The job I choose was a Junior Developer based in Sheffield.
Why that job?
The reason the above job appealed to me was primarily because of the salary assigned to the entry level position. The benefits of which would mean that I would have the opportunity to further my website development skills in a guided environment whilst earning a comfortable salary.
Looking at the companies portfolio, it would appear that they have produced an array of work from basic sites to custom content managed systems which would provide me with excellent experience and enhance my confidence.
Skills Required
The advert is predictably asking for an assortment of programing skills, including standards compliant XHTML and CSS, ASP, .NET 2.0, XML and JavaScript. The composition of databases, their management and manipulation is an area that appeals to me; it would appear that this job has plenty of opportunities in that area. The working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop quite accurately describes my skill level.
Skills Gap
Though I feel confident working with standards compliant XHTML and CSS, I am as yet to touch upon some of the other languages. This could be an area of improvement during the self managed learning project later this year; however, it has been said that PHP would currently be a more valuable language to learn initially.
The extent of my experience with databases reaches as far as coding basic databases in Turbo Pascal and countless builds in Microsoft Access; regrettably, I have not had the opportunity to work using web based / server side databases so far.
Conclusion
I feel that there is still areas of knowledge that I need to improve upon, however, I would feel confident applying for the above job with the skills that I already posses; even though they differ slightly from those requested.
Word Count: 300
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Tuesday 7 October 2008
Best Foot Forward ...
Hopes and Aspirations
Following my progression onto the second year of the course, I feel a sense of pride and achievement looking back on how far I have come and hope that his feeling is amplified following the successful completion of the second year.
From reading the assignment list of what is to come, I feel that this is going to be a fantastic year; and certainly a busy one.
I am pleased to see the inclusion of the CMS unit as from reading journals and listening to Podcasts from industry professionals out there, this appears to be the way that clients are leading the market; following on from the XHTML & CSS unit that we are currently studying should put us in great standing for employment.
Employability
The second year for me is the last haul before I (re)enter the world of employment. Since starting the course it has always been my intention carry on my eduction beyond the HND into the degree; or maybe even further. To a point, this is still the case but before the (academic) year is out I would like to be working part time in the industry that we are training so hard to get into.
I am under no illusion about how quickly this year will pass by and so I want to hit the ground running with regards employment whilst still furthering my formal education.
I feel that the area that I most need to improve upon has to be my design skills. The best way to achieve this, I feel is read, practice, repeat!
Summary
In closing I am sure that this year is going to be fantastic and aside from the late nights the only downside is that the degree won’t be ready for when we complete this year.
Following my progression onto the second year of the course, I feel a sense of pride and achievement looking back on how far I have come and hope that his feeling is amplified following the successful completion of the second year.
From reading the assignment list of what is to come, I feel that this is going to be a fantastic year; and certainly a busy one.
I am pleased to see the inclusion of the CMS unit as from reading journals and listening to Podcasts from industry professionals out there, this appears to be the way that clients are leading the market; following on from the XHTML & CSS unit that we are currently studying should put us in great standing for employment.
Employability
The second year for me is the last haul before I (re)enter the world of employment. Since starting the course it has always been my intention carry on my eduction beyond the HND into the degree; or maybe even further. To a point, this is still the case but before the (academic) year is out I would like to be working part time in the industry that we are training so hard to get into.
I am under no illusion about how quickly this year will pass by and so I want to hit the ground running with regards employment whilst still furthering my formal education.
I feel that the area that I most need to improve upon has to be my design skills. The best way to achieve this, I feel is read, practice, repeat!
Summary
In closing I am sure that this year is going to be fantastic and aside from the late nights the only downside is that the degree won’t be ready for when we complete this year.
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