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Web Development Manager

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Explore Being a Web Development Manager with Sarah Toohe

web-developer

cz: Briefly describe your job.

I am the Manager of Web and Application Development. I am a manager of 2 development teams that write web applications in different languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript & PHP, XML-RPC, SOAP, SQL). Before that I was a Software Developer (C/C++, SQL) for a web site hosting company.

cz: How long have you been working in this field?

Management for 4 years and development for 4 years before that.

cz: When and how did you decide to choose this career?

In high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. In college, I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I took classes in a lot of different subjects, I spoke to a lot of classmates in different majors, and I listened to the advice of my parents.

 

cz: What education and training did you receive before entering your field?

My college degree in Computer Science, my minor in Mathematics, and the internships I had in college. I learned a lot about good coding practices. On the job, I have had management training.

cz: How did you begin OR what was your first job in the field?

During college, I had an internship writing code for a company that creates scanning software. To earn extra money, I sold shoes at a shoe store on the weekends. I learned that I did not want to touch people’s feet and would much rather code.

cz: Can you describe a typical day on the job?

Communication. I speak with folks in different departments across the company (Project Management, Sales, Tech Support, Business Development) to get an understanding of the requirements of a project (i.e., I ask “What do you want us to build for you?”) and I speak to my team of developers to make sure they understand the vision/plan for how to get us from nothing to the final product.

cz: What do you like most about what you do?

Seeing something come from nothing and using new technology to get there. There’s nothing like that. It’s off the hook.

cz: What has been the most rewarding experience so far in your career?

The first time that I was the “go-to” person when there was a crisis in with the application and my boss was out of the office. Everyone thought only my boss could fix it. But I investigated the problem and fixed it. Boo-yah!

cz: What do you like least about your job?

Disciplining and firing the employees is not fun. No one likes to be told that they are not doing the job expected of them, and no one likes being the person to have to deliver that news.

cz: What is the biggest challenge for you in this job?

Keeping current with the latest technology in the software development and web site hosting industry. I am constantly learning something new.

cz: What would you like to say to someone considering this career?

Writing code for web applications and software development is a great industry. Since it is relatively new, there’s a unique feeling of knowing that not many people have had the job that you have.

cz: What are the most important personal and professional skills necessary to succeed in your field?

All of the successful development managers I try to emulate are hard- working, fair, consistent, full of integrity, dedicated, calm, and don’t let the pressure get to them.

cz: What would a person interested in entering this field have to do to get a good job in it?

A college degree in computer science or similar. Internships help. Other activities/hobbies/sports that demonstrate an ability to work on a team and/or to lead a team.

cz: What could someone who is interested in this field do to learn more about it right now?

Talk to recent computer science grads, join your campus’ chapter of the ACM (acm.org), and talk to other folks in the industry.

cz: Is there any general advice you would like to offer to students on making a career choice or on work life itself?

Pick a career in a profession that makes you happy. You’ll be spending the majority of your waking hours there!

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