Job Q&A
by Ben Murray
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Monster.com: What is Paladin Design?

Taylor Holmes: Paladin Design is a small Web development shop that concentrates on cutting-edge site creation primarily for Christian companies and organizations interested in making an impression via the Internet. It is a side business I created with a friend. Partnering with Christian companies and assisting them in thinking outside the box is what we enjoy doing.

Mc: How did you get into this kind of work?

TH: We saw a small niche that needed to be filled. I have another job where I work in a large Christian media house as the Internet application owner. It was there that I realized how few design shops understood the specific needs of Christian companies and could cater to them. We're very excited about the reception we've seen in the short time we've been up and running.

Mc: Walk me through your typical day.

TH: On any given day, we might be getting to know a customer and his company or be knee-deep in HTML. The most exciting part of any particular job we might be working on is developing a relationship with the customer. That means finding out the customer's mission and rationale behind who the client is. Then we take that information and roll it into a concept or design that fits their needs.

Mc: Why did you choose this line of work?

TH: I was actually a political science major in college, but I happened to room with three other hacker-types. After a couple of semesters of being inundated by their technical firehouse, I fell in love. I happily gave up the politics and went looking for a place where I could learn all the technical information as fast as possible.

Mc: What has been your best day at Paladin?

TH: The first site we finished for a customer has to rank up there. Knowing that you provided a quality of service at the best possible cost to the customer and seeing your creation take off is really exhilarating.

Mc: Is this where you thought you'd be five years ago?

TH: Five years ago, I still thought I would be working on Capitol Hill, so the answer is a definite no. Outside of that, yes, I did see myself working on the Internet side of things. I couldn't have envisioned this side business and the niche I saw opening up. I can only hope this business will continue to accelerate and allow me to do this type of work full-time.

Mc: What advice do you have for job seekers looking for similar work?

TH: Pay your dues. Coming from a totally nontechnical background, I had to jump in at the ground floor and do what was necessary at the time for the company I just started with. As I continued to prove myself with the small things, bigger and better things came my way. I'm sure if I went on to get my master's in something even remotely related to what I'm doing right now, I would find even more doors opening.

Mc: What is the hardest part of what you do?

TH: For me, the most difficult aspect of this business is covering all of the bases at once. Many times we might not have the necessary capacity or the skill level we need for a particular job, because we work in a small shop. Finding a way to make it work is always the most difficult.

Mc: Where do you see yourself headed?

TH: I would love to either see Paladin Design grow to the point where it takes off completely on its own or to get involved with another design shop where they have the same values I see as important. I do see myself getting a master's in IT, which will be a big step for me in the future. Right now, though, I just enjoy having my hands in on the technical hardware, the server software, the coding and the design. If you twist my arm, I would probably admit I enjoy the design side most, but you didn't hear that from me.