What is your role at Rapid & how long have you been on the team?
I’m one of the Web Developers at Rapid, and I’ve been here since January 2023.
What does your day-to-day look like as a Web Developer at Rapid?
Each day comes with its own challenges and problems to solve, which keeps things fresh. Usually, the bulk of the days are taken up with developing new sites, chatting with current and future clients, and maintaining and supporting existing sites. No two days are the same really, which helps to keep you on your toes.
What inspired you to pursue a career in web development?
I’d always had an interest in working with computers from a really early age, so I was always certain I wanted to work in that area. It wasn’t until I was out of High School that I really got into Web Development through my course at college, and from there I focused my efforts on it and eventually went on to get my degree. I think what inspired me to pursue a career in it is the opportunity to satisfy the need to be creative and create interactive visuals that look great, but also at the other end solve complex problems and create functionality that serves a purpose and makes a user’s life easier.
What do you enjoy most about being on the Rapid team?
It’d have to be the collaborative nature of the office. Everyone is always open to an idea from a peer or someone from another department. It feels like ideas really flow freely and create a better outcome as a result.
What are you watching on Netflix at the moment?
I’ve really been getting into documentaries lately like Crime and Sports ones, but I really love a good WW2 documentary or any ones about history. Usually I just get roped into watching a chick flick, which I say I don’t like but I really do.
What do you find most rewarding about being a web developer, or what is your favourite part of the process?
The most rewarding part of being a web developer is finally finding the solution to the really hard problem that’s been plaguing you for hours. Also when you create something out of the ordinary, whether that be visual or in code. It feels great to create something from scratch that you haven’t seen before.
Can you share a moment that stands out to you in your journey at Rapid so far? Are there any website builds you are particularly proud of?
The Four Loko UK site really stands out to me, it was such a fun one to work on. I was given a lot of leeway in creating whatever animations I wanted to fit the content. I’m quite proud of the interactive animation at the top of the Home page and the custom loading screen. It’s always fun when you’re allowed to experiment and encouraged to push yourself.
If you could go back in time and speak to the Callan who was just starting his journey as a web developer, what advice would you give him?
You’ll learn faster and gain more practical experience by just jumping in and starting a project based on what you want to learn. Just reading about something that you want to use is good, but you should just get in and play with it. Give yourself some real problems and you’ll find real solutions to them.
Are there any trends you are seeing in the industry or technologies right now that you think will influence web development in the coming months?
I don’t know if it’ll be in the next few months, but I feel that generating code with AI is going to get to the point where the primary job of a developer will be to have oversight and make sure that each piece of code integrates with the others. Only minor tweaks will be needed from the developer’s side instead of writing out every line of code. I don’t think we’re quite there yet, as you spend a lot more time debugging AI-generated code than you would just making it yourself, but it’s not too far in the future.
Do you have any office pet peeves?
Joining a call and the other person has their microphone muted and they’re just not grasping that what they’re saying has no hope of reaching my ears.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting a career in web development?
It’s good to gain a broad spectrum of skills and technologies to get your foot in the door somewhere, but constantly keeping up with every new technology is exhausting. You’re not going to be the best at something if you don’t focus on it. Once you can, find a couple of technologies that you really enjoy working with and push yourself with them to find your niche. That’s what will set you apart from everyone else and allow you to produce higher-quality work that’s unique to you.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned so far in your journey at Rapid?
Keep it simple. You don’t need to explain every detail of what you’ve done or are going to do, most people just want to know what you’re doing and be assured that it’s being done well. The same goes for writing code; you don’t need to over-engineer a solution to a problem to impress anybody, solving a problem efficiently is impressive in of itself.