Web Developer Question

[Paul2412 10]

This is no diffferent to Java or C#. In fact I think most modern languages don't support multiple inheritance of concrete classes. The idea is you can achieve something similar through multiple interface inheritance e.g.

 

class A implements B, C etc where B and C are interfaces.

 

There is no multiple inheritance as such in C#, however a class can implement 1 or more interfaces as well as an abstract class.

 

EDIT - This thread is rapidly becoming a contender for the tech section!

[indizine 10]

yes I agree it's gone off topic now so let's get back on track career-wise and if the OP wishes to start a new thread on techy info that can be done in the tech chat forum.

[Rossian 10]

Well I would say I am in a similar position the OP - more of a coder than a designer. It is rare to find people that are good at both. If it's a simple design required or the budget is limited I will generally do the design myself. If I feel the site requires something a bit "extra" in terms of design I work with a designer. However I have only ever worked with a friend of mine so never had to deal with a recruiting third parties and having to deal with the potential pitfalls that may come with that.

 

At the end of the day if someone comes to you saying they need a very complex, artistic design, then it's likely you won't be able to provide it, so better to partner with someone competent than to lose the work. Whether you can actually find a good / reliable designer that charges a reasonable rate is another thing entirely.

[sccsux 10]

"It's not what YOU know, its WHO you know".

 

You're wrong;):

It's not what you know. It's not who you know. It's what you know about who you know:D.

[anywebsite 10]

Well I would say I am in a similar position the OP - more of a coder than a designer. It is rare to find people that are good at both. If it's a simple design required or the budget is limited I will generally do the design myself. If I feel the site requires something a bit "extra" in terms of design I work with a designer. However I have only ever worked with a friend of mine so never had to deal with a recruiting third parties and having to deal with the potential pitfalls that may come with that.

 

At the end of the day if someone comes to you saying they need a very complex, artistic design, then it's likely you won't be able to provide it, so better to partner with someone competent than to lose the work. Whether you can actually find a good / reliable designer that charges a reasonable rate is another thing entirely.

 

I think you can be good at both design & coding, but you can't really be exceptional in both.

 

I started out only doing coding, but after a while looking at other people's designs, taking tips off designers, looking at lots of websites & reading design sites, I learnt quite a bit.

 

Most websites don't need to be hugely artistic, as long as they're easy to use & don't look horribly ugly, then you're fine. The attention to detail that you have to use when you're coding is useful in design too.

 

If I had a client that needed a really artistic looking website, then I'd outsource it to a better designer, but it's the exception rather than the rule.

[Weazel2006 25]

Im starting a 6 month contract tommorow for a social enterprise. They want me to work with joomla (experience limited) but im used to CMS systems so i guess it's a case of learning this one's particular sweet spots.

 

I have tried the visual aspect again and again and my hand eye coordination must be shot because it never works out, i can work 10 times better with code than i can an arts package.

 

I agree with programming OO. I have a friend who still does most of his work procedurally and it makes for long messy pages that take ages to run through and work out.

 

I break all my problems down into component elements and work from there, covering sql connections, form display, text elements, sessions etc.

 

Sometimes i struggle with concepts like i have with sessions and MVC but eventually it sticks, i really couldn't see myself working without classes, functions etc that i can reuse and adapt.

 

You are right in assuming my funds are limited, im hoping this job will look good on my cv and provide real world experience that employers are looking for.

[indizine 10]

Is this a paid job you're doing?

[Rossian 10]

Sometimes i struggle with concepts like i have with sessions and MVC but eventually it sticks, i really couldn't see myself working without classes, functions etc that i can reuse and adapt.

 

 

I would very much recommend learning MVC inside out. Most web applications / frameworks nowadays are based around an MVC architecture. Joomla components are built on MVC. All the main PHP frameworks are also based around MVC. If you haven't already, I'd recommend having a play with Codeigniter - it's a very lightweight / easy to use MVC framework. If you do some tutorials on that it will help you with more complex MVC frameworks (like Joomla). I would recommend the "Codeigniter from Scratch" series on Nettuts.

[Weazel2006 25]

It's an initial 6 month contract for a social enterprise but ive been charged with making the retail sales website to help with that arm of their business. There is some work to be done updating and improving a joomla based site that exists already.

 

It's a really good place to get me a ton of experience in a variety of area's such as retail, distribution, packing, development and hardware maintainance so the cv is going to come on trumps the next 6 months.

 

It was bloody stressful and tiring trying to take it all in and tommorow it will get a bit more hands on, but i did get some database work done to help clear a backlog of post.

 

The way i see it is, i lack the qualifications and time to get them done and this is hands on experience of maintaining a live business interest in house, so i hope it will go some way to demonstrate i can fit into a current workplace.

 

Lots to do tommorow......from jsa to employment

[anywebsite 10]

I'm glad you got a break, the job sounds good. If you can contribute some code back to Joomla or any of it's addons then you'll also have an example of code to show future employers.

 

Employers are often keen to see code examples & if you're allowed to release some open source code as part of your job, it's a good opportunity to create some.

 

You don't lack qualifications, because there aren't any. Experience & examples of your work are what's important.

[Weazel2006 25]

Well it has been a funny old road this past month or so. I was supposed to start the job officially on the 17th of september, my induction was on the 16th but after returning home i found out a family member had passed away.

 

My employer was extremely understanding and set my start date back to the 6th of september so the family could deal with everything losing someone entails.

 

So from my start date a few weeks ago things have been going great. There are the myriad of nerves with being in a work environment again, probably more so since i really have to take notice and use my brain on this job. I am making small mistakes here and there but once pointed out i think im getting rid of the errors.

 

There have been a few praises and being left to my own devices and i hope im building trust in my abilities to make critical decisions. I have a meeting with the boss and someone coming in to talk about social marketing which he thinks i will take in and utilize.

 

I have gone from a cleaner that last worked in 2004, to a job that is training me to nvq2 in business and administration, teaching me the in's and outs of warehousing, packaging,dispatch and in bits and bats business management,finances and helping me hone my writing and editing skills.

 

I started this thread as a cry for help, some form of direction i could take and honestly?....you grab the bull by the horns and don't take no for an answer, there are jobs out there and ways to train, gain skills and find a path and i work with people that are prime examples of how you can turn problems in your life into a job and a future.

 

So if your someone struggling to find a path, are scared or need guidance...for gods sake forget the job centers useless drivel and get looking for training schemes and paths into work, they are out there you just have to look in the right place.

[viewsonic 10]

Weazel, I hope you're work experience went well. If you're still looking for permanent employment, I'm looking for a web developer to join our small team. We use C#, asp.net, mysql, plus a bit of Drupal and PHP.