BinaryGirl Spotlight: Travis

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What is your background? What types of degrees, skills, experiences are necessary for this field?

i have a masters in interactive multimedia design, but most people just need a focus in rich media: flash/director/video; and three years experience. a good portfolio is important too.

How did you get started in this field?

the masters degree really jump started my career.

What college (if any) courses have been most helpful for your career?

project management/time management courses -- they stuck with me when i first got a job and needed to work with a team.

What are your specific responsibilities?

research, recommend, plan, and produce rich media assets for client's sites.

Describe a typical workday and workweek. What do you do during a typical day?

an hour of email correspondance, two hours of meetings with project updates or development issues, around five hours of planning or development (storyboards, presentations, project work), an hour of team management -- checking in and helping out other team members.

Name 5-7 job skills that are needed for your job.

team management skills, time management skills, flash skills, video skills, time estimation/management skills, good communication skills (especially important for client reviews), creativity.

Are you in a team oriented position?

Yes

Do you have flextime? Vacation time? Work at home? Telecommute?

sure. i can work from home if i need to (as long as i can schedule my meetings around being out of the office -- which can be difficult in the middle of a project). i also get 15 days of vacation a year and personal days/sick days.

How many hours per week are expected or warranted for peak performance?

40

Are many evenings or weekends required for your job?

one evening a week, usually until ten pm.

How much travel is involved with a job in your field?

almost none, except for training.

Could you describe your work settings? Offices, machinery, resources etc.

Office atmosphere is pretty relaxed and even has a dog policy. I work on a mac by choice but have access to a pc.

What personal qualities do you think are necessary for someone to be successful in this occupation?

Flexability with ideas, patience with co-workers, ability to keep up with new technology..

What is the major challenge you face at work?

everyone wants to make the pictures move...

What aspects of your job do you find most rewarding (pros) ? Least rewarding? (cons)

PROS: It's fun.

CONS: The least rewarding thing is trying to communicate rich media capabilities to the client -- its ability to either contemporize the brand or to facilitate transactions. .

Are you confronted with difficult decisions or situations in your position?

Sure -- there's no one else to ask so i need to be sure about what i'm recommending.

Do you have a lot of interaction with a certain occupation? I.E. media, engineers, etc.

yes, engineers in particular -- to integrate the back end.

What is the Female to Male Ratio in your position/field?

about 65/35, more male than female.

Has the field changed since you first started your career?

Yes, it's gotten more mainstream and more dynamic.

Describe the changes taking place in your field. Project future trends?

With the growth in wireless/home applicances connected to the web and the acceptance of the internet as an everyday tool it will only become more popular. And people are becoming accustomed to flash and sizzle, so despite bandwidth constraints people will be looking for it.

Turnover rate?

Medium, mainly do to salary issues. Growth paths for rich media consultants haven't really been fleshed out yet, either, so people may need to leave to move up.

What do you think can be done to encourage girls to get more involved in the technology field?

More preparation in education. Teach them they can code something. Anything. It will build great confidence.

Do you believe that women will be in more technical jobs in the future?

Sure.

Do you have any advice for women and girls that are interested in going into the field?

Just don't count yourself out before you try it. And don't be afraid to ask for help.