My first day as a Web Developer at MadeByShape

My first day at MadeByShape was amazing and so different from anywhere else. Being new I expected to do small development work like amending existing websites, or being given tasks like making drinks or going out doing errands. But at MadeByShape my very first day I was given a brand new site to develop by myself. This may have seemed a bit daunting but I was able to learn so much and both Jay and Tom were there to help me if I ever got stuck.

What the work involved

When developing any site, MadeByShape use a content management system called Craft CMS which allows you to upload content easily and effectively with built-in features. At my previous job I only had access to their self built management system which always needed updating and was never easy to use. Using Craft CMS was so much easier and was quick to learn. I used it to create sections also known as 'fields' to upload content like images and text easily. Then I'd style the content using twig templates and tailwind CSS with its own custom styles. I picked these up really quickly and it made developing the site quicker and more consistent.

What I have learnt since my first day

I have now been working at MadeByShape for 3 months and have developed 4 websites during that time. They've ranged from simple service sites to more complicated event sites. I've also been shown how to setup new sites and how to make them live which I've never done before. I'm now very comfortable and familiar with the Craft CMS framework and Tailwind. I have also dabbled with jQuery which has been a new learning curve for me, something I definitely want to get better at.