Last week I went to the Hey! Talks at Belgrave Music Hall, where 3 professional developers gave their views on the industry and their careers. Whilst I have no real knowledge of coding, it was interesting to hear their tips on working in a professional atmosphere. I took some brief notes from each talk.
Stefan McCready
Stefan started an apprenticeship when he was 18 at Sky. Currently working as a front-end developer, he spoke about the difficulties he faced since joining the industry at such a young age. Some of the key points I got from his talk are:
- Learn to say no - You don't have to take on every job. If you are becoming overwhelmed with the workload, simply focus on the projects that matter and put the rest to the side for the meantime.
- Adapt to new things - Particularly in web development, things are changing all the time. Being able to stay up to date with new technologies and trends is important to stay current in the design industry.
- Be confident - Don't be afraid to speak out and give across your views and opinions. Confidence is key in the industry, so try to be as optimistic as possible.
Emily Cressey
Emily spoke about why it's important to stay mindful in the face of creativity, and explained why thinking like a beginner isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some points taken were:
- Trust your own opinion and knowledge - This point is similar to Stefan's. Whilst clients can sometimes have very strong opinions, it is important to remember the knowledge that we have as designers, and that they can be challenged.
- Don't use existing projects as a starting point - This is one thing that I have really been trying to do this year. By doing so, you produce much more original work that has a higher chance of standing out from others. Inspiration is good; however, it should be used lightly and not as a direct reference.
Chris Compston
Chris spoke about designing your own career and why design is a great career choice. Some of the final points I picked up are:
- Have a vision - Work towards being the designer/developer you'd like to be.
- Have a strategy - Plan your vision to try and reach your end goal.
- Client thinking is subjective - ask for objective feedback. Whilst this can be difficult, it definitely helps to try and get clients to do so, as subjective thinking is not considerate of the target audience and users.
Overall, the talks were really informative. Whilst the talks were mainly about coding and web development, the tips picked up on are all very applicable to my practice. Coding sounds like a very stressful job, and one that I do not think I am going to try and venture into. I want to try and learn some more basic code, as it is essential to have some knowledge when working with developers today.
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