My Work Experience with Studio44
After completing my degree with no industry experience and travel plans for the end of summer work experience seemed like the logical thing to do.
I went looking for just a couple of weeks but Larry was very accommodating and happy to have me for all of the summer months.
Working at Studio44
Over the course of the 3 months I was given 5 different projects to work on by myself, some overlapping each other due to lack of content or waiting for the clients to reply with feedback on what I had done.
Between projects I was also given other tasks that helped me to understand how great the scope of the business is. These tasks included dealing with support tickets for existing clients where content needed updating and also helping to code a page for another website that Alex and James were currently developing.
What I learnt
When I went to university I had no coding knowledge and so I learnt a lot over the three years that I was there but I have still learnt a lot during my time at Studio44.
At university I would design and create static websites but all the Studio44 websites are dynamically generated to give the client more control over the content of their website and to allow them to update quite a lot without having to get the Studio44 team involved.
Before I started I couldn’t quite get my head around how a website would be generated from content stored in a database rather than written in the HTML document but once it had been shown to me and explained and I started using it I found that I quite liked how easy it was to use.
When completing front-end development I would also be limited in the current functionalities available for me to use as I needed more of a personal explanation than what was available online which I received being here which has helped to improve my front-end development skills.
When I first met with Larry and James to discuss my work experience they asked what sort of work I would be interested in completing and at the time I said both design and development as at university I had to do both myself as assignment are individual tasks. Being with Studio44 has helped me to realise that I am in fact very much a developer rather than a designer.
Being part of the Studio44 team
When first arriving at the office I was nervous about being a part of a team where everyone already knew each other but everyone was very welcoming and willing to help me with any problems or queries I had concerning my work or how to use the system that they have in place to create the websites.
As the months have gone on and I’m still asking questions about how to do things the team have still been very helpful in guiding me through the process which I am very grateful for.
Everyone at Studio44 has made me feel like a part of the team and sure in my knowledge that I gained from university by giving me projects to work on by myself.
My time with Studio44 has been a great opportunity for me by giving me new skills that will benefit me when I start working in the industry. I have really enjoyed working with the Studio44 team, I’ve been doing exactly what I learnt at university, without having to write a report for every project I complete, and I’ve been surrounded by friendly people while doing it.
