Of course, from a personal perspective, some questions were more interesting than others. Why do we do this, and why do we do it this way? It makes you think. Here are my conclusions to some if the highlights of this exciting behind-the-monitor event.
On average, how many hours per week do you work?If you do what you love, then work cease to be work. It becomes… life. But still, life is somehow more than “work”. It’s hard to make any clear sense out of it all but I find that this is the level I want to experiment with at the moment.
I’m searching for a balance where I can work at peak efficiency, maintain the pace, and progress quickly and steadily. Adjustments to this level will surely be made but around 50 hours a week seem perfectly healthy right now.
How much of your work is web-related?I love the web - the web is what I do.
Your personal salary aside, how’s business?Knowing - or believing - that your company is doing well is one of the keys to professional happiness. You know that you’re in the clear, that you can go to work and do what you do, what you like, without stress. Of course it’s important.
With which of the following statements do you most identify?Even more important. Working shouldn’t be like exercising on a treadmill. You want to feel that you’re really getting somewhere. I think we need to take care of the opportunities where we can go in the direction we want and remember - these are fortunate times.
Let's talk perks. Get any?Some. What’s important here is to be taken care of, not spoiled.
Has your geographical location slowed the progress of your career, or made earning a living more difficult than it should be?I picked this location for a reason, because there’s a decent amount of people living here and it’s a pretty global city. For web and design, I believe Amsterdam is a really great place to be.
Even though the internet is truly global, location will always be important. Attention is not the point. Reach and opportunity is. California is my (yes, dear - our) next stop.
Has employer or client prejudice about your age slowed the progress of your career, or made earning a living more difficult than it should be?Kind of an interesting question since I’m 21 years old. Definitely not, but looking around I guess we’re actually a team of pretty young people here so I may not be speaking for the entire industry when I’m saying that age doesn’t matter.
How long have you had a personal blog/website?I’ve had this one for a couple of years now, actually. But then again, I haven’t been writing that regularly. Mostly been trying to figure out what I want to do with the site. Hopefully this identity crisis is over now.
The survey is available at A List Apart.