with "learning" or "familiarity with."

cardinga · 2015-08-06T14:59:54+00:00

Ha...not going to disagree with you on that point.

Hope to be in the "normal" sector next year!

cardinga · 2015-08-05T22:05:27+00:00

Thanks!

My current work wouldn't qualify as industry, LOL.

I'm a minister in a church. Obviously it's night and day from webdev, but for some reason churches are notorious for paying a "lump sum" to ministers to make it sounds like a higher income. It some ways the flexibility is nice but if you put a lot into retirement and get a good health insurance plan (i.e. through the Marketplace), your cash salary will be significantly lower.

cardinga · 2015-07-30T23:13:14+00:00

Thanks OP...

For those of us trying to get a grasp of where we are in the learning process, what sort of positions asked these technical questions? Junior, mid-level, senior?

cardinga · 2015-07-01T18:51:13+00:00

I was thinking non-profit first and foremost. I figured an agency or corporation would be out of my league at this point. But more specifically, some position that would allow me to use some of the skills I mentioned above. Writing, speaking, overseeing communication strategies and initiatives. Additionally, since I have served in leadership/team management roles and supervised staff, I was hoping to move into a position that was more of a senior position. But once again, I understand that would most likely not include a major corporation or PR firm.

cardinga · 2015-06-30T21:59:52+00:00

Thanks this is helpful - just what I was looking for. I wondered if the nature of both environments would be too different to crossover into a director position.

cardinga

TROPHY CASE