In 1998, I enrolled at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Prior to my enrollment I knew very little HTML. During my years in school, I began developing HTML skills and started learning JavaScripting on my own. I also started learning Flash and ASP in early 2000. The school provided me with a forum to display my creativity and help develop me as a professional. I spent a lot of my free time learning new techniques and developing my skills.
I graduated from AIP in December of 2000 with an Associates Degree in Web Site Administration. In January of 2001 I was hired by Megalogic Inc as a Web Developer. Already having a strong foundation in HTML, I started developing my Flash skills by creating interactive and linear e-brochures. I have been exposed to a lot of new technologies. I started working on data driven sites, gaining experience by building ASP pages. Since then, I have been building more data driven and e-Commerce sites, also creating database tables and writing Stored Procedures for SQL Server.
I also began learning XML. One site, the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, I developed exclusively in Flash importing dynamic content, Newsletters and Sermons, via XML and ASP.
In July 2002 I began learning and developing with Microsoft's .NET Platform, primarily writing web-based applications in C#. I was responsible for the Front-end: designing the interfaces, writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; the Back-end: IIS configuration and creating tables and stored procedures on SQL Server and creating XML documents; as well as integrating them with .NET.
Unfortunately, in February 2004 was the beginning of the end of Megalogic. After a short layoff, I was hired as a .NET Consultant for Brady Communications in March of 2004. I was hired as a fulltime Web Developer in June and remained with the firm until March 2005.
An opportunity was presented to me to become more involved in application development in both .NET and Java. I accepted a position with Concept2 Solution LLC, a mobility enterprise solutions company, as an Application Developer Consultant. I began my first week working on both an ASP.NET and Struts project. I feel now is the time to begin to mature from a coder to a developer.
My goal is to always take myself to the next level, not just learning new techniques, but using them in a practical and user-friendly environment. The Internet is a massive medium for information, marketing, commerce and business-to-business management, but we have only begun to see its true potential. The next generation of the internet has arrived.