Brian Goldstein hails from St Louis on the other side of our humble state. He works in a shop of three, loves all the work he does there, and is something of a sports fan. Keep reading to find out more about his work and the presentation he’s giving in June!
Q: How did you get started in your current field?
A: A railcar wheel nearly crushed me! I still work with my dad on railcar parts and scrap metal brokerage through my company, Gateway Railroad Dismantling (www.gatewayrailroad.com), but after that experiment I began looking for other ways to make a living. I discovered Team Treehouse and spent a few months just learning WordPress and other front end technology before landing an agency job. After about 5 months there I moved on to freelancing and have been doing so ever since.
Q: Describe your ‘ah ha’ moment about WordPress?
A: On my first job, when I had to handle a few legacy projects in other CMS. They got the job done but were so much more difficult to adapt, maintain, or train clients to use for themselves. The number one reason I continue to use WordPress as my platform of choice is that it is bar none the simplest CMS to empower clients to take on a site for themselves.
Q: If you could go back to when you were getting started and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: Be Patient and remain coachable. I largely succeeded at the second, but becoming great at anything takes time and repetition. Oh! and go to WordCamps sooner!
Q: Describe your talk in three sentences or less.
A: We have to remember that, as designers, we’re not really making products for clients – we’re making products that the client’s customers will use. The fact that the device landscape is changing and how pervasive WordPress is puts a special burden on us as WordPress designers, devs, and users to make sure what we make serves those people well. In my talk I’ll share approaches and techniques that make that easier.
Q: Who should attend your talk (beginner developer, intermediate content provider, advanced designer, etc)?
A: Broadly – anyone can attend. I think beginner developers can level up, more advanced developers can learn different approaches to these problems, and designers can gain an appreciation of how their designs impact what we make.
This post is part of a multi-day series featuring speakers from WordCamp Kansas City 2015. Subscribe to have them delivered to your mailbox, or feel free to check back every day!