Joining Greenlight Web
I initially chose to enter web development due to the continuous learning opportunities that inherently comes with the industry. Especially as in my previous job, I felt as if I had learned all that there was to know within just three years. Having had coding experience from high school and a passion for web design since the days of editing the HTML and CSS of my own little Tumblr blog, I was extremely excited to be offered the chance to work at a digital marketing agency in Manchester. Although I have not been working at Greenlight Web for long, I am confident that I am already expanding my skillset organically. During my brief stint here, I have been mentored on UX/UI design, front-end and back-end development, client relations, analytics, and finally search engine optimisation.
Creative Autonomy
Of course, the level of creative freedom you’re given on the job is dependent on the company culture. Working as a trainee web developer at Greenlight Web has provided me with the opportunity to give my opinion on a multitude of web design aspects, and I am often allowed to implement them myself (with careful supervision, of course). I would consider myself a relatively creative person, and it feels good to know that the team values my creative opinion despite being inexperienced in the field of web development. Even if it’s the colour or size of certain buttons on the About page of a website, to already be contributing to things in such a short period of time is most certainly a positive.
The Blend of Digital Marketing
Greenlight Web has also shown me the immense overlap between digital marketing and web development. It is obvious to everyone that website owners do not just want a good-looking website but also one with a lot of traffic. However, the team here has shown me the breadth of intricacies within search engine optimisation and the making of a website. Image alt texts, links, keyword rankings, header tags, page speed performance, schema, analytics, XML sitemaps, et cetera et cetera. The list most definitely goes on.
Diving into WordPress
Before starting at Greenlight Web, I did not have much experience with WordPress. I did have knowledge of HTML and CSS, as well as JavaScript, so I knew my way around hard coding a website. But I can see why WordPress is the CMS of choice here at Greenlight Web. There is a wealth of built-in features, styles, and functionality, which is far more user-friendly than doing everything manually. Making changes to a website does not necessarily require someone who has done their 10,000 hours of programming; you just need to dive into the deep end and get your hands dirty. Although this approach has helped me get familiar with the fundamentals, I know for certain that I have barely even scratched the surface when it comes to WordPress development as I am consistently overwhelmed with the number of options at my disposal. Therefore, I feel that there is a lot more to come in terms of the growth of my skillset, and I am grateful to Greenlight Web for providing the training.
