Recently a veteran of our US Military reached out to me.  He is going through a program to help adjust veterans to civilian life and wanted me to answer some questions for him regarding a potential career in web design.  I was happy to take some time to answer his questions regarding our day to day here at NEXTFLY.  Here are a list of his questions along with the answers we were able to provide –

Question 1) Is there any type of training/education that would be required for this type of work?

• Depending on the roll you are going for, there are some requirements. We have 3 roles in our current structure –

BDM – This is a sales role along with project management.  We typically prefer at least 4 years of previous sales experience for this job.  No specific degree required but you do have to have a general understanding of IT systems.

Project Manager – Again, no specific degree required.  You must be great with clients and managing relationships and projects.  The ability to listen to your customers and being tech savvy is a huge bonus.

Developer – This usually requires a 4-year degree.  However, we have previously hired people with the right skill set that don’t have a degree.  You have to be proficient in code writing for this position.

Question 2) If so, what school do you recommend?

• For a Developer position, a degree in computer programming would be ideal. There are many resources available online for this. You can also become proficient using resources like codecademy.

Question 3) How difficult is it for new graduates to find employment?

• This depends on the person and their skill set. We are a small business with very specific needs.  I would say the difficulty would be high.

Question 4) What and how much experience is required?

• We are always willing to train the right candidate. For sales, we prefer 4 years of previous experience.  For all other positions it really depends on what you know.

Question 5) What is the current employment outlook?  Are a lot of jobs available?  Are there a lot of applicants? How often do you hire?

• We are not currently hiring but looking to do so in the near future. We do get quite a bit of applicants when we post a position.  We are always looking for good people.

Question 6) What is the entry-level salary?  How much can I expect the first year?

• Our entry level people usually earn around 30-40k their first year and then more from there as they perform well.

Question 7) What type of hours and schedule do you work?  Is working from home an option?

• Most of our employees are working from home now due to Covid-19. We typically require a 40 hour work week although we tend to work less on Fridays.

Question 8) What are the physical demands of the job? Does the job allow for you to stand up or move frequently?  Lift or carry heavy loads?

• No heavy lifting, just a lot of phone calls and screen shares. We definitely recommend getting up and moving around regularly.

Question 9) Can you describe a typical day?

• I typically work from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. I answer calls and set appointments.  I also make sure all of our current clients are being taken care of by our team and ensure their projects are on track to completion by the desired dates.

Question 10) What do you like about the job?  What are the positive aspects of the job?

• I love interacting with clients and I love the freedom we have to work from home or in our offices. I enjoy helping clients reach their goals and always putting their interests ahead of our own.

Question 11) What is the downside of the occupation?

• There really isn’t a downside but to put something here I would say managing difficult personalities can sometimes be cumbersome. We have a very positive culture here and staying positive is something we must all do.

Question 12) What is the typical career pat (advancement, specialization)?

• Our typical employees start as project manager and work their way up to Business Development. Programmers (developers) typically hire in at the position and stay at that level.

Question 13) What advice do you have for me as I consider this career?  Is there anything you would have done to help you progress in your field?

• Learn as much as you can around web design and solutions. The more you know makes you a valuable asset. I started not knowing much but had the right attitude.  If I were to recommend a faster track, I would say that being hands on with systems like WordPress among others would help you become successful faster.

Question 14) Are there any internship/externship or volunteer opportunities?

• Currently we don’t have any open availability, but we are always interested in speaking with the right person with the right attitude.