Meet the newest addition to the Idea Kraft team, Gerard Davis. Read on to learn more about him, his background and his late-night baking habit.
You’re Idea Kraft’s web developer! What does that mean and what do you do?
I build and maintain client websites, and I offer support and troubleshooting when problems arise.
What did you go to school for?
I graduated from SUNY Purchase with a bachelor’s degree in Media, Society, and The Arts. It’s sort of the intersection between new media and sociology, so studying how people engage with different media and why. It was definitely a lightbulb moment when I realized how well that background translates to UX development.
Favorite part of your job?
The clients! I come from a background in nonprofit and educational work, so when I made the pivot to web development, I was afraid that I would be leaving those worlds behind. But I get to work with so many incredible groups pursuing greater goods, like CVAC, Liberty Partnerships, and CoRe, and getting to help contribute to their missions is the best feeling.
What’s one thing that has surprised you in your career path up until now?
Just how supportive other developers can be! I was afraid that asking for help would only lead to snarky internet comments but, for the most part, the developer community is full of people who are eager to share their knowledge and expertise. As long as you’re trying to do your best, there are so many people who want to help you do just that.
What’s one piece of advice you can offer to someone who wants a job like yours?
If you find something you enjoy doing and feel good at, dig in and relish it! It’s one of the easiest ways to stand out. I love working with CSS and writing custom stylesheets, but I don’t think I’m particularly great with Javascript frameworks like React. I’ve worked on teams with other developers who are much better than I am with those frameworks, and I felt very insecure about it until I realized that a lot of them struggled with, or just plain didn’t like working on, styling. That’s where I came in, and that’s what teamwork is about! I used to think that in order to become a successful developer, you would have to be great at everything. But that’s just not true! We all have our own strengths and knowing yours can take you far.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I really thought I was going to be a songwriter in a cool indie band. As it stands, I can’t play any instruments and I’m a very bad singer. Needless to say, it didn’t work out.
Tell me something weird about you!
I have a bad habit of starting baking projects well after midnight. It’s just what I do when I can’t sleep, which happens pretty frequently. Sleep deprivation should leave me cranky, but it’s hard to start the morning on a bad note when you wake up to a fresh batch of biscotti.
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