I didn’t set out to be a web developer.
Back in 1995, I was dating a guy (spoiler: he became my husband) who had a website for his small business. That was rare back then — the web was still new, still weird. Like many early websites, his was unfinished. The original “developer” had disappeared.
So I figured… I’ll figure it out.
HTML 4.0 had just come out. I bought a book, opened Notepad, and started learning. There were no page builders, no templates, and definitely no YouTube tutorials. Google didn’t even exist yet — just forums, trial and error, and printed manuals. But it made sense to me. I liked the mix of logic and creativity. Building something from scratch was satisfying in a way few things were.
And in true 90s fashion, we didn’t just code.
We did everything. Graphic design. Hosting and server management. FTP transfers. Table-based layouts. Image slicing. Later, when search engines became a thing (and then Google became the thing), we learned SEO. Then came social media, content strategy, accessibility, responsive design, analytics, paid ads, and marketing funnels. There wasn’t room to specialize — we just figured it out as we went.
That’s how I ended up founding Cyber Crew, one of the earliest and largest online communities of web designers and digital artists. We shared code, traded critiques, supported one another, and helped shape what web culture looked like in its infancy. I was later invited to join The Digital Divas, a powerhouse group of women in tech that famously stood up to Microsoft when they tried to use our name. That era of my life feels surreal now — both chaotic and electric.
It’s wild to realize that next year marks 30 years since I taught myself HTML.
Today, I still build websites. I work primarily as a HubSpot and front-end developer, with a strong focus on digital strategy — especially for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations. I still love the logic and flow of clean code, but I’m equally drawn to the storytelling, user experience, and structure behind a site that actually works for people.
This section of the blog — Web & Digital Work — is where I’ll share:
Because back then, we built the web with nothing but a blinking cursor and a little curiosity.
And honestly? That part hasn’t changed.
Photo by Kimberly Nguyen on Unsplash