a little blurb about me
Hello there! My name is Matt Young and I relocated from Chicago to the Destin area in 2012. My career as a web developer started when I registered my first domain, ChicagoWebGuru.com, back in 2005 claiming by default to be the Chicago Web Guru. Back then, I honestly had no right to own the domain, or act like I was some authority on web anything. I was not a Web Guru by any means. I knew a little HTML and CSS, and knew how to upload my files to a server. Other than that, nada. I kept working at it though, and in 2010 I landed a gig as a front-end contractor for Redbox.
Being among some very talented, pro developers was very enlightening. I immediately realized how much there was to learn, and honestly it made me quite embarrassed to own this domain knowing how undeniably green I was. So, there it was, an overwhelming challenge. I was determined not to give up though, and so I only had one other choice: Become a Web Guru or die trying!
In the winter of 2011, I was contacted by a recruiter at Apartments.com. The stars aligned and even though I was probably under qualified, I was offered my first full-time front-end web development position. I graciously accepted, but was a little worried about the challenges ahead. I spent the first six months studying JavaScript, my Achilles’ heel, and was eventually involved in some major updates to their mobile and desktop websites.
In August of 2012, I relocated to the Destin area and I am currently working as a web developer for an amazing company, Bit-Wizards in Fort Walton Beach. They were No. 2 on the Florida Trend's Top Small Companies to Work for in 2012! Looking forward to learning and growing over the next few years with this great team.
some recent stuff i worked on
On Target Goals, a Windows 8 app developed for Bit-Wizards. It's a SMART goal app that was developed using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. I was the sole developer on this project, and I also designed the UI. Check it out at the Windows 8 App Store!
A simple Node.js web application for task management. This was mostly a learning experience, and I wanted to try using Express.js, including it's built-in session state, MongoDB and Cloud Foundry. Here's a link to the app, Task App. Feel free to create an account and try it out.
This website! I used responsive web design with the help of the Skeleton grid system to provide a flexible layout that adjusts to fit the width of your browser window. Change the width of your browser window and watch what happens to this content! This is a great way to design and develop for desktop and mobile at the same time. Check out www.getskeleton.com for more information.
An Object Oriented JavaScript Tutorial with sample HTML pages, tons of comments, and power point. I recently did a lunch and learn at Apartments.com and discussed this topic with my co-developers. Download the tutorial here.
An AJAX based website prototype for musicians. Includes PHP based schedule updater interface, HTML5 audio player that continues playing as you browse the site, and shopping cart integration with PayPal. Here's a link to the prototype: Musica. Some of the functionality is still being integrated as I recently ported this site over to a new hosting account.
get in touch
don't feel like filling out another form?
- Call me: 773-206-1618
- Email me: matt@destinwebguru.com
