James Berbert - Front-End Web Developer

ABOUT ME

I'm a Front-end Web Developer from the Washington, DC area.

I have begun my journey into the dynamic world of Web Development through the Front-End Web Development Ceritifcation course under the tutelage of Professor Carl M. Burnett of ProfBurnett.com.

I have learned the fundamentals of web development and design through my studies at Montgomery College, but also through my own self-directed learning. I am experienced with HTML5 and CSS3 development, and I'm familiar with the fundamentals of JavaScript and jQuery. I also have experience with responsive web design frameworks like W3.CSS and Bootstrap.

James Berbert

In addition to my experience with web development I have aquaried a variety of skills through my education and work history over the years. I'm a graphic designer, a creative writer, a photographer, a musician, an experienced English teacher, and a homebrewer of mead.

I am a historian and a cultural studies scholar. In college I majored in American studies which is an interdisciplinary program that examines American culture through a variety of lenses like history, economics, and literature.

I have a passion for music and writing. I play the guitar and sing, and I have been involved in several DC area bands over the years. My favorite type of music is folk.

In my free time I read and write as often as I can. I have a love for historical fiction, epic fantasy, and political literature. Some of my favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

You can learn more about my web development skills bellow ↓

My Skills:

HTML

90%

CSS

85%

JavaScript

70%

jQuery

75%

XML

65%

JSON

60%

AJAX

65%

Responsive Web Design

80%

MY WORK

Here are some examples of my work from the Front-End Web Development Ceritifcation course.
Click on the images to see learning outcomes.

I learned the fundamentals of web development and how to create simple websites using only HTML5 and CSS3. This foundational understanding is important before learning about frameworks, Flexbox, programming, and other more advanced aspects of development. I've been exposed to the full potential of CSS3 and how advanced the styling techniques can get and I'm excited to learn more about animations, grid layouts, Flexbox, and Sass.

I learned how programming languages like JavaScript introduce interactive elements to websites. While learning the basic logic and syntax of JavaScript code I was introduced to the Document Object Model (DOM) and learned how to create and manipulate objects. I wrote and edited JavaScript code and created some basic applications.

I learned how JavaScript libraries like jQuery simplify programming and let you write complicated applications much faster and with fewer lines of code. jQuery is a powerful open-source JavaScript library but learning the basics of vanilla JavaScript is important before jumping into libraries. I'm excited to build more projects using jQuery and eventually I want to learn more about React.js.

XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language and it has a similar structure to HTML but the bracketed element names are customized which makes it a powerful tool in structuring custom bits of data. I learned to read and write simple XML documents and how this markup language is one of the supporting foundational structures of the web.

I learned that JavaScript Object Notation is readable text format that easily and intuitively represents data used in JavaScript. I learned to write and use JSON files and how to loop through JSON arrays.

I learned that AJAX is a way to load content from databases and can be used to update portions of websites without needing to reload the pages. This is a useful tool in creating responsive websites the load quickly and efficiently.

I learned how to use CSS Media Queries to stylize certain elements for different sized screens. I also learned how to streamline the whole process using Bootstrap and W3.CSS responsive frameworks.

CERTIFICATION GOALS

These were my goals for the certification course.

HTML5/CSS3

Understand the foundational languages of web development
Build a functional website using only HTML5 and CSS3
Learn more advanced CSS styling techniques including animations

JavaScript/jQuery

Understand the functionality of programming languages
Learn the syntax and logic of vanilla JavaScript
Write basic applications using JavaScript
Understand how JavaScript libraries like jQuery make programming easier

XML/JSON/AJAX

Understand the basic applications of asynchronous programming
Learn about nested arrays and objects
Write code using these three technologies that work with JavaScript to streamline web development

Responsive Web Design

Understand how media queries work to make websites responsive on a variety of devices
Write media queries using basic CSS
Learn to use responsive frameworks like W3.CSS and Bootstrap