Hi, My first post here so quick introduction. I'm a 21 year old web designer from the UK. I specialise in designing websites and frontend development. I have landed myself a role as a creative web designer at a modern web design agency and start soon. I would like to ask some seasoned professionals about what I should focus on skills wise, how to improve my current workflow, what to expect etc. My main tasks will be designing initial projects for clients then prototyping these up using a sass based workflow. Expert skills: - photoshop - html - css - sass Basic/moderate: - JavaScript - PHP Any suggestions? Thanks
Congrats on landing your job mate, there's a solid article on Medium that's really worth a read, by Daniel Wu. https://medium.com/hacker-daily/the-software-engineer-s-guide-to-asserting-office-dominance-ddea7b598df7#.ty1y7qqlu Bax.
Ugh... SMH... Do not listen to @Raxix or @Baxter Preston. Nobody can tell you anything because none of us know what company you are working for. So being able to tell you what to focus on would be a stab in the dark. You should have asked that in the interview. What to expect? If you have a specialization in web development you already know what to expect. Baxter Prestons link was purely for humor, read it and see - it couldn't have been a serious suggestion. And Raxix telling you to start with WP is likely the worst suggestion on DP of 2016.
Companies are looking for multi talented guys, nowadays only focusing on web design skills on Photoshop, Html, CSS is not enough, even 16 year school going guys are experts in these things. If Knives&Forks really wants to work in a reputable webdesign firm he need to increase their basic skills in other technologies as well including focusing on their main field i.e web designer, that's why I suggested him to start with Wordpress. Have you ever estimated how many websites developed in a month using Wordpress CMS??
I would bet damned few. Using WP is not about developing web sites, it is about buying framed prints in wholesale lots to decorate the walls of inexpensive motels. Buying off the shelf is not development. A WP 'developer' is someone with a shopping list for milk and eggs who calls himself a chef. It's not that you can't be a developer in WP, it's that any real developer is much more likely to write a bespoke CMS.
Yes, I agree with you nobody call himself a web developer in Wordpress until he develop the additional functionality of the WP site like developing their own plugin etc. But he is a designer not a developer that's why I suggest him to start with WP. I think suggesting a CMS's like Joomla or Magento to a beginner who is designer is not a good advice.