We are sharing our recent interview with a Connecticut based professional front-end developer Andrew Knight.
Pro Media Mag : First of all please introduce yourself to our readers.
Andrew Knight : Sure, my name is Andrew Knight and I run a web design firm called Andrew Knight New Canaan. I specialize in developing modern, user friendly websites for a number of different industries. Whether a baker or an automaker, an Andrew Knight New Canaan website will take your business to the next level!
I have years of experience in various roles within the IT and technology world, and I bring that experience to bear for the benefit of my clients daily. I put my all into my work, and I think that shows in the successes I’ve seen so far in my career.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into this industry?
Andrew Knight : Well I grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut which is something of a tech hub for our area. I’ve always been surrounded by up and coming entrepreneurs looking to stake their claim in the digital age. I think web design was a natural progression for me since it helps blend my passion for technology and my life-long interest in design. I’m able to combine these interests in a way that helps develop the local economy.
Pro Media Mag : Tell us a little about your education background?
Andrew Knight : I’ve always been a science and math aficionado. When I graduated from high school and moved on to college I found myself drawn to programming and design classes. I would stay up all night trying to perfect my assignments and I think this was the first sign that I was meant to be working in this industry. I truly love the challenges of trying to blend creativity and functionality.
Pro Media Mag : You have plenty of IT related skills. What’s your key expertise?
Andrew Knight : I focus primarily on my coding. I’ve found that it’s helpful to know a good deal about other aspects like digital marketing and some hardware, but at the end of the day the core competency of what I do is my coding. That’s why I’ve developed this aspect above all the others. Even with tools like WordPress, if you want to design a truly responsive and custom website you will need an in-depth knowledge of different coding languages. Particularly if the customer wants to enable additional functionality.
Pro Media Mag : You have experience of working in key positions in top quality IT firms. What’s the best role you have performed so far?
Andrew Knight : My favorite roles, and those I’ve been most successful in, have been centered around my coding and design work. I have an underlying knowledge of hardware and the various principles of business to help make a company successful, but that’s not what I’m best at. My forte lies in working with a client to find out their exact needs and translate that into a beautiful and functional design.
Pro Media Mag : What’s the biggest achievement in your career so far?
Andrew Knight : I think starting my own business and achieving what I consider success has been the most fulfilling accomplishment of my career. It’s one thing to work for someone else and accomplish your tasks, but it’s a totally different feeling to do the same for your own company. I get to watch my business grow at the same time I’m providing quality service for my customers, which gives me a great deal of pride in what I’m doing.
Pro Media Mag : What’s the best part of being an IT expert?
Andrew Knight : I know my job will never be at risk of automation or outsourcing. With a lot of traditional jobs like manufacturing and customer service, automation is a looming threat. Not so for workers with a foundation of IT knowledge. Even if our specific task is eliminated, there will always be demand for IT professionals in some capacity. Plus, I’ve found that IT knowledge is often transferable. Learning one coding language better prepares you to learn additional languages, for example.
Pro Media Mag : Any particular goal you would like to achieve?
Andrew Knight : I would love to have my company go fully national. I work with a lot of local clients that I’ve met at trade shows or through word of mouth, but I would like my company to develop national or even international appeal. That’s essentially the final frontier that I’m looking to break into.