Alumni Profile: Cameron Adams

Degree: Science/Law 2003 Current Position: Web technologist and author, Sydney, Australia Cameron Adams's weblog, The Man In Blue, is recognised internationally as a source of expert commentary on the internet and design. He has consulted and worked for government departments, nonprofit organisations, large corporations and tiny startups. Cameron says he was drawn to web development because it allowed him to exercise both creativity and logic. Here he reveals the decisive moments that have shaped his career so far.

I studied Science/Law while I was at Melbourne University, but I really had no idea what I wanted to do afterwards. A combined degree turned out to be the best option for me because it gave me a lot of time to think!

As it turned out, one of the key moments from my time at Melbourne didn't come from study, but from stepping out of my normal boundaries and getting involved with one of the many extra-curricular opportunities on campus. One day, I walked into the Farrago offices and asked if I could help out. It was in the offices of the campus magazine that I began to explore my interest in graphic design. This is what university life is all about: letting you try new things with the support of your peers.

After my work got featured on a couple of covers, I was smitten, and that passing interest evolved into part-time work as a desktop publisher while I studied. This outside work began to mesh with the half of my degree which I was most interested in -- basically a Computer Science course -- and this in turn affected my work; desktop publishing morphed into web design.

It's a dirty secret, but a blessing in disguise, that I actually ‘forgot’ to put in any applications for Articles at a law firm. That kind of indicated to me that I wasn't about to become a high-powered corporate lawyer. Thankfully, my part-time job converted easily into a full-time position, so my first stop out of Parkville wasn't Centrelink.

As with most web designers, while working day-shift I cultivated a healthy client base on the side as The Man in Blue (www.themaninblue.com). Looking back on it now I put in way too many hours working nights and weekends while updating my blog with emerging technologies and techniques.

After about a year of working full-time, my independent nature asserted itself and I decided to strike out fully on my own. By sheer luck, at the same time my blog had attracted the interest of a publisher and I was approached to write The JavaScript Anthology, the first of my books (and the thickest by far).

Since then I've published three more books, spoken at conferences around the world and worked with clients such as NEC, Sensis, the ABC and Google, helping all of them to bring design and programming together in unique and useful ways.

All this experience has taught me two things with regards to university and life afterwards:

1. Remain open. Don't think of university as a fixed path from high school to career via a degree.

2. No matter what you do, if you do it with passion you'll be rewarded.

If you keep those two points in mind, and always have fun while you're on campus, you'll be well on the way to getting the most out of your tertiary education.