Nerd Show and Tell: Meet Konnor Rogers

Podcast Awesome

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Podcast Awesome we have an inspiring chat with Konnor Rogers, a developer at Web Awesome with a fascinating career trajectory. Starting his professional life as a paramedic and self-teaching his way into web development, Connor's journey epitomizes the relentless pursuit of a career in technology.

Konnor shares insights into his transition from paramedic to coder, highlighting the challenges of being self-taught and the breakthrough opportunities that led to his role alongside Corey at Web Awesome. He discusses current projects such as component development, the intricacies of form association, and the excitement of tackling the much-anticipated Kickstarter stretch goals like date pickers and rich text editors. Listeners can expect to hear a developer-centric conversation enriched with the technical specifics of Web Awesome's ongoing efforts to deliver awesome components to customers.

Timestamp | Summary
2:58 | From Paramedic to Web Developer: A Journey of Learning
4:05 | Balancing Education, Work, and Family Life
4:38 | Discovering and Contributing to Shoelace Components
5:04 | From Startup to Microsoft and Beyond
6:45 | Unconventional Paths to Tech Careers and Self-Taught Success
9:40 | Improving Form Controls in Web Development
12:58 | Refining Radio Button Accessibility and Behavior
14:09 | Challenges of Building an Accessible Date Picker Component
17:02 | Embracing Iterative Progress in Product Development
17:03 | Challenges in Building Advanced Web Components
20:00 | Early Mornings and Unusual Paramedic Tales
23:15 | Discussing Favorite Fonts, Icons, and Web Components
25:11 | Competitive Gaming and Balancing Family Life
26:42 | Recognizing Personal Limits with Hobby Enthusiasm

Resources:

• The Odin Project: An open-source project that provides a free education in web development. The Odin Project
• Syntax FM podcast: A popular tech podcast discussing web development topics that Connor mentioned during the conversation. Syntax FM
• Font Awesome: Font Awesome Website
• Web Awesome: Kickstarter Website
• Twitter: @fontawesome
• The Font Awesome theme song was composed by Ronnie Martin
• Audio mastering by Chris Enns and Lemon Productions

Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

Chapters

1. Konnor Nerd Show and Tell v2 (00:00:00)

2. to the Nerd Show and Tell/ (00:01:40)

3. The Journey from Paramedic to Software Developer (00:02:15)

4. Discovering a Passion for Coding and Web Components (00:02:45)

5. Transitioning to Microsoft and Web Awesome (00:04:22)

6. The Unconventional Paths to Web Awesome (00:06:18)

7. Overcoming Challenges as a Self-Taught Developer (00:06:49)

8. Behind the Scenes of the Kickstarter Campaign (00:08:57)

9. Favorite Fonts, Icons, and Components (00:23:05)

10. Hobbies and Personal Interests (00:25:02)

11. Concluding Thoughts and Future Aspirations (00:27:29)