Beware The Shiny!

With new technology, new frameworks, new models, and new best practices coming at us every day, how can anyone become an expert in everything? This presentation talks about the danger of shiny new web methodologies and how to grow your expertise in a manageable way. Avoid yak shaving and solve real problems!

Transcript

1. BEWARE The SHINY! Martha Rotter Friday 16 March 12
2. Beware the Shiny! Martha Rotter @martharotter martha@woop.ie Friday 16 March 12
3. How many of you have said this in the last year: (or month) (or week) Friday 16 March 12
4. I have really been meaning to get in to LESS. Friday 16 March 12
5. Man, knowing node.js would be so useful! Friday 16 March 12
6. I totally need to pick up some HAML. Friday 16 March 12
7. Just thinking of spending the weekend learning to build Android apps Friday 16 March 12
8. It’s time I finally figured out SASS, once and for all. Friday 16 March 12
9. Thinking I might try working Knockout.js into my next project. Friday 16 March 12
10. I might spend the next day or two transferring all of my databases into CouchDB. Just to try it out. Friday 16 March 12
11. Well, I know nothing about Backbone. It’s time to become an expert. Today. Oh, but first I just need to understand Underscore.js. That shouldn’t take long... Friday 16 March 12
12. WHAT’S THE PROBLEM MARTHA? Friday 16 March 12
13. Some rights reserved by marcus_jb1973 Friday 16 March 12
14. Some rights reserved by kk+ Friday 16 March 12
15. Some rights reserved by Ryan Hageman Friday 16 March 12
16. Who would you hire? Friday 16 March 12
17. “‘Shiny’ is not a tangible metric.” Friday 16 March 12
18. Here’s another problem. Friday 16 March 12
19. Friday 16 March 12
20. Were you an expert in: Friday 16 March 12
21. I’m not trying to keep you from learning, I promise Friday 16 March 12
22. Some rights reserved by La Citta Vita Friday 16 March 12
23. How to build sustainable skills? Friday 16 March 12
24. Lessons I’ve Learned from teaching web dev: • Know the difference between “taking a look”, “learning”, and “mastering” • Taking a look means understanding its purpose • Learning means knowing how to use it • Mastering means being able to handle it in complex situations Friday 16 March 12
25. An Example... Friday 16 March 12
26. Some rights reserved by j u s t i n . z Friday 16 March 12
27. Now is the time... Friday 16 March 12
28. STOP. HOLD UP. NO HAMMER TIME. Friday 16 March 12
29. Ask yourself: • What’s the deadline for this project? • Do I have a spare day or two (or three or four) to try this out during the project? (If not why are you considering jeopardizing the project’s deadline?) • Is this specific to this project or will I use this technology again in some or many future projects? Friday 16 March 12
30. Evaluate • If the answers to the questions lead you to believe a) there is time, b) it won’t add to the client’s costs, and c) you can still complete it on time, go for it. • If not, all is not lost. Find a weekend or evening where you can work on it on a personal project. Do NOT just do how-to tutorials! Have an actual project! Friday 16 March 12
31. Back to our example... Friday 16 March 12
32. This could go one of two ways. Friday 16 March 12
33. the way we imagine it will go when we decide to add on a fun new framework: Friday 16 March 12
34. Friday 16 March 12
35. and the way it sometimes works when you try working with old, broken tutorials and discover the method you need has had a bug filed on it for 8 months with no activity and no one is answering you on IRC. You wake up at 4pm on a Thursday afternoon on the floor in your hallway after working straight through since Monday, and you realize you need to start from scratch to finish by 5pm tomorrow. Friday 16 March 12
36. Some rights reserved by David Boyle Friday 16 March 12
37. Let’s not do that, mkay? Friday 16 March 12
38. Best Practices for the Shiny Friday 16 March 12
39. When you start learning something new, have a project in mind Friday 16 March 12
40. Remember shiny things change often. Friday 16 March 12
41. Beware outdated help documentation, tutorials & blog posts Friday 16 March 12
42. When looking at something new, think about how you might use it Friday 16 March 12
43. Build on top of what you already know. Create a foundation. Friday 16 March 12
44. Find a partner in crime. Friday 16 March 12
45. Find the hideouts! Friday 16 March 12
46. Ask questions. (And don’t do the “This might sound really stupid but...”) Friday 16 March 12
47. Don’t try to learn it all at once. Friday 16 March 12
48. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself. Friday 16 March 12
49. Pay attention to the world around you. Friday 16 March 12
50. Remember: there’s nothing wrong with shiny. It’s what you build with it that counts! Friday 16 March 12
51. Thanks! Friday 16 March 12