TJ Rogers – Front-End Web Developer

January 25, 2013

The interview series has been going pretty well, but we’re going to go a little “bass ackwards” with the theme. The last 3 weeks we covered some really great photographers and videographers. Next week, we’ll be taking a peak at another photographer as well, but we’re going to take a brief intermission and check in with a talented Orlando-area front-end developer, TJ Rogers. (Yes that sentence was long and had a lot of punctuation.)

TJ has been my best and closest friend for nearly a decade and a half. He was the best man at my wedding and just so happens to work with me at FliteHaus, here in Orlando. Despite all that, you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to convince him to answer a few questions for me! 😉

I won’t waste any more of your time, though. Take a look at what TJ had to say about being a front-end developer.

What is your name, title, and the company you work for?

My name is TJ Rogers. I am a front-end developer for FliteHaus Creative Agency. We are based in Orlando, Florida.

If asked what you do as a Front-End Developer, what would you say?

One of my main responsibilities is to take comps created by our Senior Web Designer/Developer and turn them into Drupal themes. One of my other responsibilities is the input of content (or the transfer of content, if we are doing a redesign). This usually starts with creating content types, web forms and other ways for us, the developers, and the clients to easily and quickly add content.

At times, I am also tasked with designing elements like buttons, callouts and forms.

What made you want to become a Front-End Developer?

Growing up, I always had an immense passion for art, science and technology. In 2003, one of my best and closest friends, Marcus Burnette introduced me to the world of digital art and design.

Web design and development is the marriage of those three great passions of mine.

Who are some of your inspirations in the field of web design, development, or the arts as a whole?

Chris Spooner from the UK. I’ve been rolling his blog since 2007. He lends his knowledge by way of tutorials, art inspiration, and web design inspiration. My friend and web design/development mentor, Marcus Burnette. He thirsts for knowledge and his desire to share that knowledge is an inspiration.

There is also Chris Coyier. He has given so much to the development community. He has created tools to help speed up our pipelines. His podcasts and videos helps us all become better developers. With his insights and suggestions, you can find new ways to be more productive and streamline your process.

Lastly, there is Jennifer Robbins. She has been designing for the web since 1993. Although she has been doing this for more than two decades, she is still at the forefront of design/development and continues to write books and speak at conferences.

What makes you most excited about working with HTML, CSS, jQuery, or any of the other web technologies?

Working with these web technologies, we get to be a part of a revolution and an evolution of the way people surf, view, use and interact with the web! We impact the way information and data is presented to people and we are moving to a more intuitive, user friendly, easy-to-use, fun, personalized, user-directed experience.

What do you expect (or want) to see happen to web over the next several years?

The explosion of mobile devices has changed how people use and experience the web. Over the past couple of years, mobile has been growing as the main window to the web for many people. Over next several years it will be even more prevalent. Many users will not simply be sitting at desk browsing the internet. Most sites will need to be accessible so that everyone can seamlessly interact with their online social network, whether through outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, or playing games like Words With Friends. Many people even shop on their mobile devices.

Making sure your site is responsive, adaptive or has a separate mobile layout/architecture is the best way to ensure your users, audience, and consumers can experience your site across all devices and portals to the web.

I also expect to see more creative and innovative uses of javascript, css, and jquery. With these technologies being used more and more, we get to see more than just functionality… We get to see fun! There are already a slew of designers, developers, and agencies using these technologies in incredible and exciting ways. It is a great time to be a part of such a creative community. The internet and the web are still evolving. It is an exciting part of this stage in the life of the web. We get to be a part of deciding where it goes from here!

In short, I expect to see evolution. Which is a part of its nature.

If you had to choose a different, completely unrelated career, what would that look like?

I would definitely be a performer! I absolutely love to sing, perform, and entertain. It entails creativity, improvisation, music, and sometimes stunts. It is quite challenging and fun and intense. Performing live in front of an audience is such a rush that is almost unrivaled. It is also such a stress reliever.

Is there anything else, personal or professional, people should know about you?

I am very competitive. I love sports and gaming (and take playing both entirely too seriously)! Growing up in a family of 5 children will quickly make you competitive, but since you’re also a family there is a lot of teamwork involved by way of chores, outdoor play with (and against) other neighborhood children and playing pranks on each other.

So, collaboration, teamwork and being driven are characteristics that were birthed out of being in a large family.