Meet Our Team: Justin Green
Why and how did you get into web design and development?
My first introduction to web design and development was building Dragonball Z websites on Angelfire and Geocities back in middle school (around 2002); mainly I was putting GIFs all over the page 😆 After that, I didn’t do anything web-related until college, where I took an HTML & CSS class and I’ll be the first to admit I did not enjoy it lol. Coding was nothing like dropping GIFs onto a page and I definitely had a hard time with it in the beginning. Inevitably, I ended up having to build a portfolio for other projects I did in college and that’s when it all finally clicked and I was hooked after that!
Why and how did you get into web design and development?
My first introduction to web design and development was building Dragonball Z websites on Angelfire and Geocities back in middle school (around 2002); mainly I was putting GIFs all over the page 😆 After that, I didn’t do anything web-related until college, where I took an HTML & CSS class and I’ll be the first to admit I did not enjoy it lol. Coding was nothing like dropping GIFs onto a page and I definitely had a hard time with it in the beginning. Inevitably, I ended up having to build a portfolio for other projects I did in college and that’s when it all finally clicked and I was hooked after that!
What keeps you going? What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?
By nature, I’m a curious person and for me, programming becomes more interesting the more I learn about it. I enjoy creating a concept and going through the ups and downs of trying to make that vision come to reality. Also, there is always something new and exciting to learn in this field, so it helps keep things fresh.
How have you evolved over your time at Southleft? What have been some key milestones?
Since joining Southleft I feel that I’ve grown into a more confident and capable developer; I attribute that to being a part of a great team. When you’re in an environment where everyone is on top of their game it really makes you want to do your best.
One of the key milestones for me was getting better at client communication; at a previous agency I communicated with clients, but it was more on a per-case basis. Now I communicate with clients regularly throughout the entire duration of a project; it really helps build camaraderie with clients and projects feel much more collaborative.
If you weren’t a web designer/developer, what career do you think you’d have?
I would probably do something outdoors-related, like be a park ranger!
If you weren’t a web designer/developer, what career do you think you’d have?
I would probably do something outdoors-related, like be a park ranger!
What non-Southleft project are you proudest of?
I typically have a couple of personal projects I work on in between the margins, my most recent one was building a National Parks Tracker. I got the idea after visiting a handful of National Parks last year and thought it would be useful to have an application that helped you keep track of the parks you’ve visited over time.
What non-Southleft project are you proudest of?
I typically have a couple of personal projects I work on in between the margins, my most recent one was building a National Parks Tracker. I got the idea after visiting a handful of National Parks last year and thought it would be useful to have an application that helped you keep track of the parks you’ve visited over time.
What advice would you give someone just starting their web design and development career?
It’s cliché but find a mentor; typically this might be a mid–senior level person at your first job and usually, they are happy to share their knowledge if you ask nicely 😉 Having someone show you the ropes at the beginning of your career is paramount and can speed up the learning process, so soak up everything and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
On another note, if you had the choice to choose any superpower, how would you use that power to achieve world dominance?
I can’t tell you that—it would spoil my plan! 😉