The Cloudways interview series is famous in the Magento Community. Keeping the tradition alive, we have caught up with a lovely lady for the interview today. Rebecca Troth is a kind, devoted, and caring person. She is an active member of the Magento Community.
Rebecca started work at the age of 16 and gained many skills and experiences that have helped her in making such a great name in the community. She is currently working as a Project Manager at Interactive Web Solutions Ltd.
In this interview, Rebecca shared her career history and relationship with Magento. She discussed the different issues and problems Magento Developers are facing nowadays with Magento. She also offered advice to students about how they can get involved with Magento. Let’s start reading it and know more about her.
Cloudways: Rebecca, a 24 years old beautiful lady 🙂 who is a “Magento Specialist.” You started your career as a Customer Service Representative and now currently working as a Project Manager specializing in Magento at Interactive Web Solutions Ltd. Can you please tell our readers a little bit more about yourself and share your career history?
Rebecca: Aw that’s sweet, thank you! I don’t know about beautiful but I do know about Magento, and I am really glad my career has brought me into this awesome community. Customer Service Representative is not as posh as it sounds, it was my first job at 16 working in the local chip shop, but I absolutely loved working there! It actually taught me a lot about dealing with customers (hell hath no fury like a person with a complaint about their food!), coping under pressure and (literally) handling the heat, but most of all, it taught me how if you enjoy what you are doing and who you’re doing it with, work doesn’t have to be a chore!
I have always been into technology and the web, but after I graduated from college at 19, I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do. All my friends were going off to university, but that didn’t sit right with me, so I started an apprenticeship and got a job at a SEO & Marketing Company. I have had a lot of ups & downs and I’ve learned so much since then, it’s hard to believe that it was only 5 years ago! I am still one of the newest members of the iWeb team, but I love working here, everyone is so lovely and talented! It keeps me on my toes and at my best.
Cloudways: How long have you been working with Magento & what is the reason for connecting yourself with it? What challenges did you face initially & how did you tackle your problems and difficulties?
Rebecca: Magento has been a big part of my life for just under 4 years. Before then I had never heard of Magento, I had been working as a Web Designer at a large printing company when I made the move to become a Developer for a web agency specializing in Magento integrations, so I pretty much threw myself into the deep end! But I thrive off a challenge and, to be honest, Magento and I got on like a house on fire from day one.
Yes, Magento is the beast and should never be underestimated, but a bit of patience and want to learn goes a long way! There’s a Beauty & The Beast link in there somewhere 😉
With the competitiveness of our industry, you are always going to face difficulties and Magento introduces its own set of challenges but what I have always found to be invaluable, is asking questions and learning from the people around you. There often seems to be too much pride, or fear of ridicule, or something that stops people speaking up when they have a problem.
I am naturally inquisitive, and I want to know things, so if I don’t know, I ask how if I do know I ask why and even if I think I know everything I ask what. What do you think? What happens if…? What would you do? I’m not sure if those around me find it annoying that I am always asking questions, but they always seem to be there when I have a question, and I figure they would be avoiding me if they didn’t want to answer!
Cloudways: As you know, Magento 2 is a transformed version of Magento Commerce. Have you found any differences between M1 & M2 that developers need to prepare for during Magento 2 development?
Rebecca: From what I have seen, although similar, Magento 2 is going to introduce a whole new ball game for developers. When looking at its structure, you can see straight away it’s Magento but then you look a bit closer, and there are distinct differences.
There is a refreshed technology stack in Magento 2 as well, so developers have a whole host of new technologies and concepts to get used to, such as dependency injection, design patterns, command-line management tools, etc.
The best way to prepare is to experiment and use Magento 2 as much as you can.
Cloudways: If I say, “Things you like about Magento 2,” what would be your answer? How would you differentiate Magento 2 with other latest ecommerce platforms? Do you think that Magento 2 is a better option for ecommerce stores and why?
Rebecca: I would say, the new admin panel. As my role has moved away from development to project and client management, I have spent more time getting used to the Magento 2 backend from a merchant’s point of view and testing the usability, and I really like it. There are still a few dents to knock out but it is definitely a step in the right direction and as I put in my Introducing The New Admin blog post, I love it even more!
If you are serious about eCommerce, growing your business and having a scalable website that can grow with you, then the first choice has always been Magento and Magento 2 is set to take over from 1 for exactly the same market and reasons.
Cloudways: You are the one who loves to write as well since we can find your well-known blog. Who inspired you for writing? What are the main points you focus on while writing technical blogs?
Rebecca: I do love writing, and I love writing things that people hopefully find useful, insightful or just fun to read! I wasn’t really inspired by anyone, I’ve never critiqued my writing, I just put it down in the same way I think and how I would say it out loud. So that’s why it might come across a bit quirky! Haha.
With technical posts, I always imagine I’m explaining how to do something to a client or colleague who has no, or very little, Magento knowledge and make sure I explain every little point.
I have also just ventured into a new type of writing: Script writing for videos on my new Magento YouTube channel: Rebecca’s Magento Channel. So you can expect to see even more of me, which I can only hope is a good thing!
Cloudways: What are the advantages of technical blogging? As a Magento Blogger & Developer, what are your tips for a newbie who needs to start blogging on Magento from scratch?
Rebecca: Whenever I write a technical blog post, I learn more, which is an awesome advantage. Even if it’s something I know how to do and have done many times, I find writing about it gives me a deeper understanding of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, which in turn makes it easier for me to do and teach others to do.
If you’re new to blogging about Magento, my only tips would be to write about the areas you are passionate about, do plenty of research and try to give your post something that is useful to readers that other posts on the subject don’t, such as extra details, screenshots or personal recommendations, etc.
Cloudways: In your opinion, what are the major issues for a Magento Developer nowadays and what would be your suggestions to improve them? Please share your motivational words and advice with students and future Magento Developers?
Rebecca: I would probably say the number one issue for new developers would be the desire to give up at the first hurdle and how easy it is just to quit. There is no clear learning curve when it comes to Magento. With myself I learnt a lot very quickly, and then my progress became more gradual when it came to more complex integrations and modules, but I have seen developers who are introduced to it for the first time and within a week they are flying, and I have seen others who battle for months before it all sinks in.
This is nothing bad against the developers that struggle, they are equal as talented and experienced, I just think there is a certain mindset you need to gel instantly with Magento (possibly one a little on the crazy side ;-P) and not everyone has it.
What I would say to Magento students and future developers, is don’t worry and don’t give up. There will be things that do just click with you, but there will be things you really struggle to grasp, so try and fail as many times as it takes and definitely doesn’t be afraid to ask for help! The community on the Magento Forums and Stack Exchange are always willing to chip in so don’t be scared; they will not make fun of you for asking. If they do, just send them my way, and I’ll have a word 😉
Cloudways: You also have a Certificate in Photography. Do you really have a passion for photography or it is just like a random timepass thing? Also please share your best clicks with our readers. 🙂
Rebecca: I love taking photos, and I am super passionate about it before I got into web development and started full-time employment I was taking photos all the time. Unfortunately, I just do not have as much spare time anymore to get out and shoot.
Two of my photos that come to mind to share would be, this one of a chimp at Chester Zoo:
And this one from when I was out walking in the cold with my partner:
Cloudways: How do you spend your free time? Just like I do, do you also love playing games, watching movies and hangouts with friends?
Rebecca: Yes, all of the above! I tend to spend my free time out adventuring, partying, exercising, playing Xbox, taking photos, reading or just relaxing and binge-watching a series on Netflix!
Cloudways: Everyone has some influencers, who inspire us with their quality work or great quotes. Name some people who impressed you a lot in your personal & professional life.
Rebecca: My greatest influencers will always be my family & friends who inspire me to be better. My life’s motto, first said to me by my Dad when I was just a little girl, will always be “If you are gonna be a bear, be a grizzly!”. Thanks to this, I have a lifelong devotion doing the best I can which I take the utmost pride in, and I love to get super passionate about everything I’m involved in!
Cloudways: Cloudways provides 1 click Magento installation with awesome speed & famous cloud infrastructures embedded within the platform. Would you prefer shared hosting for Magento stores or a cloud hosting environment like Cloudways offers?
Rebecca: Definitely the cloud, every time!
Fayyaz Khattak
Fayyaz, a passionate Motorbike tourist, works as a Team Lead — Magento Community at Cloudways - A Managed Magento Hosting Platform. His objective is to learn & share about PHP & Magento Development in Community. You can contact him at [email protected]
