Getting Started In The Web Industry

Getting started in the web industry Miles Burke Edith Cowan University, 16 October 2007

So, who are you? Our next talented breed of web designers, developers, project managers, UI experts, usability consultants, SEO wizards, etc...

So, who am I? Director; Bam Creative. Chairperson; Australian Web Industry Association. Member; Australian Institute of Company Directors. Designer (Dip. Commercial Art). Blogger. 40under40 winner (2007).

How did I end up here? Working at a service station in 1994, bought computer and got online. Started freelancing (badly), worked as creative director for web companies then media companies, learning about managing sta and running businesses. Went freelance (again) in 2002, hired sta, grew business, hired more sta, kept growing, still learning. http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/denis_fox/1112069912/

What’s Bam Creative? Founded 2002, Inglewood based web company, half of a larger company called Westway (other half is Bekkers, an IT company). 15 sta (~40 total), 350+ clients, 80+ projects at any time, 1 coee machine, 1 arcade game and group annual turnover of ~ $6m.

Bam Sta 15 people of the group total of 40 47% graduated from ECU. 85% have a University or TAFE education. Average age is 25. Teams broken into design, development and administration. 63% of them have their own blog. 100% of them drink beer and coee.

Our designers Use Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver. May also use InDesign, Flash, After Eects & more. Good level of interpersonal skills and written/spoken communication Enjoy noise, like beer, don’t understand developers http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/jepoirrier/349613923/

Our developers Typically MySQL and PHP 5. Also know PHP 4, JS, CSS, AJAX, database design, etc. Good level of interpersonal skills and written/spoken communication Enjoy silence, like coee, don’t understand designers http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/eiﬁon/171413582/

Lessons learnt on this journey University only starts to prepare you for work. Working for others allows you to learn before trying it yourself. Old school lessons about hard work and constant learning is true. It’s very important to network and meet people. You don’t get anywhere without planning.

We’re facing boom times Don’t let that make you apathetic...

Companies want gold not rubbish You need to work at being an attractive new recruit (and stay that way once you’ve got that gig!)

Understand your skills You should know what you’re good at, and bad at, and target the best job for your skills. Be honest with yourself and employers.

Polish your resume You might ﬁnd lolcats funny (geek!) but potential employers wont. Resumes and introduction letters aren’t the place for txt-spk.

Use social networks Sites like facebook, myspace, twitter, pounce, linked up, etc are a great way to expand networks and get to know others in your industry. Hey, one could be your future boss!

Network in real life Join industry and user groups like Port80 (www.port80.asn.au), AGDA, PADC, Perth SIGGRAPH, DLF, Meetup, Perth Bloggers, etc http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/lachlanhunt/254088928/

Research where you want to work Find web company lists (www.webindustry.com.au) or use phone books, visit websites, research and short list then approach them. http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/genewolf/147722350/

Stand out from the crowd Get attention, stand out from other applicants by being conﬁdent, eloquent, well dressed, understand your own skills and knowledgeable about the company and the position available. http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/praatafrikaans/315196853/

Once you’ve got the job Work harder than everyone else. Keep improving skills. Spend some personal time learning every week. Plan for your next position now. http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/muchadoaboutnothing/440872101/

CSS Ninja wanted www.bamwantsyou.com

Questions? http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/

Thank you! Miles Burke www.milesburke.com.au www.bam.com.au www.webindustry.asn.au

Getting Started In The Web Industry

by Miles Burke on Oct 15, 2007

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