Aaron McIntosh – Job Ads | ENG3771 Advanced Career Writing, SP2015

After going over the results of my job search, I find that as a Web Developer, Html, CSS and Javascript are the most mentioned foundational skills employers are looking for. Other prerequisite skills/experience vary wildly from employer to employer, but these three major areas are prominently included in just about every search result iv’e come across. Secondarily, MYSQL, PHP, Photoshop, UI/UX Design, and a few others are also typically included as required areas of expertise. This gives me a really good sense of the skills I need to be strong in as I seek to compete in this particular field.

After perusing my list of ads, iv’e actually walked away with a much greater understanding of just how complex and potentially intensive the field of Web Development actually is. And while many seem to be looking for anywhere from 3-5 years of practical industry experience in particular areas, many of these employers also seem to be willing to, and have the expectation of, training potential candidates in certain areas. This tells me that I should probably be prepared to learn a wealth of new skills while on the job, and i’m definitely fine with that. Academic instruction alone cannot possibly prepare me for EVERY area this exhaustive field is comprised of, and that’s OK.

My primary strengths are:

The creation of digital graphics using Photoshop and Illustrator.

Hand-drawn illustration/animation.

HTML coding.

Copywriting.

As far as professional goals are concerned, i’d really love to explore the world of web design, perhaps at some point even lending my talents and ideas towards some innovative and ground-breaking new ways of using the world wide web. I’d like to work within a progressive-minded organization with a collective push towards future possibilities of what the internet can be used for. Designing and maintaining websites is fun, but my ambitions go far beyond that. On a bit of a side note, Google immediately comes to mind, but iv’e heard my share of horror stories.

The types of results I run into are typically listed as: “Web Designer/Developer”, “Front-End Developer”, “Web PHP Programmer”, Web Project Manager with slight variations depending on the company’s primary focus(Ecommerce Web Developer, Java Developer, UX Designer/Manager, etc.)

I feel that my instruction here at City Tech has done and is continuing to do a solid job of preparing me for entry into my desired field, but I also get the sense that I of course I will have to do my fair share of DIY practice-work outside of class instruction. I use online resources such as W3schools.com and CodeAcademy, and I always try to set aside time to keep my skills strong and sharp. I feel that i’ll be a really strong candidate when it’s time to pound the pavement towards the next major step in my career.

http://plated.theresumator.com/apply/job_20150205153141_QHKSMNZIAMYLI6V7/Web-Developer.html?source=INDE

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/web/4865516020.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4868593166.html

http://www.tradingscreen.net/index.php/careers/job-openings/83-web-developer

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4874106012.html

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Norgate-Technologies/jobs/Web-Developer-fc68a8a656bb20df

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4874001990.html

http://www.jobscore.com/jobs2/complexmediainc/web-developer/a1EIz4awSr5ljNeJe9fLhG?Board=Indeed&PID=2160408

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4873817164.html

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4873231521.html

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Pegasus-Solutions/jobs/Front-End-Web-Developer-8399559b71e52075

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/web/4874733615.html