McrFRED 24 A Day In The Life

This month I'd like to recruit some volunteers! For this month's McrFRED I'll be hosting a panel where I'll be joined by people in the industry who can offer some advice to students and those looking to start or who are interested in how others kick started their careers.

Meetup Page

The event will take place on Thursday, March 26th, 6.30pm at SpaceportX on Lever Street.

A Day In The Life

Being a student or trying to start a new career path can be a daunting task. In this McrFRED I'll be joined by 5 panel members and we'll be answering chosen questions selected that you kindly submitted.

The format for this event will be a quick intro from each of the panel, then a 30min session where we'll go over some of the questions below, a 10min break, then a 30min session of answering some more questions with room for a few from the audience as well.

Panel

Joe Critchley - @joecritchley

<3 Interface. Co-founder of Strobe, a development team for digital agencies and startups.

Vimla Appadoo - @ThatGirlVim

Vimla loves to connect people and have lots of fun along the way! She runs Manchester Jams, dances to MJ in the streets (seriously) and is a massive geek who you can often find at any tech community event or cake shop in Manchester.

Jake Smith - @Jakob_smith

I'm a Digital Project Manager with over five years experience. I have worked across the public and private sector for people like the BBC, Manchester City Council, Aldi, Subway and now find myself working for Space 48 building e-commerce websites. I'm passionate about project management and putting people at the heart of what I do. I believe the true measure of a successful project is the amount of cake eaten at the retrospective.

Lewis Greener - @damnson

Runs higher apprenticeships for dev's & designers @hyperisland, interested in things, internet shouter, rubbish spouter, whole portion of chips on my shoulder.

Emma Scamell - @emmascamell

I'm a digital marketing and communications manager and have worked with brands across different sectors over the past 10 years whilst based in London, Manchester and Sydney. I'm currently working with Hyper Island UK - a creative business school that empowers individuals and organisations with tools and techniques to survive and thrive in today’s digital economy. I'm also pretty passionate about photography, design and my naughty dog, Maisy.

Form Questions

Form submissions have now ended, thanks to everyone that submitted! Here's an idea of some of the questions we'll be answering;

What do you look for in a possible candidates portfolio?

How can students get a foot in the door / get a placement?

If they put on an exhibition of their work, where would you recommend they put it? in the city centre? Are you more likely to attend if it is on your doorstep?

Do you have any pet hates when it comes to people applying for jobs? Any big No-No’s when applying for a job / in an interview?

Do you prefer a printed portfolio or is it ok to view it on a laptop/iPad?

What skills do you think are lacking in the industry at the minute?

Do you look more for someone who is good at lots of disciplines or someone who has specialised in one area?

What does a graduate have to do to stand out and demonstrate why they are worth the additional money over an apprentice?

What were your dreams and aspirations before you became employed?

How close are you to fulfilling those dreams?

What skills do you need to get a job in the development industry?

What advice can you give to someone looking to become a public figure in the development industry?

What is your favourite project that you've worked on?

What path did you take to get where you are now?

Is there anything you would do differently knowing what you do now?

How important is it to have a university education?

How do you keep up with the ever changing industry/technology?

What have you learnt most since entering the industry?

What do companies look for when hiring a graduate, or someone with little industry experience?

When I leave University I'm considering taking a year out to find a non-web-related job and build on my web development skills in the evenings and weekends, completing my own little projects and collaborating on others as they appear. However, I'm unsure as to whether this is the best route to take or if it'd be better that I straight away begin looking for jobs in agencies? I ask because from what I've heard, I may not have much time in the evenings when working at an agency and so won't be able to focus on learning? Just hoping for some advice from someone who knows more than I do - thanks!

Is starting mobile first a good idea? Why?

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Meetup Page

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