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In January 2008, I found a Craigslist ad asking for an HTML/CSS/Javascript Developer. After four years of working with websites professionally, I felt confident that I could do the job. A few days later I started at Six Feet Up, which threw me into the deep end of Plone. I was replacing Six Feet Up's Template Developer, and I was able to work with him for only two days before he left.

This was the first time I had heard of Plone or worked with a CMS. My experience had always been with static websites as a developer who had to make the content updates. Plone has a reputation for having a large learning curve, but I was able to learn it quickly enough that I did not feel overwhelmed.

Two months after being hired, I attended the first Plone Symposium East at Penn State. Some of the talks were beyond what I was ready to absorb, but I still was able to pick up some incredibly useful information. It was also a great opportunity to get to know other members of the Plone community.

Clayton Parker is one of the other developers at Six Feet Up who helped me understand Plone and use it effectively. With his guidance, I learned the best practices for Plone development. I appreciated his dedication, especially since I was bugging him every five minutes with questions and buildout problems for the first couple months.

Once I got past the initial Plone learning curve, I was able to fine-tune the new theming skills I had acquired. Now after two and a half years at Six Feet Up, I have been able to move into a position where I can assist new developers. I have been given Plone Core commit access and had the opportunity to give talks and a training at conferences.