This Damn Industry

This Damn Industry

on Dec 21st 2010 with 206 comments

Editorials on Nettuts+ are few and far between, but, given that we’re nearing the end of yet another year, I thought it might be nice to have a discussion on one sleep depriving aspect of this web development industry that we’re all privy to: it’s forever twisting and turning.

To those of you who have five or more years of experience: knowing what you know about about the steep, never-ending learning curve, would you be willing to start all over?

The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

An Example

Take me, for example: I’m 25, and have been working in this industry, in various forms, since college. By any other corporate measurement, I’m a baby — barely worthy of opening his mouth during a team meeting. However, our particular web development industry is a bit different in this regard: we’re young. Many of the developers who are rapidly pushing the web forward are under 30; how simultaneously amazing and depressing at the same time!

Depressing? Sure: depressing. They say that, in Mathematics, if you haven’t had your great idea by the age of 30, you’ll never have it. Of course, I use the generic “they say” because I’m really referring to a line from the movie, “A Beautiful Mind” — but I digress. The advantage to youth is all around us: it’s in the music you listen to, the JavaScript frameworks you love, the tools you use, etc.

Ever notice how your favorite music artists rarely achieve the same level of “magic” in a new album a decade after they entered the music industry? Why is that?

Perhaps, when you’re young, you’re open to new ideas, and question the status quo. Or maybe, fifteen-twenty years later, you don’t have the same drive as you did before. Rocky Balboa would refer to this as the “eye of the tiger”… or the lack thereof. He once lost it…and bad things happened.

Now certainly, this doesn’t transfer over “pin-for-pin” to our little ole’ web development environment, but it’s fair to say that it does in some small form.

My Days

Even when I get paid to learn, I’ve still found that it’s impossible to keep up with the pack.

A large portion of each of my work days is spent learning new technologies. Whether that comes in the form of deciphering the CSS3 Spec, or traversing through countless blogs (thanks, Instapaper!), my job requires me to stay up to date on the latest trends and techniques. I can’t tell you how often my laptop is brought into bed, as I work on a project long after the misses has fallen asleep. My gut tells me that we’re all familiar with the ubiquitous “laptop in bed” syndrome, as well as the hot groin effect. That said, even when I get paid to learn, I’ve still found that it’s impossible to keep up with the pack. For instance, let’s review a short list of exciting new technologies or scripts that I’ve yet to play around with:

  • CoffeeScript
  • NodeJS
  • ControlJS
  • LabJS
  • Raphael
  • Ruby / Rails
  • The Kohana Framework

Perhaps even more depressing, that list only amounts to what I was able to think of within a moment or so. In another six months from now, that list will triple.

Even scarier, at 25, it stands to reason that, within five years or so, I’ll have children. Right now, save a few scoldings from my fiancée — typically when she’s ready to leave the house, while I continually say, “5 more minutes” – I’m able to spend as much time as possible coding away in a room that’s long since gone dark, after the sun went down; because, of course, I can’t be bothered to turn on the lamp when I’m working!

To the Moms and Dads

To those of you who have full-time jobs, wives (preferably just one), and children: how do you find time to continue learning? Or, maybe better put: when do you find the time?

Why do we Keep Learning?

“Two mice fell into a bowl of cream. The first mouse gave up and died right away. The second mouse fought and swam until he churned that cream into butter and he crawled his way out.” – Christopher Walken

So this brings up the question: who do we continue learning new techniques, if those same techniques will invariably become out-dated within a couple years or so? How many useless, old tech books do you have lying around the house?!

I imagine that each of us continues the learning process for a variety of reasons.

  • Passion: From time to time, I mildly complain that it seems as if I never have time to relax, and, say, play that new video game I purchased a month ago, but haven’t yet dug into. Though, if I’m honest, it’s because, during my free time, I genuinely enjoy toying around with some new framework or personal project. As you’re reading this article right now, it stands to reason that you’re the same way.
  • Obligation: Perhaps your particular job requires that you stay on top of the latest trends, and aware of the specific changes/updates in each new browser version.
  • Competition: Is it possible that you neglect your friends in favor of a monitor because of competition with your peers? Do you worry that you’ll be passed by, if you take a month’s vacation?
  • Necessity: We’re invariably inspired by the websites we browse. Intrigued by Apple’s use of CSS3 animations on their website? Well, if you want to mimic that sort of effect without JavaScript, you’ll need to dig into some CSS3 articles on our website, or Andy Clarke’s excellent Hardboiled Web Design book.
  • Enjoy Punishment: Then again, it’s also possible that you enjoy brushing your teeth with a bottle of Jack, and grinding your teeth on the barely-readable HTML5 spec. Whether we admit it or not, I’d wager that we all fall into this camp. There’s a unique sense of pride that comes from learning frameworks and techniques that .1% of the population are capable of understanding.
[...] There is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 percent of those who are not high-level mathematicians.
– Andrew Wiles

If you’re somewhat like me, I’d imagine that you’ll identify with each of the possibilities above — at least in some small form.

What’s your Point?

Okay, okay; so is there a point to all this rambling? Maybe so; maybe not — editor’s prerogative!

Mostly, my goal today is to selfishly find solace in the fact that, like myself, others, too, stay awake at night, struggling with this frustrating, age-inducing and rapidly progressing industry.

Forget your years of experience: if you take even a year or two’s break from this industry, you’ll find yourself right back at the beginning, once again holding the title of “noob.” But seriously, do any of us ever truly get away from that word entirely? I’ve been using WordPress for years…but I still refer to the WP codex on a daily basis.

So the next time your heart-rate increases, as you, once again, attempt to wrap your mind around some new technique, or way of coding (think web forms vs. MVC), always remember: we’re all in this together; we all feel behind the pack. But, then again, we stay the course because we love this damn industry.

Conclusion

As this article concludes, I have only three questions for you, John Q reader:

  • How do you deal with the constant progression of our industry, and the understanding that, if you take a year off, you’ll feel obsolete?
  • Knowing what it took to get where you are today, would you be willing to start all over, if the clock was rolled back?
  • Why do you read Nettuts+ every day?

 
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I'm the editor of Nettuts+, and love making the process of building for the web as easy as possible. Also, I'm finishing up my latest book on Laravel Testing! If you want be friends, say hi on Twitter.  

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Newer Comments →
  • http://chriswastell.bluehorizonhosting.com Chris Wastell

    This article is filled with so many things I can only find myself agreeing with. Despite the dauniting task of all the above, I can’t help but find it a little reassuring that I am not the only one who feels this pressure or is “familiar with the ubiquitous “laptop in bed” syndrome, as well as the hot groin effect”.

    I thought as an undergraduate I would find myself with so much time to catch up on all the technologies I was interested in or felt obliged to know. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything by trying to gain further qualifications I have simply unearthed yet more technologies and expanded the list of things I need to keep up with. The problem with this will always be while you are passionate, you will keep on slipping further behind and not mind trying to catch up.

    I personally read Nettuts+ most days, if not two or three times on my feed to keep up. For me this is mainly because it provides quality content that is reliable. All too often it can prove difficult on the internet to shift your way through hack content to find content that can help you do things the right way. This task only becomes more difficult when you are not familiar with the subject matter.

    • http://net.tutsplus.com Jeffrey Way

      Thanks, Chris — it’s *extremely* daunting.

  • http://robertomartinez.info Roberto

    1. That progression is what make this industry so exciting. I guess that people who can deal with that should find another area. Stress is good to keep us moving.

    2. Yes. But I would try to learn Python and ROR earlier.

    3. I bookmark everyday, but I read just once a week.

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Oh I think that’s very true. Stress is addictive, strangely.

    • http://transpothi.com Pothi

      I love your idea #3. Thanks for sharing.

      @Jeff: After seeing three pages of comments, I’m glad I’m not feeling alone at 33. ;)

  • Josh

    It’s funny. I read because I’m genuinely interested, but I rarely ever “do”. I haven’t figured out why.

    • http://cameron-malek.com Cameron Malek

      That’s the same problem I’ve been trying to take care of for myself this past month. You gotta just start doing something—anything—and adjust from there.

  • Felix Deimling

    Because these technologies like css and html change so fast, I think it should just be the starting point of your career until you get better knowledge about real programming languages.

    If you are a good programmer the language doesnt really matter, its about how to solve complex problems.

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Yeah – that’s especially true for back-end work.

    • http://www.meditationsonlife.com john

      HTML and CSS do not change fast. How long ago did HTML 4 become spec? and when is HTML5 slated to be Spec? How long between CSS2, and CSS3? Fast moving is only an illusion perpetuated by this industry. Everyone feels they need to be bleeding edge. It’s just not true.

      I learned XHTML/CSS with the first edition of Zeldman’s Designing with Web Standards, and then reverse engineering tons of sites. 90% of the HTML code I write on a daily basis is based off what I learned back then. Sure I have refined my techniques, added more to it, but the core of it is still there.

      I guess my point is, you can still build a website with html tables, font tags, no css and perl through cgi. It would still work for 99.9% of people. Is it right… no. Is it a best practice, no. But it can be done.

      Programming takes about 10 years to become an expert in, doesn’t matter the language or technology, just programming in general. You can become an advanced beginner (what most people who think they are experts really are) in a lot less time. proficient in a few years. But focusing on the skills and paradigms will make you better in everything you do. Learn C++, Lisp, Io or JavaScript, learn procedural, object oriented, functional. You will grow in your skills, and expertise.

      Sorry for the ramble, I guess my point is to get off the roller-coaster, learn it as you need to, and focus more on programming skills in general than the latest fad. I have been doing this longer than I care to admit, and only my passion has kept me in it.

  • http://www.madfrogdesigns.com/ Julesfrog

    Great article Jeffrey. I really enjoyed reading about that constant panic mode we all go through as designers/developers in this business.

    Well, I’m married, have a 2 year-old daughter and another one due in June + a fixer-upper. Long story short, I have 0 time and yet I feel obliged to keep up with all the junk you talked about. Of course, in all honesty, I don’t have enough time to learn it all, so I choose my topics wisely. First of all, I make sure that the new technology to study is going to be more than just a phase. I waited a few months before diving into HTML5 and CSS3. I’m only starting. Same deal for building websites for mobile devices.

    Granted I won’t be a guru who knows all there is to know about web development, but at least I won’t be completely left behind like a designer who still builds with tables.

    It’s an amazing field we’re in. I switched from television to web design 6 years ago and I won’t go back unless forced. It’s ever changing but that’s what makes it interesting and challenging. You find time where you can knowing that there’s only 24 hours in a day and that some of that time must be used for sleep, eat, play with the kiddos, have some quality time with the spouse and fix the house ;-)

  • http://www.freshclickmedia.com Shane

    About 4 weeks ago, my daughter arrived on the scene, and the memories of my son’s birth almost four years earlier came flooding back. Most vividly, I remembered how nights spent reading up on technologies at my leisure became a thing of the past, and I was too tired to contemplate doing any such thing when I had the odd free moment.

    That period passed, and this hectic period will pass too. I’m in full time employment, and I manage to learn ‘on the job’, which is great. My passion is still very much there, but it’s more measured. I actually worried at when my son was born, worried that because I wasn’t putting the hours in, I’d somehow slip, become out of touch. It’s true that things are moving on, and that’s one of the great things about web development. I needn’t have worried though; my experience has been important (10 years+), and I’m still able to be an effective team member.

    My methods of learning may be different nowadays, but as I creak through life, now in my mid thirties, I feel that this old dog still has something to offer. :)

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Haha – Old dog at mid thirties…yeah, sure. :)

  • http://www.jacorre.com Josh

    I very much agree with all you said. It is difficult to keep up with the ever changing industry. Add in to that a full time job, wife, kids, etc and you find yourself feeling like there’s not enough time in the day to do it all.

    I guess you could look at it like buying a new computer. You’re excited and proud of having it, but the very next day it’s already obsolete! I’m not saying you have to buy a new computer everyday to keep up, but just know that things are always changing and it’s really up to you to get that “eye of the tiger” and take it on.

  • http://wereprepared.com/ Jonathon

    This article rings true for me in so many ways.

    I always feel like I’m a little late to find out something new is happening. But, sites like net tuts help me stay in the loop to some degree

  • http://www.jc-designs.net/blog Jeremy Carlson

    A year off wouldn’t bring you back to noob. Sure some things would be updated in new versions of whatever, but unless you forgot everything, you would still know enough. I deal with this “constant progression” fairly easily. No one is going to know everything, and there is too much to know. Sure that coffee script is cool, but I know jQuery. I don’t need to know CS. You need to know the core things: HTML, CSS, and some javascript. Everything else is a bonus.

    I have learned more in the last two years than in the first 6 or 7, and I’m 35. My age doesn’t bother me (and my supervisor is younger by 5 years!) because of the knowledge that you can’t learn all of it quickly. It comes with experience and need. I work with a ton of early twenty-somethings, and while it used to bother me, I am amazed by how little they actually know. Age matters little, it is the drive that you talk about that counts, and I only see about 1 in 10 that have it. Most of the younger developers do their work and go home to party/drink/hang with friends or whatever. I go home home from work, spend time with my wife and kids until the kids are asleep. From 8pm till 2am on Monday – Wednesday though, I am on the computer tinkering and learning.

    In the past year I have picked up jQuery and Sass/Compass and just started learning Ruby. The younger people don’t even have CSS mastered. By the time they know what I know, I’ll be that much further ahead. Experience counts for a LOT in this field, and to get it, you need the time put in. Too many are just about putting in the latest slider plugin without actually knowing how to build one of their own. That may work once or twice, but the time will come where that doesn’t cut. When it does, I’ll be there.

    Would I do it again? Hell yes. Because I have the drive to learn. I love it too much.

    Why do I read nettuts+ everyday? Because this is one of the few blogs left that actually posts useful articles and tutorials that isn’t about how to do the latest CSS3 trick.

    Keep it up Jeffrey, you are one of the main reasons I come here.

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      No, you’re right – it wouldn’t bring you back to “noob” status…but it feels that way sometimes.

    • http://www.ferdychristant.com Ferdy

      You are so right. I’m in the same boat.

      As you say, do not worry about all these silly little frameworks-du-jours. Only the core will remain. Be damn good at the basics (HTML, CSS, JS/jQuery) and the rest will fall into place. You will notice that this industry does not move as fast as you perceive.

      Do keep yourself informed on the blogs, so that you at least know about new developments that are not core. By doing that, you already have an advantage over your peers, as most don’t read blogs at all.

      If you can find the time, make up a pet project for yourself. Don’t make up five, just one. Combine as many new technologies as possible into that single project. For example, my hobbies are web design/development, wildlife travel, and photography. So I created a wildlife photo site as a pet project, and in it I’m using CodeIgniter, jQuery, HTML5, CSS3. This way you maximize the learning effect. Reading blogs is not enough, you need to practice.

  • Frank Rowe

    I think sometimes developers get caught up with trying to learn *every* new technology that hits the scene. Maybe we should instead focus on specializing in one technology – and become an expert in that field. If you are a wordpress guy, that doesn’t mean you have to learn nodeJS. Learning everything related to wordpress and PHP related tech is definitely manageable.

    And, you can still read and play around with everything else. That’s half the fun of being a developer, after all.

  • http://DonGarber.com DonG

    I’m probably way outside the norm. I’m 43 and I’m considered a newcomer to this industry. I didn’t really start learning HTML until 2005, CSS until 2007. Only now am I really opening my horizon to many technologies: ActionScript3 & Adobe CS5, C# and Silverlight. Your article makes me a little depressed, but I do like this business because there is always something new to learn. Maybe because it’s constantly changing makes it a great ‘equalizing’ place to toil.

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Oh I certainly didn’t mean for it to be too depressing. I only wanted to note that I think we all are overwhelmed by the industry sometimes.

      • http://DonGarber.com DonG

        Then if you old hats feel overwhelmed, then I will remember that the next time I feel it too! :-)

  • http://www.graftechnology.com/ Jacob Graf

    Great post Jeff. I think it’s how a lot of us feel subconsciously but never bring up! :-)

    Lately I’ve taken on learning Vim and Git (Mainly because of you!) I love learning, but it is hard to find the time and you also feel like you’re never caught up. You do have to pick and choose wisely what to focus your time/energy on. Example: I need a Version Control System, I did my research and picked Git. I am going full force with it. Sure, I would love to learn 5 different VCSs, but that’s not going to happen given time restrictions, so I picked one and I am going for it. Same thing with Vim.

    I will also say, I am 27 yrs old and have 3 kids with another (and final!) on the way. In march, my wife and I will have 4 kids under 5! I find most of my time after the kids are in bed. If I am really in a pinch and need to hammer something out, I take my mobile office to Starbucks and work from there for sometimes many hours on end.

    I won’t lie, sometimes my client’s timeline suffers a little bit as a result of trying to keep up with all the latest technologies, but they also benefit when they get a nice, latest-gen site that works well instead of some table-based html1 site that their cousin built them for 3 beers and an old toyota.

  • http://net.tutsplus.com Jeffrey Way

    Hey guys — by the way:

    Free copy of “Wicked WordPress Themes” to the person who identifies every pop culture reference in this article.

    Reply to this comment to enter. First person to identify all of them wins the book!

    • http://net.tutsplus.com Jeffrey Way

      *Hint: There’s 5.

    • Frank Rowe

      A Beautiful Mind, Rocky, Christopher Walken, Fable 3?

      • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
        Author

        Missing one.

      • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
        Author

        And Christopher Walken should be replaced with the movie it comes from.

    • http://elliscreative.co.uk Matthew Ellis

      A Beautiful Mind
      Rocky
      Christopher Walken / Catch Me if you Can
      Fable 3
      Ke$ha!

      • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
        Author

        That’s it! You win, Matthew. Email me at net[at]tutsplus.com, and I’ll arrange your free copy of Wicked WordPress Themes. :)

        And shame on you for knowing the Ke$sha reference. :D

      • jack

        and shouldnt that be leo from when hes saying grace

      • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
        Author

        Right – but he gets it from his dad, who says it at the beginning of the movie.

      • http://elliscreative.co.uk Matthew Ellis

        LOL! Yes, I am deeply ashamed.
        It was a tough call… publicly come out about my love for Ke$ha or win a copy of your book.
        Fingers crossed I’ve made the right decision!

  • Nathan

    Wow! Great article! It really inspired me to think more greatly about why I do what I do. To answer your questions in the above, how I have dealt with the obsolete feeling if I take time off(which I really don’t have much room to talk as I am only 22 myself) is I have tried to focus on one thing at a time. There is so much that I could learn, in fact I took some time today to write down a list of all the things that I want to learn over the next few weeks and months but I know that list will only continue to grow. I have chosen thusly to focus solely on application development and really get a firm grasping of OOP and design patterns. Then when I think I know as much as I can, I will read something new next week. As far as would I do this all over again looking back, thats a great question and I think it is, even in hindsight, nearly impossible for me to answer. As a freshman in college I wanted nothing to do with computers, as my Dad has done web development for the past 15 years. Hearing him talk scared me to death! But somewhere along the way I just picked it up, piece by piece, bit by bit, So I guess, having to do it over again, I would! I love this too much to not to! Lastly, why do I read everyday? I read because, quite frankly, you guys help me to keep up to date on the newest techniques and technologies! Where would I be without Nettuts+! It has meant a world of difference to be able to come here and glean from the knowledge presented here! I know this comment is really long but I love this site and the content being presented! Keep it awesome guys!

    • Nathan

      Oh and you Jeff! Your articles ROCK!

  • http://www.godoploid.com/ Tom Bird

    This was an awesome article, so many truths and you have a great personable way of relaying that information. Definitely it’s a hard task to keep up with, but driving to stay up with that task is what matters. For me, it’s the love of design and the passion I have for creating awesome designs that others will look at in awe. I was once told by a partner of a large advertising group, “I find that level of education and experience mean little to nothing when finding somebody to fill this graphic design position. It is those who genuinely love the business/industry that are the best designers because its their passion and there is no better motivation than a genuine passion!”.

  • http://thefragilemachine.com Logan

    Awesome article, totally got me thinking .

  • David Ozee

    I think that because we all love the challenge that this industry presents to us so much that we will continue to get beaten down even if we take a year or two off. I am only 22 and have been actively pursuing a career in web design and development since I was 16 or 17 and am always intrigued to learn these new tools and ways to develop. The reason I visit everyday, or close to everyday, is I enjoy reading the articles and discussions that are created in this community. You guys do a great job and help me keep trucking in a never-ending learning curve!

  • http://ashsmith.co Ash Smith

    I deal with the progression by always being connected to the web, getting me to stop reading peoples blogs from those I follow on twitter is a hard job, as any of my friends! I honestly can’t imagine myself taking a year away from the industry, even if it didn’t do it full time I would certainly be making up for it at home.

    If I had to start all over, I’d do a few things different (wouldn’t we all..) other than that, it’s 100% worth doing so yeah I would do it all over again!

    I read NetTuts in order to keep up to date, and to continue growing my skill base, I may not comment often but I certainly enjoy every post related to html5, css3, codeigniter and jQuery!

    To be honest, I can’t see myself doing anything other than working in this damn industry!

  • http://www.arminder.co.uk Arminder Dahul

    I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels like I’m swimming against the tide.

    I love the web but I struggle with keeping an eye on all the new technologies and trends to give me the edge I need. It’s hard enough working but extremely difficult competing with the ‘younger’ crowd (I’m 29 BTW).

    If I took a year off from the web and all it’s wonders, I’d miss a lot of new things and be more behind then I already am.

    There are lots of things I could change in terms of career and choices, but I try not to think about it, I can’t change anything. It’s done. I am where I am.

    Nettuts+ is one of the best places to get to grips with new things in a practical way. I love it and appreciate the hard work you and your colleagues put in.

    Thanks for writing this – I feel slightly better that I’m not alone.

  • http://blog.edsell.net Jeff Edsell

    I’m 43 and I’ve been in “this damn industry” for over a decade. (For perspective, when I started, there was no Internet Explorer. There were no visual editors. There was no Google. There was no Java. And I worked with some Unix guys who argued that I shouldn’t be using tables in my web designs because some people used Lynx, a text-only browser.) These days I’m constantly pushing to get the people I work with to accept HTML5 and CSS3, arguing to please drop IE6 support, and building sites with an eye towards making them behave like applications.

    As such, I should be in the perfect position to offer some perspective on this issue.

    I say “should” because I’ve been racking my brain, trying to decide what I can offer.

    See, I don’t think the issues you describe above actually have that much to do with the web industry itself. Sure, there’s a lot going on. There are new, exciting developments every day. But to say that you constantly have to be at the forefront of every new development Is like saying that because you’re an writing teacher, you have to read every novel and short story that’s ever been published. It’s like trying to drink the ocean.

    Passion for your work is one of the greatest gifts you can have. And it’s obvious you have it in spades. But the tone of your article suggests an element of desperation that’s not necessarily the best thing for you, or your work. There’s a line between doing what you want, and doing what you have to. It’s a line worth examining.

    Just by being a part of “TDI” you already understand more than 99.9% percent of the population. Which is pretty cool, and a good source of pride. But I don’t think you need to worry about being “passed by” if you’re not constantly on the job.

    I’m really not big on giving advice. But I can tell you some of the things I do. Instead of reading every detail of every article, I skim a lot of headlines. I keep interesting-sounding things on my radar. I read full articles to take breaks between periods of coding during the day.

    I use search engines like a madman when I develop. Any problem I run into has been run into a hundred or a thousand times before by others, so I use their discoveries, and share my own. I develop a toolbox of techniques and frameworks to fall back on so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time I start a project. (No matter how cool the latest wheel-inventing technologies look). And I have work hours that end at a certain time each day. (There are occasional exceptions—an article I saved for myself to read later, a freelance gig here or there. But pretty much, at the end of the day, I’m done.)

    If I took a year off, would I feel obsolete? Hell, no. I’d dive into the new stuff with relish, to see how I could use it. Would I start over again? Sure. Learning new things is the fun part, right?

    There will always be more to learn. It’s true in every discipline, every craft, every art. (What we do is some of all of the above.) So learn. And revel in the fact that you enjoy learning, because not everyone does. But beware burnout. Live your life. Force yourself to close the book, turn off the screen, every day. Do something else you love. Ironically, it will actually make you better at what you do.

    (Who’s rambling now, huh?)

    • http://malxico.wordpress.com/ gerard Jota

      I have taken years off and believe me, I am totally behind… BUT! sometimes it’s better missing things that were not really good at the time and are now worth getting totally interested in e.g. CAD around 1992 or web circa now.

  • David Crisler

    Jeffery’s situation is unique in that his job is to write about all these technologies. I agree with what was posted earlier by someone else. Focus on the technologies that have the most staying power and bang-for-the-buck according to your needs. HTML and CSS are a given. Beyond that, I set a goal a year and 1/2 ago to learn jQuery and PHP. I have made considerable progress with each, and my value as a web developer has grown significantly. I can now say “yes” to projects I would have turned down before for lack of knowledge. My web solutions are much more dynamic and flexible, and my confidence has grown considerably. My aim is to continue practicing and learning those 2 technologies, as they are the most valuable, all-around.

  • DED

    You bring up some interesting questions. But if we step back from the mayhem of everyday work, I think we would see that our experience does matter. It depends on how and what you actually learned in the first place. What I mean is, if you learned how to solve problems with code or through a thorough understanding of design then it becomes much easier to apply new ideas ( or best practices ). So in that case your experience does matter as start to recognize abstract patterns and can easily apply new solutions.
    I can’t help but see that many people come to this field and only learn the best practices that are currently in use, rather than learn about how to solve the problems they face with each project. You will often read about the differences between a computer science degree and self-taught web developers. I don’t think where you learned your trade is as important as what you actually learned. This was recently discussed on the O’reilly network, where an author discussed the differences and contrasts between experienced quality programmers with how businesses hire programmers. Businesses often look for young people who know the current trends in programming, rather than programmers who are actually really good at it. So I guess what I am getting at is that the rapid changes in web development are more of a problem for those who don’t thoroughly learn to think about solving problems within their domain, and instead only learn the current methods of their trade.
    DED

  • http://www.casabona.org/blog/ Joe Casabona

    Really great article! It perfectly sums up how I, also 25, feel.

    As for trying to stay ahead…I try to be a niche developer- focusing primarily on wordpress, php, and frontend development. That’s how I run my freelance business. But, as a passionate programmer, I can’t help but want to try my hand at an iPhone App, or go back to the Android SDK, which is what I used for my Master’s Thesis. I have a bunch of side projects I’m working on to learn technologies.

    I can’t tell if it’s the nature of being a programmer, or just my nature.

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Yeah – I think you absolutely have to pick one key area to focus on.

  • http://www.theaggressive.com Shawn

    I feel the same way jeffery. Just being a dad for 7 months now its hard to take care of your responsibility and still dedicate whatever time you can fit in to learning and playing with new technologies.

  • Joshua Gdovin

    Wow, all I can say is this feels like it came right out of my own brain. The points about sleepless nights, hot groin, and g/f complaining about time spent on the computer.

    I am a 25 year old father of 2 with a full time IT Management position. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me learning is that it re-kindles that little spark of enjoyment I had when I started learning php 8 years ago. I was in a real slump and having a hard time focusing on code not too long ago, I picked up a ruby on rails book to try and avert my attention and found myself fascinated and enjoying coding once again. It brought new ideas and thoughts on how to tackle problems that I could bring back to my day job in php.

    Thank you Jeff for all the great articles over the past year, you truly are a gem here on netuts.

    Sincerely,
    Joshua Gdovin

  • http://www.casabona.org/blog/ Joe Casabona

    A Beautiful Mind, Rocky, Poolhall Junkies, Fable 3, John Q?

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Close. Poolhall Junkies is wrong. And John Q is wrong.

  • http://jackrugile.com Jack Rugile

    Jeffrey,

    Thank you for the excellent article. It is refreshing to know that there are people, such as yourself, out there that have similar feelings toward web design and development.

    It was originally the beauty of web design and incredible writing that I found on various blogs that sparked my interest for the field. I had no desire and no idea that I was going to be thrown into code. However, over time, I realized that it was a necessity and developed a love for it. It feels so great to be stuck on a single problem for four hours and finally figure it out. It is a damn good natural high.

    In regards to the first question, I stay sane by not comparing myself to others too often. I think it can be healthy to do so every once in awhile, but not so frequently that is depresses you or gives you a false ego boost. Whether you compare yourself to those that are better or worse than you, it never seems to help a great deal. I just choose to be inspired by those that are better than me.

    I would definitely be willing to start over. The joy definitely outweighs the endless struggle and frustration ;)

    I keep Nettuts+ near the top of my reader because it is so helpful. For those of us out there who have a love for design, but aren’t code geniuses, it is perfect. This blog explains concepts and techniques in a clear and concise way that is easy to absorb. My favorite articles are your screencasts. You should put out more of those.

    Oh, and more editorials please.

  • http://www.bensonarts.com Aaron Benson

    As a dad – Means giving up precious sleeping time. 7am – 6pm work/driving, 6pm – 10pm kids.

  • http://cameron-malek.com Cameron Malek

    I was hoping this article would have some ways to make learning everything I want to learn less overwhelming.

    In my own efforts to make learning programming languages more manageable, I’ve started building a repository of knowledge for various languages. As I learn them, I create a page for each “part” of a language, like for CSS I have a page that demonstrates all the positioning themed stuff. This way I memorize things quicker having used the language to make the demo, and I have a reliable, growing reference should I need to quickly go back to see how something’s done.

    I’m thinking of putting this online. Would anyone else find this helpful?

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      Yeah – haha, I don’t think there is an easy way to make the process easier. It takes lots of late nights. :)

  • http://wildricesolutions.com/ Jason

    Great article, Jeffrey!

    I am 39, and I’ve been in “this damn industry” since 1996, when it was still in diapers. I was doing Fortran, Pascal and C back in college, so it’s been a long road. Then I discovered HTML and the rest is history. As a business owner, I am constantly feeling like I can’t keep up, but then I remember that I don’t have to know it all … it’s mainly about learning and applying the technology to fit the needs of the projects that I do.

    I actually dig this article, because I don’t think the point is about age … it can be overwhelming to anyone who takes on this industry because there is just too much for any one person to truly master it all. I have to admit, for days when I feel like I can’t keep up, it’s isolating, and for that, I am grateful that you wrote this article … sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone!

    Keep up the great work!

    best,

    -jason

  • http://michaelcamden.me Michael Camden

    When it comes to new technologies you really have to prioritize what you think will help you learn, and what really matters to you as a developer. I’m primarily a PHP developer, so I don’t need to know about everything that is happening with Ruby / Rails, etc… If I think a new project is interesting I’ll scan it to find out if it will help me in any of my personal or professional projects. If not I move on.

    My advice is to not let yourself get overwhelmed by technology. Embrace what you can, ignore the rest.

  • Ian

    I just learned how to make my first HTML “Hello World” less than two years ago (I’m 21 now) I know I still have a lot I need to learn, I spend almost every single day learning, and as this article states I will always have a lot to learn. It’s a lot of work but that’s okay, because it’s worth it. Here’s a few reasons I love web development.

    - Learning is fun, and there’s always a lot to learn.

    - I get tons of mini accomplishments every time I figure out how to do something.

    - The skill opens up a world of possibilities in what I can do for myself and those around me.

    - It satisfies both my brain’s left and right hemispheres. It’s technical and creative.

    There is no better feeling for me than being able to think something up, open up my text editor of choice (which right now is Espresso), and turn that thought into a reality. I do not care about how much I need to learn, or about being the best programmer I can be. Web development is as much about imagination as it is code, maybe even a little more.

    If I lost all the knowledge I now have and had to start over, knowing how much work it is, I would absolutely do it again. I wish I started programming when I was younger and I envy those who did, but the Einstein quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge” I think holds especially true in this industry. If you are a creative person who has a good idea and are willing to put the effort into making that idea a reality, if you don’t let the risk/fear of the idea being a failure stop you from creating it in the first place, then I don’t think there’s any excuse you can’t be successful in this industry.

    Best decision of my life.

    Oh, and I read Nettuts+ everyday because this has been an invaluable resource in my education and making the things mentioned above possible. In fact I should probably restore my premium membership I just haven’t gotten around to it or run into a need yet.

  • Oz

    Hey Jeffrey– I watch your web dev tuts quite often and I think you’re a brilliant fella. I’m a few years older than you, web/ui designer developer, and I 100% feel your pain. Quite often I ask myself, when is this all going to end? Will I always be stumbleupon’ing at my free time to just to run into a fancy site with a brand new framework or tool where I spend some time to wrap my head around it just so that I can show it off on the next website I design.. and perhaps be an inspiration to somebody else.

    I think this may have something to do with addiction or workaholicism, at least for me. The internet made it so easy for anyone to fill themselves with so much information available out there, to be a better player in any market they are in. Us being in the digital industry, this effect multiplies by 10, perhaps. But like you questioned: should we devote all of our time to this endless game? I sure hope not!
    There should be time for everything– time for work, time for love, time for friends, etc… If you are making more sacrifice on one than the others, then you are off-balance for sure. (I admit this is where I also struggle.)

    I read nettuts because of cool guys like you who are hungry for the newest/innovative web technologies and who are inspirations to other designers/developers. So keep up the good work and quit feeling horrible about being so brilliant! :)

    And, please play that video game you bought a month ago–I promise you’ll enjoy it. :)

  • http://www.theonering.com Jonathan Watson

    I have a 6 month old boy, and my free time in learning all the things I want to learn has certainly taken a hit. BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t. I just have to plan it out so much more now than when I used to do things at any time of the day or night.

    I’ve also had to decide that there are certain things I’m not _going_ to learn. I would rather be an expert in some things, than knowledgeable in all things. So, I’ve given up Ruby on Rails, Protoype, YUI, and a few others, and concentrated on using PHP/CodeIgniter, jQuery, CSS3 and HTML5 (and of course building sites for mobile browsers now too)… I still keep up on the others, but I don’t develop in them.

    Thankfully, I started a business and a successful website before I got married and had any kids–I certainly can’t imagine pulling all those all-nighters anymore (though the late nights are definitely still there)… Now I can hand some of those things off to the employees too :)

  • http://webinationstation.com Bahla

    Jeff your 25?! So I feel old. I really enjoy your tuts, and no matter how many I read, how many I watch, or how many I try to duplicate, i get finished and think, I’ll never be able to catch up to these guys! It was encouraging to read your noob reference “But seriously, do any of us ever truly get away from that word entirely?” I started late in this biz, but ever since my first table layout website, I have been hooked and gave up the joystick for RSS and tuts. Also, never really thought of myself as a 1%er! You should host a design contest for club patch and colors. Thanks for this encouraging editorial. I walk away thinking to myself, well, just keep trying, I’m not alone… God Bless…

  • http://createmy.com.au Dale Hurley

    How do you deal with the constant progression of our industry, and the understanding that, if you take a year off, you’ll feel obsolete?

    I think this makes web one of the most exciting things. I stop developing sites between 2005 and 2008. In before 2005 I learn at uni to use HTML4 tables for layouts, ASP, and Access databases (whoo 10 connections and your site was down). When I returned in 2008 everyone was on PHP/MySQL, XHTML, and CSS. Now everyone is working with frameworks, HTML5, CSS3 and mobile. As the web is so young it is only natural that it rapidly progresses. I think the hard bit for the web is that it is almost impossible to say what it will be a year into the future let alone 10 and dare I say 50. If you compare the web industry to the car industry it is clear to see why you need to stay on top.

    This year I learn:
    * OOP PHP
    * CodeIgniter
    * HTML5
    * CSS3
    * Ruby on Rails
    * MVC
    * jQuery

    Knowing what it took to get where you are today, would you be willing to start all over, if the clock was rolled back?

    Yes. The web is exciting and challenging. There is nothing greater then seeing your sites get traffic. Even my small sites that only get a few 100 hits a day are exciting as that means I have created an experience for lots of people I would of never came in contact with otherwise. I think web developers under estimate just how good we are.

    Why do you read Nettuts+ every day?

    I like to learn something new.

    • John

      on the OOP PHP I highly recommend Pro PHP and jQuery by Jason Lengstorf. The chapters on it are easy to understand, and then the example app in the back really brings it home.

  • http://hd-webdesign.com Lukas

    Hey Jeffrey, great article!
    for sure we’re all in this industry, maybe designers are not so affected by the constant evolution of technology as developers.

    It’s not easy for a single person to keep up with the never ending learing process, that’s true. In my opinion one solution is a good team, where everyone has his field of interest and together you can build something great and make your client / costumers happy.

    - I´m not feeling obselete, but with more knowledge in other fields, maybe met new people and lived intresting experiences.

    - Yeah sure! Would start over again!

    - Because of an awesome author called “Jeffrey Way”!

  • Mike

    This is an interesting article. I’m 23 and have been doing this for 8 years, about 4 professionally. If i took a a year off, I’m positive I could come back and build a good site. Will it use the latest and greatest meta-language that someone created? Probably not, but that bears absolutely zero influence in the success of a project.

    There is too much emphasis on ‘trends’, and not enough emphasis on business. Coffee script is a prime example. Why do I need to learn yet *another* language on top of one I already know? My CS friends don’t write code in haXe because it can compile to c++, they just write c++.

    Spending time learning frameworks and tools that accomplish tasks you already know how to do, is a gigantic waste of time. You must pick your toolbox that improves your workflow, not learn tools just because they are trendy. Do you write realtime applications? If not, then why are you investing time into node.js? Do you really need to build a content management system from the ground up in rails, when you can just use MODx or WordPress?

    It’s enjoyable to learn how to build new things, I agree. But don’t just go around wasting your life trying to learn every github repo with more than 200 followers. It has zero bearing on the success of websites you build, unless your client requires that technology.

    It’s nice to know the landscape of the trends and things that are going on. But it’s time wasted if you’re trying to learn it all. When you clock out for the day, go have a beer and put the rails book down. It’s not a deciding factor in the retail shop templates you’re building!

  • http://www.wordimpressed.com/ Devin Walker

    The author of this article, Jeffrey Way, reminds me a lot of myself. I am the same age: 25 and have been in the industry since college. I have learned more at work than I did the whole time in school and I read NetTuts nearly everyday as just another tool in to keep on top of what’s the latest and greatest.

  • http://sublantic.com Jesse Weed

    Man, I’m Glad to know I’m not the only one who finally convinces myself to go to bed every night, only to end up on the laptop reading docs or tutorials for 3 hours.

    And I can attest to the downside of taking time off. I took about a year and a half off, doing mostly design work, and have spent nearly 2 years now playing catch up. And after 2 years I’m only just starting to feel competent enough to actually charge for it again. So I definitely paid the price for my little sabbatical. But, when it’s all said & done, knowing what I know and having done what I’ve done, I’d do it all over again. Even if I had to start from scratch

    As far as motivation, I think I “neglect your friends in favor of a monitor” in part because I don’t want to get left behind again. But mostly, it’s because I also genuinely enjoy what I do. This is one of the few things where the more I learn, the more I love it. I think that’s what drives me personally to keep learning and to go to sites like Nettuts every day.

    Anyway, nice article! There’s always something comforting in remembering that as web developers, we all have the same weird issues.

  • http://www.wdonline.com/ Jeremy McPeak

    I’m glad I’m not alone. =)

    I’m a husband, father, church-goer, musician, programmer, technician, and gamer. I love technology: hardware and software. In order to keep up, I have to choose what I want to keep up with, and it usually comes down to whether or not a particular technology/framework/language benefits me and the company I work for. NodeJS looks really cool, but will I gain from learning it? Will I use it? Should I learn more about WPF since I’ll eventually have to use it in the workplace? Will it keep me from family time? Will it cut into the time I need to spend on activities to relax and blow off steam? If I can’t justify learning something beyond “because it’s cool,” I typically don’t learn it. I have to approach it this way, or I’d be dead by now ;)

    But that’s one of the things I love about technology. It’s fast-paced. It changes. It’s challenging. I’d do it all over again; except the only thing I would do differently is devote more of my time to learning the languages I started with when I actually had time to do so.

  • http://shaneparkerphoto.com Shane Parker

    I was going to type out a long-winded response, basically agreeing with each of your revelations while putting my own personal spin on them… but I’m just too damned tired today. Instead, I’ll just respond with a big fat “DITTO!” and mention that I’m 34 and have been in this industry for over a decade now… how do you think I feel? :~p

    Great article, Jeffrey. Reflection is good for the soul.

  • http://www.umbraprojekt.pl mingos

    1. I don’t take a year off :). Seriously though, I don’t choose what the customers order. They want it, I code it. If it means learning new stuff – all the better. This is how I learned to use Zend Framework and it’s the basic tool I’m using now. Makes work more efficient. I want to be efficient.
    2. Aye, and I’d waste less time if I had the opportunity. I delayed learning JavaScript by two years, imagine that! And during all that time I was developing websites nonetheless…
    3. Cheap and quick extra knowledge that I immediately use to my advantage. Pays off, it reallt does.

  • Edward Longman

    Im 13 an I have been coding for 2 years now and I am already getting annoyed by how much css is changing and by just how much you have to code and then re-code to keep up with current standards and expectations of the internet users.

  • http://andrewburgess.ca Andrew Burgess

    Awesome article, Jeff; definitely do more of these!

    * I guess I deal with it by just not giving up on learning what’s now; I’ve got a huge “pile” of ebooks on the docket as I write. Another thing I’m doing is studying computer science; while it’s not directly related to web development, I’m finding that a lot of the principles and methods used will be invaluable for a pretty long time, giving me a solid base no matter what changes in web development practices.

    * DEFINITELY; in fact, I really wish I could role the clock back ~5 years, to when I started dabbling with the web. I was 15 then, and didn’t really take it all as seriously as I could have. Knowing how much I could have learned if I had wanted to is probably one of the things that keeps me learning today.

    * While I can’t say I read every article, I love the community aspect of Nettuts+ (and all of the Envato™ Empire). As a regular writer, you almost feel like you get to know the other authors (and the audience, of course), because you can identify with the effort that goes into these top-notch tutorials.

  • http://812studio.com benjamin

    The old progression paradox. The more I learn the less I know adage. I just try to learn within my means. I’d like to learn how to make apps for OSX, but it’s currently way outside of what I have time and skills for. And dare I say, it’s more important to know what’s possible than to know everything. I just try to take on freelance projects that push me to learn.

    I would not want to start over again. I began at the ass end of the table based design / flash free-for-all era, and I’m happy that I never had to do more than a handful of each.

    I’m married (one wife :), and we just had our first child. I used to have a salaried job, now I freelance from home and take care of our little monster. Yes, I have much less time to learn more stuff, but what I learned in the first place has enabled me to spend quality time with my son. The trade off is perfect. I need to send a shout out to all the geek fathers out there!

    I read nettuts each day because it an excellent, applicable and inspirational source of information. Thanks envato!

  • http://m.chorfa.net mohamed

    Many thanks for this article so comforting, it shows that efforts to deploy learning is a perpetual quest for knowledge … This gives the beauty of things to learn the things that excites us, we stress, we packed, but we wonder.It gives me great pleasure after solving a problem that has been running through my head all day. It is through this that our life is a cascade of objectives, that are fighting every day to achieve them.
    I check your site every day by what you are my reliable source and inspiring thank you.

  • http://www.neilrpearce.co.uk Neil Pearce

    Great read Jeff, me and a collegue was only discussing the other day just how it is that you always find new ideas for us.

    I am a father of two and i also run a football team(soccer) at the weekend, but i always manage to find a spare hour each and everyday to learn something new or even go back over something i am not sure about. But it’s really, really hard with kids!

    I am fairly new to the industry, with only two years commercial experience, but i have been learning about web development for over five years and man!……i couldn’t handle starting all over again. I couldn’t believe how passionate i got back when i first started and that passion is what keeps us going.

    Keep up the good work Jeff and don’t have kids just yet!

  • Imran

    Great article Jeffrey!

    You really do feel the need to know it all and because there is so much to learn, it does overwhlem you at times. I was just thinking about this recently and my solution is to specialize i.e focus on php in my case and not get carried away with trying to lean Ruby/Rails/Python/Objective C (for iphone)ect. ect.

    Reminds me of a old saying ” jack of all trades, master of none!”

    Imran

  • http://www.ferdychristant.com Ferdy

    When finding time to learn is an issue, pick your battles wisely. The technology you will pick to learn needs to sell itself. It needs to lead to a clear advantage: higher productivity, better performance, cheaper to develop that way, enables unique features not possible in other technologies.

    If such clear advantages do not exist or are fuzzy, do not waste your time learning it just because some cool blog showcases it.

    Also, invest in conceptual knowledge. It will always stay. If you know OOP or a design pattern like MVC, it does not matter which MVC framework you will use, as you will understand it at a deeper level. If you understand Javascript well, jQuery, Mootools, whatever will be easy to pick up. First learn the basics and the concepts.

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