Chicago Web Pro Seeks Drupal Mentoring

Hello!

I'm a longtime Chicago-based web professional who is looking to expand my Drupal knowledge and skills. Everything I've heard about learning Drupal points toward the need to establish a relationship with a mentor: someone who can point me in the right directions, tell me of best practices, and introduce me to all of the foibles of Drupal and its contributed Modules. So, I'm looking for an opportunity to work with an individual or team on a Drupal project where I can be eased into the process of implementing Drupal sites.

This work could be conducted in a number of different contexts, from working pro-bono on a not-for-profit effort to commercial work. (In the latter instance, I would still expect to be paid something, but at a dramatic reduction from my regular fee schedule.) I'm based in Chicago and would be available for meetings et al anywhere in the Chicago area, however, I'd plan to conduct most production work from my office. Also, although my schedule is quite flexible, my availability would be part-time, as I have other professional commitments.

Here's what I bring to the table:
-- 20 years experience as a media pro (19 of those directly involved in Internet/Web projects), with many dozens of sites and projects under my belt.
-- Expert level of knowledge of HTML/CSS/Web layouts; advanced skills in responsive web design.
-- Expert level of knowledge of general site implementation, and expert skills with the Joomla content management system. (Lots of CMS industry knowledge too.)
-- Intermediate skills with PHP.
-- Beginner skills with Drupal (although I have read a lot about it).
-- Intermediate-to-Advanced skills with all de rigeur website admin stuff: using cPanel/PHPMyAdmin/etc., configuring DNS, FTP'ing, DB setup, LAMP permissions, command line, etc.
-- Advanced-to-Expert skills in many creative areas, including copywriting/copyediting, graphic design (including Adobe Creative Suite), user interface design, etc.
-- Knowledge and experience in many areas of business, client and project management, as well as expert skills in many areas of marketing.
-- Professional experience in a range of business contexts, including Fortune 100, start-ups, growth-phase companies and freelancing; specific vertical market experience includes publishing, non-profits, professional services consulting, B2B distributorships, franchise networks, B2C ecommerce, and many other areas.

So, I believe there are many places where I could contribute to a Drupal project, even though it would take me time to get up to speed with the Drupal platform itself. I'm willing to start from the bottom up, including plugging-and-chugging menial work, bartering some of my services for your knowledge/training, or what have you. My primary goal is to start getting my hands dirty with Drupal.

If you are a Chicago-based Drupal pro who is looking for some help and is willing to take a newbie under your wing, please get in touch. Also feel free to pass this along to any interested parties. Thanks much for your attention and consideration!

-- Justin Kerr
justin@prototaph.com