Teen takes on the Web

Sarah Hall 09/11/09

At 16, most kids have no idea what they want to do with their lives.
That’s not the case with Clay resident Chris Voll.
Not only does Voll, a junior at Liverpool High School, have career aspirations; he’s already putting them into action.
Voll runs chrisvoll.com, a Web site that showcases his abilities in web design. He specializes in user experience design – the part of the Web site that visitors see – and has already designed Web sites for a number of private clients. His latest project is the Web site for The Lifeguard, the school newspaper at LHS, which will be launched this October.
“I believe that having an effective Web site is integral to the success of whatever you are pursuing, and that largely falls upon the interaction between a site’s interface and the user,” Voll said.
That’s why Voll started the business in April of 2008: to create and maintain Web sites that promote businesses and help them effectively communicate their goals and strategies to the customer.
Though he started the business last year, Voll has been involved in Web design since he was just 10.
“I'm entirely self-taught, having used books and articles on the Internet to guide me,” he said.
Voll said, for most clients, his youth isn’t a factor.
“Most of my clients tend to be indifferent to my age (and in some cases are the same age),” he said. “However, there have been some people who chose not to hire me because they weren't exactly comfortable with it.”
But he refuses to let his age be a gimmick to get clients.
“I try to let my work speak for itself,” he said.
Voll makes no secret of the fact that he loves his work, and he’s got just the right temperament to do it.
“I’m a geek,” he said. “Not a hardcore geek, but it’s enough to get by.”
While he’s not sure he’ll stick with Web design specifically, Voll wants to continue working with computers.
“In college, I plan to major in computer science,” he said. “In that sense, I'm continuing in the same general field, but trying new things.”
If you’d like to learn more, visit chrisvoll.com.

CATEGORY: General Society
TAGS: chrisvoll.com; Voll, 16-year-old

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