WAGENTO CREATIVE BLOG

P10 Paragraph Text On this week’s episode of the Talk Commerce podcast, Brent Peterson talks about developer training and education with Joseph Maxwell, the founder and CEO of SwiftOtter, Inc. They dive into the importance of having certified or accredited developers on teams, issues agencies might face when helping their developers get certified, and Joseph’s new book, The Art of Ecommerce Debugging.

About Joseph Maxwell
Joseph founded SwiftOtter in January of 2011 in the Kansas City, Missouri area. He strives to continue his own Magento education while helping other developers earn Magento and Adobe certifications. Joseph is highly knowledgeable when it comes to BigCommerce and Magento, and he has assisted countless merchants achieve their eCommerce goals. He’s capable of everything from managing basic updates to building highly customized solutions for his clients.

Interview Summary
As someone who’s naturally curious and constantly aiming to increase his knowledge, Joseph’s main goal is to share his findings with others in the developer community. He said that, although he loves to learn new things, the most important part is to share his newfound knowledge with others so that everyone can benefit. Joseph is particularly passionate about helping developers on his own team become certified in Magento or Adobe products.

Brent asked Joseph why a merchant would want a certified developer, and Joseph responded by saying that most people who earn certifications go above and beyond in order to gain the information they need to know for the test. A developer who takes the time to earn a certification can prove that they have attained a certain level of knowledge; similar to how an employer may prefer a candidate with a college degree over one with no university experience.

Joseph went on to mention that getting certified can open several doors for developers. He said that he isn’t aware of a single unemployed Magento developer because recruiters immediately start contacting individuals who become certified. While this is great news for developers, this can leave agencies in a difficult position to compete for qualified talent.

The interview came to an end after discussing Joseph’s management practices at SwiftOtter. Joseph said that he rarely asks anyone for overtime in an effort to balance each worker’s creativity and productivity. If you try to get people to work too much, Joseph explained, they become less productive and only focus on the hours they’re supposed to be putting in.
Lastly, Joseph gave a shameless plug for his book, The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, at Brent’s request.
Where to Find More Episodes
Brent releases new episodes of Talk Commerce every Tuesday on the official podcast website. If you prefer to watch the interviews, most podcasts are video recorded and uploaded to Wagento’s YouTube page.
Occasionally, Brent will release bonus episodes to cover exciting events, such as the Adobe Summit, or to host special editions of the show. Subscribe to Talk Commerce on Apple Podcasts, Audible, or wherever else you like to get your podcasts to make sure you never miss an episode!