Name: Joe Sak
Title: Senior Web Developer, Artemis Solutions Group
Website/Blog: http://www.joesak.com
Location: East Lansing, MI
Tell us about your educational/professional background.
I graduated from Michigan State University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media. In school, I worked for the Eli Broad College of Business in Computer Tech Support and Web Site editing. After school, I was hired full time at Artemis Solutions Group as a web developer and have held that position for nearly 3 years.
Tell us about your current job.
Currently, I am primarily responsible for the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code that must be written in order to turn our designs into web sites. I am also responsible for client interaction, communication, and management. Some of my other talents involve Search Engine Optimization, Usability research & testing, User Experience design, prototyping web applications, content integration, and post-go-live web support.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Typically I can be found writing HTML/CSS for a new project coming up, integrating content into a new site that is close to being finished, and working with the application development team to ensure that they follow standards for HTML, usability, and accessibility.
What kinds of documents do you produce?
I produce XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. I also turn those XHTML files into ASCX files which are used for templating our CMS, which is a system that allows clients (with little to no computer programming knowledge) to make edits to their web sites without our help.
What communication skills are needed for your job?
Email, phone, business meetings, technical specifications documents, evaluation of our software, pricing and proposing new solutions for our office.
How did you prepare for your job?
I had been learning how to make web sites since I was 15.
List three of your favorite professional resources/references/tools and tell us why they’re your favorite.
http://svn.37signals.com: This is the company blog for 37 Signals, a web-based company from Chicago. They are my favorite company and have all the best things to say about running a software/web company, and they also share things they learn in their everyday life.
http://www.panic.com/coda: This is Coda, a single-software solution for FTP, editing web documents, CSS and previewing. It was made for the Mac and is a phenomenal program for writing web code and being able to share it on your local network and see your colleagues edit it in real time.
http://www.w3schools.org: You can learn ANYTHING about web programming from this web site. You can look things up and see examples of how to use them.
How do you stay up-to-date in your field?
I am currently subscribed to about 13 blogs about web development, including 37 signals, Jeffrey Zeldman, Eric Meyer, Jeff Croft, Jeffrey Veen, 456 Berea Street & Khoi Vinh. I also read “Getting Real” by 37 signals, an amazing book, and occasionally check A List Apart.
How would you define professional writing?
Being able to strongly communicate an idea in as few words as possible with enough honesty and candor to grab someone’s attention.
Do you have any tips to share with other professional designers/writers/editors?
Don’t use buzzwords, don’t fluff your writing with fancy words and phrases or any cliche thing that’s already been said on every other web site. If you are writing for a company, don’t write about why you’re so great. Just BE great and let your customer service and/or product speak for you.
Tags: In the Workplace