Why Consider a Career in the Web Profession-Interview with Jeffrey Zeldman, A List Apart : Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadBill Cullifer: I am on the phone with Jeffrey Zeldman an early pioneer in Web, notable Author, Standards evangelist, conference promoter and a publisher of a magazine “A List Apart”. Good afternoon Jeffrey and thanks for agreeing to this interview.
Jeffrey Zeldman: How are you doing Bill?
Bill Cullifer: I am doing well thanks. Jeffrey you are not only pioneers, I mentioned that you have been practicing in the web series for a number of years. Can you share your perspective on why consider a career in web [Inaudible]?
Jeffrey Zeldman: Sure I will be glad to. I looking at what a web is? The web is a new publishing medium that we are only beginning to understand and only beginning to use. Well, you could be part of something very exciting just being figured out of way [Inaudible] around the printing press I wonder [Inaudible] you know and I was living at that time. I would hope that I want to, I would have been involved in figuring out [Inaudible] if they just been in movies you know if the pioneering fill makers [Inaudible] I would hope that I could be one of the early film makers I mean, there is nothing wrong with movies now, they are still great and you know, but at the beginning of a medium you kind of get to the finest you know what I mean there is like broad [Inaudible] television you know and you get to have a say at how the medium is used and they are really important issues, millions of important issues [Inaudible] should it be free or censored, should it you know…should it be limited you know should people who pay more money get a [Inaudible] internet or should everyone get the same [Inaudible] questions that are important that any citizen I think would want to know about then the joy of actually creating web content and designing websites or developing websites or creating user experiences online, it is just really all though it will be frustrating and can certainly be challenging, it is really wonderful work and right now you know if you are the kind of person who it is your quick designer or you are a bookish kind of person a publishing kind of person, you love the written word, it is kind of getting harder to find newspaper work like newspapers are heading right now, I am not [Inaudible] I am sad about [Inaudible] and publishers [Inaudible] having a hard time for more than a decade, but one part of the communication [Inaudible] doing really well, same with television, advertising all these other media outlets for creating talented people, they are all kind of hitting a role right now I mean, and the economy certainly doesn’t know, but even before the economy started turning back people my friends who was in advertising were having a really tough time, so here is a creative [Inaudible] creative professional may be whether you are the artistic type or kind of a developer or you are good with people or you are good at you know conducting test, I mean there are so many different aspect to it and they all really exciting and I guess the interesting thing that I found is and may be you have the same experience, it is a really wonderful community, I don’t really know of any other you know I have been around a while and I have had other professions before this I say a little lot of other jobs and I [Inaudible] any other professions where people will really help you out like wed people help each other out everyday…everyday someone saying hey! I am not sure of my CSF lay out is working can you help me, I don’t understand why this is happening or we need a 100 people to just look at our site before it goes public and make sure everything is working okay you know all the things that people do, I have written I am writing something on my blog, but I don’t want to show it to anyone yet, but just look at it and make sure I am not making fool of myself you know really amazing profession or professional culture where everyone kind of no one is really ann expert no one is really an amateur everyone we are on [Inaudible] and we are all we all seem to really get loved and kidding each other, helping each other, sharing tips, sharing what we have learned, I really think that is so exciting and wonderful.
Bill Cullifer: I appreciate your perspective on that given that there is [Inaudible] large opportunity here and you win it out that you can be creative, you could be technical in business orient. What specific skills would you recommend for those you know polished you know holding hand on it in their skill set to prepare them for a career in the web profession.
Jeffrey Zeldman: Right, I think the for me the most important skill is communication skill [Inaudible] like there are plenty of other things I mean, you can you know become a master of PHP Java Script etc. Or you could be you know really be a wonderful designer or you could have editorial skills or business skills as you said, but I think no matter what you do it is really important to be able to communicate in person and in writing, but that writing might be an E-mail to your client or E-mail to your boss [Inaudible] that explain why you need to do usability study or why you need some resources or let them know what they are going to look at, so they understand it and then you know and can evaluate it properly instead of you know not understanding it beginning to evaluate it badly. You need to be able to be in a room and talk honestly with your colleague you know one place where things breakdown historically all though they are always getting better in our web development field there are still lot of times where between designer and developer or between information architect and designer or between playing and everyone the breakdowns and then a project turns bad, so something that could be you know rewarding, exciting, beautiful, fun, engaging could really serve your real need, it can end up becoming mediocre, boring, unengaging [Inaudible] because people cant communicate, so the really the most important thing for me is being able to tell that when you work with a client or anybody you know being able to communicate and share.
I think we have a tendency to fall in love with a language of a particular skill set you know so the developers can some time speak in ways that make great sense for them and no one else knows what they are talking about, the systems administrators could do that or you know information architect and user experience, people can throw a [Inaudible] terms around that make sense to them, because they have all read the same book, but anyone [Inaudible] but doesn’t know what it means, so I think that [Inaudible] but yeah digging plainly and honestly and politely all that stuff through [Inaudible].
Bill Cullifer: [Inaudible] Thanks for your time today.
Jeffrey Zeldman: Oh! thanks very much.
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