We thought it would be a good idea to have a series of interviews with some web developers. We will be publishing a new interview every Monday. Kicking things off is Abraham Vegh, a PHP developer.

Leave a comment if you have any questions for Abraham or if if. you would like to make some suggestions for future interviews!

1. First of all introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you and what is it that you do?

I'm Abraham Vegh. I was introduced to computers when DVD was just emerging, HTML just a few years after that, and since then I've been exploring all of the different aspects of client-side and server-side web design and development. I'm currently a student by day and developer the rest of the time. I've been working on computers in a professional capacity (read: getting paid) for nearly three years, and in an unofficial capacity for many more than that.

2. How did you get into the web development industry and how long did it take you to get to where you are today?

When I first started using really computers, I used an IBM Aptiva desktop which replaced my family's old no-name Windows 3.1 desktop. The IBM (as it came to be fondly called) shipped with some cool applications like Microsoft FrontPage. Together with an AOL dial-up connection, this was my first introduction to the web. For years after that, I played around with making "cool" websites, complete with frames for navigation, and all of those wonderful things everyone used back in 2002. Then, a few years ago I was laid up for a couple months with a bad leg fracture, and I was asked by someone that I knew if I would be interested in changing some of the content on his website. At that point I had never used any templating systems or CSS before. The website was a very rudimentary table-based layout without some CSS thrown in, but it used PHP includes to do a basic form of templating. That was the catalyst that got me looking at PHP, and as they say, the rest is history.

3. What server-side language do you work with most and why?

As my first language, PHP is my favourite, although I have experimented with Perl, Python, and a few others. It was the language that really introduced me to the path of creating, versus imagining. I have sketches and drafts from years ago of applications I wanted to create, but I simply didn't know how. PHP was simple for me to understand, and I rapidly progressed from functional concepts to object-oriented programming. This inspired me to pursue learning C and some other desktop languages, and I'm even beginning to learn Objective-C to try my hand at creating an iPhone application or two.

4. Are there any languages you would like to learn or wish you had learned sooner?

I am very happy with my knowledge of programming languages. I don't yet have any compelling reasons to really pursue learning other languages in-depth, but perhaps in the future I will learn something new just for fun, or because my work requires it.

5. Is there something you would do different if you were just starting out today?

I do wish I had come across CSS before tables, but I'm self-taught in everything that I know, so I could only do what the best of us do: look at someone's work, copy it, and then learn how to do it yourself. As I'm sure many of my fellow coders would, I'd love to be able to go back in time and explain to myself some core concepts which took me some time to master, but that's all part of the learning process, and nobody should try to skip that.

6. Do you enjoy what you do? What is it you like about web development?

Absolutely! I was recently asked what I would do if I won the lottery today and never had to work a day in my life again, and I immediately replied that I would continue what I do now: Have fun while experimenting and developing on the web. I absolutely love that with the web, everything is nearly instant. If you want to do something, all you need to do is write it and publish it. Boom, you've accomplished something.

7. What tools do you use on a daily basis and couldn't live without?

As a recent Mac convert, my MacBook Pro is my most valuable tool. On my laptop itself, TextMate is my most frequently used application for anything text-related, and Firefox is my browser of choice. I despise IDEs for the most part (my favorite Windows program is Notepad). Lately I've been finding Cultured Codes' Things to be an indispensable tool in managing my workflow. I publish a frequently updated list of software and hardware tools I use; you can find it on my blog.

8. Do you have any advice for our readers just starting out in the industry?

The best advice I can offer is to be yourself. Don't try to portray yourself as something you aren't, and don't try to bite off more than you can chew. Take everything one step at a time, and everything will fall into place. Strive for knowledge, as it is your greatest ally. Find someone who you can look up to and admire, strive to be like them, and you will become like them.

/waxing philosophical ;)

9. Finally, where can we see your work and get in touch?

You should follow me on Twitter @abrahamvegh. My open source projects are all hosted on GitHub, and everything else is on or linked from my website, AbrahamVegh.com. You can contact me using the contact form on my blog, email to "imawebdev at abrahamvegh dot com," or just give me a shout on Twitter. Thank you very much for this opportunity, and I hope someone gains something from my experiences.