177 Jackie D’Elia: Evolution of a Professional Web Developer

Jackie D'Elia has had a long career in web development and programming. For the past several years she has been an independent WordPress developer, primarily on the Genesis platform. During the last year, Jackie has been a regular member of our Saturday podcast panel. We talk to Jackie about her experiences in web development, and what it takes to become a top-quality front-end / WordPress developer.   Jackie D'Elia Design https://jackiedelia.com/   Rethink.FM: The forward thinking podcast for WordPress and front end development https://rethink.fm/   ==================   Our episode this week is sponsored by LiquidWeb. Liquid Web is offering a 33% discount for your first 6 months of managed WordPress hosting. Head over to https://LiquidWeb.com/wordpress and use the code WPTONIC33 at checkout for your discount.   ==================   Table of Contents for Episode 177   0:00 Podcast intros. 2:22 Jackie's origin story into web development. 6:40 How is the WordPress community stack up compared to other web communities? 9:00 Jackie discusses her journey through WordPress, and her current setup for developing sites. 13:32 How does Jackie block out time for continuing her web learning? 17:41 What are some of the things Jackie has changed in her processes since starting her podcast, Rethink.fm? 18:59 The desktop mindset, and why agencies don't follow a content-first or mobile-first process. 23:12 Has Jackie encountered any resistance to being a web developer as a woman, or as a person of a particular age? Why these are strengths and not weaknesses. 25:50 Pros and cons between a hosted e-commerce and hosted e-commerce site. Jackie's advice for e-commerce from 10 years of running a business. 30:27 How is Jackie handling the increasing use of JavaScript in WordPress? Her recommendations for integrating JS into a website. 37:09 Jackie's methodology for staying focused. 41:10 The difference between working with a team as opposed to working by yourself. 43:48 What advice does Jackie have for solo consultants trying to make it in freelancing? 45:54 What percentage split does Jackie network among, between prospects and colleagues? 48:48 Podcast outros.   ===================   Links mentioned during the show:   dBase https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBase   Thesis http://diythemes.com/   Genesis Framework http://my.studiopress.com/themes/genesis/   PostCSS https://github.com/postcss/postcss   DesktopServer https://serverpress.com/   Novell NetWare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetWare   Team Treehouse https://teamtreehouse.com/   Lynda from LinkedIn https://www.lynda.com/   Know The Code https://knowthecode.io/   Multiple Intelligences Self-Assessment https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-assessment