Help Wanted

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:40:59 GMT

You’re a web developer. You want a new job. There are a zillion choices. So where do you begin your search? For those of us that chose web development as a career path some time ago, the evolution of web sites from simple storefronts to widgets and rich applications has been particularly vindicating. For many, the growth of web development has also been quite lucrative as it’s an industry with a very low barrier to entry; no degree required, just a few visits to W3Schools, a free FTP software client, a domain to work on and you’re up and running. But running to where?

A Good Starting Point

There are primarily two types of organizations that employ web developers—web application development firms and interactive advertising agencies. The former is concerned with using technology to build tools and innovate resources on the internet whereas the latter is concerned with using the web as a marketing channel to generate fast, demonstrable return on investment (ROI). Having worked at both, I’ve experienced the difference in climate and culture firsthand, and seen some noteworthy themes emerge. These themes are important because they can help provide guidance to the aspiring developer and make sure that there is an alignment between 1) the aspects of a job that the individual finds fulfilling and 2) the kind of skills and behaviors that the organization needs to be competitive in its industry.
This is the career insight I wish I had a decade ago when I was faced with the question, “Where should I work?”

Interactive Advertising

Environment

Fast-paced and aggressive, interactive ad agencies are home to a mix of excitement and chaos. They will test a developer’s talent and as well as her resolve. The timelines are tight, the clients are demanding, and agencies typically emphasize aesthetics over functionality. Necessity isn’t just the mother of invention here, necessity is the only thing that justifies the time spent inventing. You probably won’t find any learning laboratories in the office space, but you will beef up your portfolio rapidly with highly recognized brand names and ultra-cool campaigns. Finally, the fundamental tenets of software development are alien to agencies (i.e., requirements definition, information architecture, version control).
Some examples of well-known interactive agencies include G2 Interactive, Avenue A Razorfish, and Ogilvy Interactive.

Skills Emphasized

Versatility is the name of the game. Agency developers must wear a lot of hats and feel comfortable multi-tasking on a range of projects simultaneously. There is never a shortage of work, never a dull moment, and rarely a moment of free time. It’s a clock-watcher’s heaven—the days go by very quickly and the weekends arrive in no time. Knowledge acquired at an agency is usually broad and shallow.
Creative professionals expect “pixel perfection”. They want their graphical designs cut-up and coded to look precisely the way they do in comps. They don’t want to hear about browser compatibility issues, semantic integrity, or CSS 3.0. That is why mastery of presentational skills such as CSS is key to success in this industry. Developers that show a knack for layout tricks and design will find themselves in leadership roles pretty quickly, acting as mentors to others. Interactive advertising was slow to adopt standards-based design (“table-less” web development), so many agencies regard developers with this skill set as gurus and will pay a higher price for their expertise. Remember DHTML? Often mistakenly referred to as its close relative AJAX, DHTML skills are a handy weapon in the web developer’s arsenal. Frequently, advertising customers will ask for a user experience design that calls for some kind of JavaScript function and, though many functions and libraries are just search engine away, devs can save a lot of time with existing knowledge in this area. And remember: time is of the essence. A decent understanding of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) doesn’t hurt. Using search engines as a means to market web content exploded in the past few years, and web developers are on the front lines of executing tactical recommendations.

Web Application Development

Environment

Rational and deliberate, web application development firms go through iterative cycles to produce and continuously improve software tools for the Internet. They adhere to the principle that “haste makes waste” and work within a well-defined software development methodology. Web app companies foray into more sophisticated, database-driven technology environments, where components like data entity relationship diagrams, web services integration, and application programming interfaces (APIs) are part of the standard vernacular. These kinds of organizations make their living on continuous innovation and are therefore more likely to invest time and money toward the creation of big, hairy, audacious frameworks by which to extend existing products with new ideas. Some examples of well-known web application development firms include Mozilla, Facebook, Google, and 37signals.

Skills Emphasized

Skills specialization is prevalent. Web applications are usually developed in separate tiers, clearly separating concerns between database administration, business logic, UI structure, and layout & presentation. It is not uncommon to find a firm that employs a “graphic design guy”, an “UI guy”, a “JavaScript/behavior guy”, an “application developer guy”, and a “database administrator guy” (or gal). So developers in these companies wear one hat and wear it very well. In other words, unlike agencies, knowledge acquired at application development firm is usually deep and narrow.
AJAX lives here. Client-side data processing and asynchronous server requests have become a convention in user interface design because they make interactions with websites feel more intuitive and desktop-ish. AJAX is also a helpful term for hiring managers to use as a filter on a job-related resume search. Form fields abound, so it helps to know your way around the functionality and presentation quirks involved with these elements. Particularly crafty developers will employ all sorts of homemade alternatives to traditional form fields, with clever use of anchors and JavaScript functions. Unit testing pays off. Quality assurance reigns supreme in app development. Developers that can check their own work get farther faster.

That’s It?

So is that all you need to consider in taking the next step on your job hunt? No. It goes without saying that there are multitudes of other factors that should weigh in your ultimate career decision, but it is helpful to be cognizant of the more salient aspects of the industry that your stepping into. The extent to which these aspects are consistent with your working style and provide opportunities for you to grow and excel will play a central role in your overall contentment (or frustration) in your daily life at work. And that’s what it’s all about—trying to achieve a little bit of zen on the job.

Bio

Walter Stevenson is an Executive Producer at Ignite Health, an Inventiv Health company that specializes in interactive advertising for the healthcare industry. He is the proud author of the Task microformat draft specification and maintains a personal web site at www.walterstevenson.com.

Marketing & Communications from Strategic Direction

Help Wanted

A Good Starting Point

Interactive Advertising

Environment

Skills Emphasized

Web Application Development

Environment

Skills Emphasized

That’s It?

Bio