My WordPress Career: Rashid Ali

A first job at an amusement park instilled valuable skills for a career in WordPress.

My WordPress Career is an employee spotlight on the StellarWP blog. Each week we highlight a different team member’s professional journey. 

While each story is unique, they all illustrate how there isn’t just one way to arrive at a career in WordPress. Our team members come from different backgrounds, and each person brings a unique history to their role. And we think that’s pretty stellar.

Today, we’re talking to Rashid Ali, a support supervisor at LearnDash.

StellarWP: First up: Tell us about your very first job.

Rashid Ali: My first job was at Canada’s Wonderland, an amusement park in Ontario. I worked as a cashier and associate at one of their busiest gift shops.

My duties included checking people out, ensuring the till was accurate (remember the days when customers paid in cash?), helping customers find what they were looking for, restocking, and general customer service.

What’s your current job at StellarWP?

RA: I’m a Level 2 Support Supervisor at LearnDash. My duties include helping the Level 1 and 2 support teams with anything they need. That includes: Helping remove any blockers that prevent them from doing their duties; ongoing training; and keeping the team up-to-date with LearnDash as a whole. 

I also help create and update processes that improve our overall support services.

In short, I think of my duties as making the lives of our support team as easy and stress-free as possible.

When did your career start to shift toward WordPress?

RA: I built my first WordPress website around 2013. That’s when I really fell in love with WordPress as my CMS of choice.

I then got my first WordPress job in 2015 as a support representative with a WordPress theme shop.

How has your career in WordPress evolved?

RA: I initially started as a freelancer using WordPress as my CMS of choice. I focused on full-site builds for small businesses and wanted to scale that to an agency. However, I realized the agency life was not for me (at least for now). 

Now, I’m part of a bigger team that focuses on building and supporting the products behind the websites I used to build.

I wish I had known how many jobs are available within the WordPress space, and that you don’t have to be able to build entire websites before getting those jobs.

Is there anything you learned on your first job that you carried with you to your current role at StellarWP?

RA: Definitely the customer service skills and the communication skills.

One of the main things they taught us at Canada’s Wonderland is how (unfortunately) customers will notice and remember the bad experiences more than the good ones. So the importance of treating each customer well and being helpful is something that I have carried with me since my first job.

How is working in WordPress different from other jobs you’ve had? What do you like best? Are there any parts that are more challenging?

RA: My other jobs were always confined to a specific location or group of people. Working in the WordPress space really opens up your horizons with the diversity of people you work with and also help. 

The WordPress space is massive! You get to help all types of people. From CEOs and CTOs to the DIY parent who’s building a hobby website. I really enjoy and love the fact that WordPress can be used by anyone, anywhere!

This is also the challenging part of working in WordPress, especially as a support representative. You’re not just supporting and helping a specific type of customer but all types.

The open-source nature of WordPress also means there are all types of WordPress plugins and integrations that your customers might be using. So you not only have to know your product but you also have to be familiar with all types of WordPress plugins and integrations. A challenge indeed—but fun!

What do you wish you had known when you first started working in the WordPress world?

RA: Strangely enough, I never thought of WordPress as an avenue to get a job.

I always thought of it as a CMS that I could use to make some websites on the side. I wish I had known how many jobs are available within the WordPress space, and that you don’t have to be able to build entire websites before getting those jobs.

Getting a job within WordPress is actually a great way to start your career in WordPress and even web development in general.

Looking to make your mark on the WordPress world? Learn more about working at StellarWP and check out our current job openings.

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