Biography - David
Hi, I am David, I'm 19 and currently studying a BSc in Management at the University of Manchester. I am hoping to graduate in 2009 and will soon need to start career hunting! My course involves studying different aspects of managing people and organizations, as well as the computer systems used in large companies (and a little cryptography!).
I have worked as a web designer for several years, creating websites for myself and for other people. Design has always been of interest to me - whether creating a website, looking at a logo or even reading a newspaper. ThinkQuest provides a fantastic way to meet new people whilst using the skills I have built up over the past years.
My role in this ThinkQuest project has been to design the site and to integrate the various articles written into the design of the website itself, turning it from a great design into a fully functional website. All the way through I have consulted with Kishore as the assistant coach, along with those writing articles and coding interactive elements of the website.
Challenges pop up everywhere when collaborating on a website, with the greatest being developing a whole Spanish section. I cannot speak a word of Spanish, so integrating all the articles and creating navigation was a real challenge. Google translation came in very handy throughout the process, and other members of the team were always on hand to give assistance.
This is the second (and unfortunately, due to the age restrictions, the last) time I have competed in ThinkQuest. I was inspired to take part again after enjoying it last time and feeling a real sense of accomplishment when the website all comes together. The feeling of having created a real lasting resource of information is very rewarding. Not only have I learned a great deal about cryptography throughout the process of creating the website, I have further improved time management skills (juggling ThinkQuest as well as studies can be very challenging!). I'm pleased to have taken part in this project again, and hope that it can offer many other students the same rewarding experience in future years.