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An Interview With James Padolsey

Moving On Up With James Padolsey

At only eighteen years old, James Padolsey has proven himself to be a developer worth tracking. Hosting a knowledge that exceeds that of many people twice his age, it truly is a wonder how he’s advanced so quickly. Today, we’ll talk with him about his origins, his experiences working at his first design firm, and his thoughts on web development in general.

home website

- How old are you?

I’m 18.

What part of the world do you live in?

I live in Hampton, UK (near London).

Favorite programming language?

Definitely JavaScript.

Mac or Pc? Or both?

PC, I’ve never had the pleasure of working on a Mac.

Frameworks – good or bad?

Frameworks are a superb way of speeding up the process of development and ensuring a solid architecture… The only time when I’d say a framework is a bit over-the-top and unecessary is with CSS. CSS frameworks are nice in theory but in practice are not useful and probably waste more time than they save, I would never consider using one for a project, unless the client insisted upon it.

Javascript library of choice?

jQuery!

Text editor of choice?

Komodo Edit

When did you first get into web development? How old were you?

This depends on what you mean by “into web development” – Back when I was nine my dad gave me a copy of Net-Objects (a very primative WYSIWYG app) to play around with. It totally confused me at first but I did eventually manage to launch my very first website with it. The website was a gallery where I posted pictures of my favourite cars, pretty basic but back then I was amazed at just the concept of everyone in the world being able to view it! Not too long after that I was introduced to Macromedia (now “Adobe”) Dreamweaver (back then in version 4.0) which I immediately dismissed as too complicated… It was not until much later, at about 14 when I got my first laptop that I really got into it.

Enhance website

What is your primary area of expertise, relatively speaking?

I’m not sure I’m really an “expert” in anything yet, but what I’m best at is front-end development: CSS, HTML and JavaScript are my main areas of focus. I enjoy working with PHP also. I also do some design work but usually only for personal projects.

When first starting out, what gave you the most trouble?

Getting a hold on CSS and semantic HTML markup was very tricky. When I first started coding websites (instead of using a WYSIWYG interface) it took quite a while for the power of CSS to kick in. I wasn’t originally interested in JavaScript, probably because I had no idea what it was – when I did decide to learn it I found it quite a hard language to grasp, especially the favourable unobtrusive flavour of it.

How have you managed to learn so much at such a young age? Any secrets to your success?

I don’t think there’s any one thing which I can attribute it all to. To be good at anything takes perseverance and a drive to learn, but more importantly I think you have to be really passionate about it and be genuinely interested. Another thing, always ask! Having an “enquiring mind” really helps when you’re starting out in any field. Don’t just sit back and expect the information to fall on your lap, go out and find it! Try to contribute to blogs, post on online forums, visit conferences and always be willing to lend a hand to your peers.

“The only stupid questions are the ones left unsaid.”

You don’t need to spend money to earn money! You don’t have to go out and spend money on courses, books or certification – all the information you need is online. Web development books can provide you with some very helpful insight and a solid foundation to various technologies but relying on books alone isn’t going to get you anywhere.

James Padolsey

Now that you’ve had some time at your first job, was there any area that you felt massively unqualified for? Were there things that you wish you had learned earlier?

The first couple of weeks of my new job felt like a rollercoaster – there were so many new things to learn and many of things I hadn’t even heard of at all! The first project I was on involved developing a site to be viewed solely on mobile devices. I’d never done that before so it was a great learning experience!

All projects at the new job ran on either Java or ASP.NET – two things I knew very little about. Most of the work I was given was purely front-end although it would’ve been nice to have had a bit more knowledge about those two technologies! I was never working on a project devoid of server-side software, there was always something going on in the background and when developing all the front-end stuff I had to make sure not to break anything in the back-end!

I’d worked with PHP quite a lot before but developing with ASP.NET seemed to be completely different, Java projects were easier to grasp because it felt the same as PHP (to me at least). Also, I had never used any version-control software or Quaility Assurance systems before so I had to learn both of them from scratch. Plus I was never quite sure when I was allowed to “check in” my work, I was always worried about screwing up the next deployment to UAT (User Acceptance Testing). In the first month I found myself asking a lot of questions, luckily my colleagues were really understanding and helpful! In the area of front-end development; HTML, CSS and JavaScript I didn’t feel too under-qualified – In fact, the few technologies that I was good at spared me my sanity while working there!

You mentioned that you left your first job after three months, it was meant to be a one year internship, what happened?

To be honest, it just didn’t keep my interest. I really enjoyed the three months I had, and I am very grateful to the agency for giving me the opportunity but after a while the monotony of a 9-5 job really started to kick in. I don’t know how people manage it, seriously! Working in London is great, it’s very busy and exciting, but it’s so expensive to work there, plus travelling to and from work took up about three hours of every day. Commuting is hell! There’s no room to do anything on the train, so you’ve got no choice but to stare at a bunch of depressed city workers!

The job itself was a very good experience and I learnt tonnes. The projects were fun in some parts, but incredibly tedious in others. I was never able to be with a project from the start, I was always joining in on projects that had already begun weeks or months before. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it would have been nice to be with a project from its infancy.

Before this job I had always been my own boss, I was in charge of every step of each project, but now I had to listen and report to a technical manager and I didn’t really have a lot of control over the direction of the projects, although the teams I worked with really welcomed my contributions and ideas, which was great!

Another reason I left after only three months was because I really didn’t want to spend my entire gap year doing just one thing.

screenshot

Overall, it was a fantastic experience and gave a massive insight into how the industry really functions.

Did you feel ahead of the curve with any technologies – even more-so than your superiors?

The people I was working with were all very talented, they were all proficient at their jobs. The web developers in the company had a meeting once every other week in which we discussed industry news and new technologies and techniques – This was great to do since somebody always had something interesting to talk about. There wasn’t always a good turn-out at these meetings but they were very good to have nonetheless.

I felt I was a definitely ahead of the curve with a couple of things but most people there were very up to date, at least, in the technology department. I do remember having one “lecture” – it was a 101 photoshop course being given by someone from the creative department – all web developers had to attend. It ended up being a bit of a disaster because the vast majority of web developers (including me) in the room knew way more than the person giving the course.

“It ended up being a bit of a disaster because the vast majority of web developers (including me) in the room knew way more than the person giving the course.”

What areas of web development are you currently studying?

Recently I’ve been looking into Adobe Air, I’ve developed a couple of small apps – nothing big yet. I’m constantly learning more about CSS, HTML and JavaScript too. Even when you think you know most of it there’s always something else.

You’re currently applying for university. Have you considered skipping this step and moving straight to a firm? What would you say are the pros and cons of such a choice?

Every other day I consider halting my application to University. To be honest, no matter how exciting University may be, it just seems like another way of delaying real life. The only reason I’m going is because I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t go. I’ve been in the education system for most of my life, and now society is urging me to go back for another three years!

If I do decide to go, then after University I’ll probably continue freelancing – At this stage I cannot imagine myself working for another firm unless the job really sparks my interest and gives me a real reason to get out of bed in the morning.

What’s next on your “to-do” list?

Well, I’ve got to finish my personal statement for my University application. I’ve also got a couple of projects in the air which I would love to get on with and complete. Beyond that, I haven’t got any solid plans for the near future.

As you know, many of our readers are young and are just getting started in this field. What advice would you have for them?

Never give up, and never underestimate yourself! You’re probably better than you think you are!

jQuery Style Switcher

How To Create An Amazing jQuery Style Switcher

Aug 26th in Javascript & AJAX by James Padolsey

55

In this tutorial I will be showing you how to create a style switcher using jQuery and PHP. The end result will be an unobtrusive & entirely degradable dynamic style switcher which will be quick and easy to implement.

Continue Reading

How to Load In and Animate Content with jQuery

May 25th in Javascript & AJAX by James Padolsey

171

In this tutorial we will be taking your average everyday website and enhancing it with jQuery. We will be adding ajax functionality so that the content loads into the relevant container instead of the user having to navigate to another page. We will also be integrating some awesome animation effects.

Continue Reading


Thanks so much to James for taking the time to be interviewed. Beginning today, we’ll be posting a weekly interview on Friday – Saturday for some of you folks. In these interviews, we’ll be learning about web developers from every point in the spectrum.

At only eighteen years old, it’s incredible how talented James has become. You can learn more about James Padolsey via the following resources:

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Discussion 52 Comments

Comment Page 1 of 21 2
  1. Alex says:

    James mentioned some good stuff in the article. I was 19 when I finished my college program in web design/dev, and got my first job at a fairly big company (for a design/dev place anyway…there were about 75 employees) a month after I finished.

    I think two keys to really improving your skills are figuring out how you learn best and finding the places to get the (accurate) information you need quickly.

    Some people learn better just by doing, others reading, some people will really thrive on visual instruction. Figure out what works for you and then go with it. Then learn how to use google really well to find all the stuff you need.

    Don’t forget to be critical of all the information you come across on the internet. There’s a lot of people on the net. 95% of them have no idea what they’re talking about, and the 5% that do are still fallible.

  2. Josh Drake says:

    Thanks for this interview! I can relate myself to James, so it really means a lot to me.

  3. This was pretty interesting. I’m 19 years old, and started getting into web development about the same age as James. It’s great to see that there are other young inquisitive minds out there.

  4. Michael says:

    I was about 14…

    oops, I mean 41 when I first became involved with web/site development. Seems like a long 14 years ago.

    Thanks again Jeffrey for outside the box interview. The future is upon us.

  5. mixey says:

    I was around 16 years old :)

  6. Timothy Long says:

    Impressive interview. I look forward to seeing what this young, dev-savvy generation will be bringing to the table in the next few years. Keep it up, James!

  7. Max says:

    Great to have read that interview!
    I’m 20 years old, so it was quite interesting to read it.
    I’ll probably start studying next year.

  8. crysfel says:

    i was 15 when i wrote my first javascript code :o (almost 10 years ago :s )

  9. Ben G says:

    Nice interview! I was 19 when I started (currently 23). Props to you James Padolsey. Woot woot for young guns!

  10. I’m only 15 i’ve been doing this for 3 yrs.

  11. MikeB says:

    The interview was inspiring especially to a kid who at an early age devote himself to study web development. I believe that his dad has a big role in what he is right now.

  12. abdusfauzi says:

    i envy you. i started my interest when i was 14 years old, during the old VBScript, old ASP. now, i’m in geology, but still, my life never been an inch far from web development. its like, the internet is WITHIN me.. anyway, i decline all those jobs offer just to enroll in geology, which is different from web development. i just love learning something new. (web thingy? i go through it by my own bare foot and eyes, not even a class).

    good luck, bro.

  13. Shane says:

    Interesting interview James. Definitely agree about the cost of living in London. I was thinking about moving there, and decided on Manchester instead :)

    Although I know people who haven’t gone to university, I’d recommend the experience – it’s a great time, and you’ll have lots of fun. My only worry is that you’ll be more up-to-date than many of the practical material, and find it a little boring. I guess it’s down to the course and university. Best of luck!

  14. Tom Cameron says:

    Same sort of story as me :). I was 8 when I made my first website, and 14 when I seriously got into development (I am now 17, but 18 in 2 days). An extremely good interview!

  15. Andrew Pryde says:

    Very interesting. I also started at a very young age (12 ish) and am only now 16. My experience was such that I don’t think that I would have learned what I have if it had not been for being on the wrong side of computer security. It was exciting therefore I put the work in learning to program and then I got sick of grass cutting and decided that I wanted to make money using my computer skills so I learnt xhtml, css, php (easy as I was already fluent in C) and Javascript (plus photoshop / illustrator). I now work as a user interface designer for a large UK development firm and do some free lance work – beats a paper round lol.

    Andrew

  16. James says:

    Thanks for all the comments and thanks again Jeffrey for the opportunity of getting interviewed!!

    Alex. I totally agree, don’t assume everything is true, and yes, Google is a definite lifesaver! :D

    Shane, it’s so hard to pick a good Uni… plus my A-Level grades aren’t too wonderful so not all Universities will accept me. :(

  17. Lamin says:

    I had a similar experience as well. I became a web designer when i was 18 and got my first real job 5 days after my 19th birthday. I got introduced to ASP.NET at work and since then, i have never looked back.

    Grate interview… really enjoyed reading it.

  18. Very interesting interview, cheers :)

  19. Shane says:

    James, I didn’t work too hard during my sixth form, so my A-Level grades weren’t great either.

    Don’t lose heart – there are lots of universities that no doubt offer good courses. You’re in a good position, since you know what you’re looking for I’m sure.

  20. Thanks James and Jeffrey for a brilliant interview.

    I’m 17 and I really enjoy web development. My first site was made when I was 14 and I’ve just launched a small web application. I can’t quite believe what I’ve learnt in just two years.

    As James said the web is great for learning about web design; I’ve never bought any web design books and everything I’ve learnt has come from people’s blogs and tutorial sites. Independent learning has improved my research skills and has allowed me to consider different points of view.

    At the moment I’m looking for a web development job. It’s tricky though because I’ve got lots of school work to do which means I can only work for a few hours here and there. Also many companies want people with a degree even though I have similar skills to graduates.

  21. Shane says:

    There are merits to going to university, that’s for sure, but I can see that young people with marketable skills might believe that it’s not worthwhile.

    I can’t comment specifically – when I was 18, the internet, and associated skills were in their infancy. I hadn’t really programmed anything until I hit my first lecture. I don’t know how I’d have felt if I felt I already knew ‘a lot’.

    I’d say that university is more than just about learning – it gives you so much more than reading blogs and tutorials. I had a marvellous time at university – not only did I learn a lot, but lots of other skills improved too. And I met my wife there :)

  22. Bill Labus says:

    Cool Interview! I just turned 18 yesterday (Halloween)!

  23. redwall_hp says:

    I think I have a somewhat similar story. I’m 16.5 or so now. When I really got into web design and development, I was about 12-13. I got caught-up in the online Harry Potter phenomenon, and started my own fan site, which never got huge, but it wasn’t too shabby. It had a bit of a following, though nowhere near the big guys like The Leaky Cauldron or Mugglenet.

    Later I got into blogging, and ran a personal blog for awhile, and attained a decent subscriber base and some good search engine traffic.

    And I progressed a lot from there over the years, which seem a lot longer than they really were…

  24. James says:

    Shane, don’t worry, I’m definitely going to apply, but there’s always a feeling in the back of my head saying that it might not be the best way to spend the next three years… I think I’ll cross the bridge when I get to it, I need to send in my application soon though – writing a personal statement is so hard!

    Thomas, I totally agree, a lot can happen in two years! … Are you planning on going straight to Uni?

    Bill, Happy Birthday!

    redwall_hp, I really like your blog, some good posts, I totally agree with how you feel about full flash sites! :D … Although, I wouldn’t worry about Google/Yahoo indexing them – most people don’t even know about it, at the job I was working at, nobody seemed to have any idea when I started talking about it. – Even the flash devs!

  25. Best of the best says:

    I was 8

  26. Dan Harper says:

    Nice interview.

    Also 17 and I’m in my last year of sixth form; and currently looking into Uni courses – so hard!

    I’m not really expected to get good grades either, but I’m hopeful I can get in somewhere on previous experience – and I’m sure you’ll definitely be able to get in James having worked with a huge agency!

    What are you planning to do at Uni? I’m looking at Computing / Internet Computing (not Computer Science, though).

    Good luck! :D

  27. Nino says:

    Never knew how many people my age are web developers/designers. I have the same story as most people who have commented, but I’m a bit younger at 14.

    So far I’ve tought myself everything I know (So far Photoshop, Illustrator, XHTML, CSS, PHP, WordPress and recently Jquery.) I still know I’m nowhere near a pro but I’m getting there :)

    :D The best places to learn anything web based are the Tuts, Noupe and of course W3Schools. The hardest thing to learn is how you put everything together without losing track :P.

  28. Shane says:

    When I was typing all this yesterday, I had completely forgotten about the massive debt that many university graduates are burdened with.

    Perhaps that’ll help swing your decision. :)

  29. James says:

    Shane, you’re just making the decision harder! :D

    Dan, I’m not totally sure about what course I’ll study, I’m looking at Computer science although I fear it may be a little far from what I’m really interested in. What particular Uni’s have you been looking at for those courses you mentioned? If I do go to Uni then I want to do something credible – not something which will weaken future job applications. It’s so hard to find a course which is perfect.

    … I hope my experience will count for something when applying because, seriously, my grades are pretty awful!

  30. James, at the moment I’m in lower sixth so have only just started thinking about uni. I’m predicted to get some good grades so I’m planing to go to uni, probably not to study computer science or computing though. I’m not quite sure what I want to study, something relating to technology and engineering.

    I think your life experience is just as important as your grades for uni. I hope you get some good offers.

  31. Dan Harper says:

    I decided against Computer Science as it seems to take too much of a low-level (and obviously science-y) look at it; Computing just knocks out most of the science and is just as respected.
    Internet Computing is almost the same, but with more of a focus on Internet-technologies as opposed to systems.

    As for the Unis, I’m just going down the Guardian/Times league tables and finding ones with a good course.

    I’m hopeful lol. Have no idea what to do if I don’t get it anywhere :S

  32. mike says:

    In my experience (and I must stress the “my experience” part) your formal education at a university really means nothing to most web places, at least here in the states. I have found most companies are far more interested in your portfolio of work if you are a designer or your actual skillset if you are a developer and what you can accomplish, how you work under pressure and your willingness to learn and adapt to the ever-changing world of web development.

    I guess in some ways a potential employer may look at a degree as a means of proving you were dedicated and that you were capable of passing your courses to get to the final goal of obtaining your degree.

    I have a business degree, nothing at all to do with web, but I got it because I’d like to have my own business some day and the web courses at my university were garbage. However, I got hired with a local web company because of the work I showed them and my willingness to learn and work hard, I started as an intern and within a few months they put me on pay roll.

    Obviously experiences will vary, but where I work there’s only one guy that has a degree in what he’s doing, everybody else was hired based on the skills they brought to the table, I think that’s one aspect of this industry that makes it possibly a bit harder to secure a job, a lot of places a degree makes you qualified for a specific position, but in web development or graphic design you can go get a degree and pass your courses but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re any good. I think a strong portfolio of work is far favorable to any degree you come in with, especially for younger people trying to obtain internships or entry level positions with a company.

    Just my two cents :)

  33. Shane says:

    I don’t think universities will look too much at any personal experience – hey I’m guessing here, but for me it was about grades, grades, grades.

    I would advise against Computer Science – I started on that route, but for me, much of it was too theoretical, I was learning about logic gates and expert systems. If you’re purely interested in the internet, there might be the course out there, but I think most course will cover a broader range of topics.

    My initial ‘professional’ experience was full-time work of a non-internet basis (it was C++, CAD applications), and for that, I needed a degree.

    It all depends on where you want to go.

    The best thing to do is to find out as much about university courses as possible, evaluate them, and make your decision. I’ve known non-graduates who are technically good, and I’ve known graduates who are not so good.

    Going to university doesn’t guarantee a thing. The most important things is YOUR PASSION – you’ve obviously got that. Don’t worry, be happy, and have fun! You’re young (I sound like an old, patronising git here!), so chill out :)

  34. David says:

    A Computer Science degree can be a good route to go, and gives you a grounding in general computing, which makes moving from web design to another field at a later time easier, and I think it does make a difference in the UK – your starting salary will be higher.

    An interesting interview, but as I think the comments point out, James is certainly not alone in what he does at his age – not sure I understand the point of the interview!

  35. Jeffrey Way says:
    Author

    @David – Show me five 18 year old developers who know as much Javascript as James.

  36. Very great interview. I myself am 20 years old and started doing web development as a hobby.

    I know find myself owning my own business and doing this full time.

    Great Intervew!!!

  37. Alex says:

    @Shane: Bang on with the passion point.

    For anyone I’ve ever interviewed, passion is always the key thing…and it’s easy to tell who has it. The young kid that comes in and gets giddy when you ask them to tell you about the project they’ve been working on, or the guy who runs a couple blogs and works on an OS project. These are the guys you want, because you know they’ll keep learning and growing.

    The ones that just have “skill” will be useless within a couple years when the industry turns on it’s head again. The guys with real passion will get the skill.

    IMO, passion and portfolio are greater than any schooling, but sometimes to develop a good enough portfolio, you need to go through school. It just depends on where you’re at.

    James, for you, I’d strongly consider NOT going to school. If you have a job in the industry already, schooling probably won’t be of much value. I’d be surprised if you can learn as much in the 2-4 years (not sure on length) of you uni program as you could in the same amount of time working in the industry.

  38. insic says:

    James? an 18 yrs old? he looks 30 to me. no im just kidding. This guy is good. for those people claiming that they are much younger than James, Yes maybe you are younger but you’re not smarter.

  39. Mark says:

    James if you go to uni at all, for any reason, just make your you have an amazing time, the social aspect of it is huuge!

    I studied at Portsmouth Uni, and to be honest, everything I know now in the industry is all self taught. Good luck in the future and keep up the good TUT’s!

    Mark

  40. Lubes says:

    When I “built” my first website, I was about 12 — and it was on Geocities! Ah the horror of the earlier days of the internet.

    I gave up the whole web design/development thing for a few years and only got back into it after deciding to drop out of university where I was doing a double major in English Lit. and Ancient Civilizations. I tried then to take college courses in web design and the Adobe suite of products, but I found again, that a traditional classroom structure simply wasn’t for me. I was always either behind or ahead and found it frustrating to sit in a dark room for hours while something I found basic was being covered in excruciating detail or conversely, something complicated was being flown over.

    I started studying at home then, and from good books. I haven’t looked back. I’m still a beginner, but I can learn more in a week doing it on my own then I ever did in a 12 week course. So I disagree with James on the whole books thing. A good, solid book on (X)HTML/CSS/JavaScript/etc, or a series of video courses from places like Lynda.com will trump mucking about on your own each time because it cuts down on time wasted looking for quality information online.

    And I strongly disagree that you don’t have to spend money to make money — you really do — even if its only in software and an awesome computer.

    Great interview, loved it.

  41. James says:

    Thomas, I agree, life experience is as important as grades, but in my short experience Universities won’t even look at your life experience if you don’t have good enough grades… They all have their “minimum requirements”

    Dan, that’s a good point actually, I don’t really want to get into all the low-level stuff, I’m more interested in applicable technologies, especially those which can be used on the internet… I hadn’t heard of “internet computing” – I’m looking it up now, it sounds right up my street, thanks! :)

    Mike, that’s what I’m worried about – If I do a web-related course at Uni will it actually be any good!? Or will the professor be an idiot? Obviously he/she won’t be an actual idiot, but my experience with people that claim to teach you “web design”/”web development” is that they’re pretty clueless. It’s impossible to tell which route I take in the next 3 years will benefit me the most in the future.

    Shane, yup, grades, grades and grades! Actually reading through the comments on this post has swayed me away from Computer science – I don’t think I’d enjoy it at all. – I’m not really interested in “logic gates”! :D … You’re right, it completely depends on what I want to do in the future, the problem is that I have no idea! I think I would find plain old programming incredibly boring!

    Alex, I am considering not going at all, but I think it’s best to get the application done just encase I feel different in a few months. That’s the big question though, what will benefit me the most in the future, Uni?

    Insic, yeh I guess I look quite old in that pic, anyway thanks! :)

  42. Connor says:

    That’s one of the things that is nice about web design – you can get in at any age. Personally, I’m 15, and I like to think I know pretty much about web design. I’m a pretty quick learner too, which helps. I was interested in web design since I was eleven, but wasn’t serious until less than a year ago. I’ve already had three or four serious projects where luckily they weren’t afraid of hiring a ‘teenager’ to do their web site for them. But everytime, I usually had a larger skill set than the other web designers they considered. I’m good in the basics (HTML, CSS), as well as javascript, and ruby on rails. I’m also decent at PHP, which helps for those that don’t want their site in such a weird language as ruby :) .

    It’s pretty funny, my neighbors are web designers, but ones that learned in school and don’t keep up with it. And they’ve asked me for help.

    Before a little while ago, I never realized the depth of the online community of web developers. I recently decided to launch a blog, which I’ve already created the theme for, and now just need to do a little customized PHP.

  43. insic says:

    James, im not serious of what ive said about that way you look. Hope it doesn’t offend you.

  44. Jeffrey Way says:
    Author

    In response to the university debate, I think it 100% depends on what type of person you are. Some people really need that classroom environment.

    Personally, I’d reference the best line from Good Will Hunting….

    “You dropped $150,000 on an education that you could’ve gotten for $1.50 in late charges at the local library.”

    At least here in south-east America, the college lifestyle makes me want to puke. I’d much rather buy a book and go sit in a coffee shop for hours. You’ll learn more that way.

    But that’s just me.

  45. I just wanted to add my comments regarding University.

    I agree with some of what Jeffrey said above, but I also think it can be a good option as a ‘fallback’. I have a Software Engineering degree, and while it wasn’t useful for me in terms of web-related stuff, it provided some good life experience, a whole new network of contacts (I also met my business partner there), but also it means I can (more) easily go into other computing fields if I need to – although I’m hoping I never need to use my degree. Despite hoping I never have to rely upon my degree, I’d certainly recommend University.

    I purposely chose a non-specific degree (I could have done something web-related at another University) but then my qualifications would lock me into the web industry, and more specialised web-related degrees are not widely recognised by employers. Although, if I’d been left with the amount of debt students in the UK are now being left with after University, I’m not so sure I would have gone!

  46. Chris Loftus says:

    Nice, great to hear from a young Web Developer similar to myself. I came into the industry at age 13 (im now 16, 17 in 2 weeks!) and now I find myself with a great job (after lots of work experience at the workplace – it’s key!) working a permanent role at a Web/3D (www.tickle.co.uk) firm in Manchester, UK.

    I chose not to go into college as I felt I’d know more than what I would of learnt from the courses there. I have gone down the route of coming straight from secondary school into a permanent job as a Web Developer. The thing I would be missing out on is obviously qualifications, however, there is always the route of apprenticeships, and even better software qualifications – take an exam of something you feel strong in (self-taught) and something that you enjoy e.g. PHP, I’m looking to take the Zend PHP5 exam in the near future which I have been advised is the highest accredation available for PHP. Also, make sure you build up a portfolio to showcase your work, whether you are a graphics designer or developer, try and get as much work experience or freelance work in as you can – it will help so much when you’re on the job hunt.

    Anyway, hope to see more interviews soon!

  47. Todd Smith-Salter says:

    Great Interview…great to hear about someone who started pretty much learning by their own initiative.

  48. Blake Tallos says:

    I was 15 when i got into web development.Its nice to see kids like you my age on the web developing skill sets. :)

    Amazing interveiw

  49. Toan says:

    I want top-notch articles, Nettuts, not all these nonsense interviews

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