Once upon a time, I taught myself how to use the design software installed on a used computer, and soon started exploring Open Source platforms. This gave me enough confidence to volunteer to help student organizations with their websites, such as the Women's Center on campus, leading to work opportunities. I started as a front end developer and web designer initially, but transitioned early on to a back-end Drupal developer role, then to full stack.
With everything going on in the world and in tech, it might be easy to overlook how much front end development has come along in the past few years! There is so much room for creativity with all the amazing new CSS features, which allow for much better performance, as well as a lower carbon footprint. It's just amazing seeing so many new native UI and CSS-only techniques that once involved loads of JavaScript to achieve similar effects/behavior. All that to say, I'm excited about web development and offering my full range of skills.
After working with so many different teams over the years, I am able to consider different approaches and understand that there is no one way to build a Drupal website. This perspective gives me flexibility to adapt to various team's expectations and needs, as well as offer suggestions to improve existing processes.
I also have experience working in worker-owned cooperatives, including a cooperative that I started.