Jess Goodridge
Web Developer at Amaris Press
Stick to what you enjoy the most and learn everything you can about it!
About Jess...
Who am I?
"I'm a creative person who definitely fits well into the 'Developer' category, as I love to improve websites! I enjoy learning new things and solving problems. A big part of my job is understanding the needs of others, so being naturally inquisitive and friendly really helps me do this. This really helps me build great websites!"
What do I do?
"I build websites! I love to improve old or outdated sites and make them all shiny and new so they work really well. I also optimise them so they can be found better on Google. I also help customers design other things, such as their brochures and leaflets.The best part of my job is seeing how happy my customers are when their website goes live! It's also very satisfying when you see it bringing in more customers for them from Google. I started on about £19,000 per year, and this went up over three years to £28,000. I started freelancing (working for myself!) very recently, so I will update this when I know what I will earn going forwards!"
How did I get here?
"I started out working at a paper round for £60 per month, then a hiking shop, then Costa Coffee! I then went to university, and when I graduated did two internships. One internship was at a photobook publishing press, and the other was a big digital marketing agency. I then worked at two more agencies full time until I made the leap to work for myself!"
The life I live
"I love to read in my spare time! I also love being outside and exploring, perhaps because my job requires a lot of time on computer screens!I also love languages. It opens up an amazing amount of possibilities when you can speak more than one."
My typical day
"A typcial day involves waking up, checking emails and responding to any urgent customer requests.I then work for a couple of hours on whatever I might need to get done that day. This can involve planning out a customer's website or building their pages.If I have a design customer, I will work on their designs in the morning and send them over for any revisions or feedback.I love coffee, so will usually have at least one cup every day! In the afternoons I usually leave this time for writing content (such as the writing to go on a new website), posting on social media or pitching for new work."
My qualifications
"Batchelor of Arts (Honours) in Photography - First Class"