by Eileen Smyth, Social Media Coordinator
I first met Bud Kraus at a WordPress Montclair Meetup presentation on the new WordPress editor, Gutenberg. During the question and answer session, Bud conveyed his enthusiasm and passion for WordPress. He was sitting close by, and I noticed he was patient with questions posed to him by WordPress newbies.
This meetup leads to how I met Bud. I am in an exploratory process of deciding my next career move. Informational interviews are one of the best ways to learn about a potential career; however, it is not easy to ask a stranger to discuss his or her career or area of expertise. Bud popped into my mind as the first choice; he is friendly, approachable and loves what he does. Thankfully, Bud was happy to comply.
During my interview, I learned how Bud made his own career transition from the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry to creating WordPress websites and teaching others to do the same. I thought it would be interesting to share what I learned about Bud’s WordPress journey.
Eileen: How long have you been working with WordPress, and how did you get started?
Bud: I started about 10 years ago. I was a code guy and was completely against any kind of CMS. Back then, there was a lot of talk about “Rage Against the Machine.” The Machine won.
It was a very smart client who said I should look into WordPress. He gave me access to his dashboard. I did not know what I was looking at, but over time, I started to figure it out. Once I figured out how a child theme works, I was hooked.
My first look at WordPress was version 2.6 or 2.7. We’re now at 5.2. I’ve seen many changes, mostly for the good.
Eileen: When I was looking you up for my informational interview, I browsed your website, ‘Joy of WP’. I like how it conveys your helpfulness and sense of humor, especially your ‘That’s me, Bud’ (About) page. When did you decide to venture into offering WordPress training?
Bud: Within a year of getting started with WordPress, I approached the Enterprise Center at the Fashion Institute of Technology to teach a WordPress class. I had been teaching HTML and CSS for years by then, but the bloom was off that rose. The herd had moved onto the WP field, and we had more students than we did for the coding classes. I remember my first WP class. I had only a vague idea of how I would do it. It’s still pretty much the formula I use today.
Eileen: What year was your first NYC WordCamp?
Bud: I remember it well, but I don’t remember the year. Probably 2013 or 2014. It was at the Marriot in Brooklyn. The first speaker that Saturday morning was Sayed Balkhi of WPBeginner and Optin Monster fame. He rapidly went through about 50 plugins in 40 minutes. I sat there thinking, “I feel good that I have heard of many of these.”
I didn’t know a soul, but that was OK. People were friendly, and it was my first look at the WordPress Community.
Eileen: With how many WordCamps, NYC or otherwise, have you been involved? As a volunteer, speaker, or other capacities? Topics taught?
Bud: After this month I will have eight WordCamps under my belt. They are starting to become collections and feel more like a High School reunion at this point. I rarely sit through an entire talk as I spend my time with vendors and having a good time with friends.
Here is the tally of my talks:
Four NYC WordCamps
In 2016 I had presented “Lessons Learned: Considerations for Teaching Your Clients WordPress,” (my son got married in 2017, so I missed that one) and was the Speaker Wrangler in 2018 and will be in 2019.
Three US WordCamps
· Nashville – 2017
· Philadelphia – 2016
· Boston 2019: I will Present “My Way with WordPress.”
· Montclair – 2019: Presented “Getting Gutenberg To Do What You Need It to Do”
Eileen: What is your most memorable WordCamp talk, and why?
Bud: The talk I gave at WC NYC 2016 was “Lessons Learned: Considerations for Teaching Your Clients WordPress.” It was meant for designers and developers, but it turned out lots of other people wanted to hear it. I’d like to think that some of the lessons I learned went into creating two free WordPress courses that anyone can have access to from my site, Joy of WP. In total, I offer over 50 free courses on my site (my wife thinks I’m crazy).
Eileen: Overall, what are some of the things you like best about attending WordCamps?
Bud: Having been to a lot of WordCamps. What I like best is seeing old friends, meeting people that I had only met online and making new friends. I’ve said that WordCamps are like High School reunions.
I also value the time I spend catching up with vendors on their offerings and future plans.
Eileen: Thank you, Bud. Also, I am glad you suggested I volunteer at WordCamp NYC 2019. I am looking forward to the experience!
Meet Bud in person and the rest of the WordCamp team at WordCamp NYC 2019, Saturday, September 14 – Sunday, September 15 at Convene. Get your tickets now. (https://2019.nyc.wordcamp.org/tickets/)