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Life Behind The Curve @ Side View Conf - Brighton

Life Behind The Curve @ Side View Conf - Brighton

Westley Knight

November 09, 2013
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  1. Life Behind The Curve
    - or -
    How to keep up with all things web
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanthia/10334451553

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  2. A brief introduction
    Building website for over 13 years
    Married with 3 children
    Always worked in an agency
    I love doing my job

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  3. Way back when
    Web Design DNS Servers
    Flash Software Support
    Database Design Domain Registration
    Server Setup Web Design
    Hosting Accounts Dial-up Accounts
    ASP (VBScript) Email Servers
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/516266503

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  4. I found what I enjoyed
    Web Developer
    Front End
    Development
    Project
    Management
    Back End
    Development
    Database
    Design
    Server
    Management
    CMS
    Deployment

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  5. THE PRESENT DAY
    Senior UX/UI Developer
    at
    @thinkbda

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  6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5818096043
    Which means I do this stuff
    User Experience Information Architecture
    User Interface Design Responsive Web Design
    Content Strategy Typography

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  8. What is this talk about
    How this talk came about
    Examine the avenues for learning
    How I changed the way I look at it all
    How you can do the same

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  9. This isn’t what I started with
    Workflows & Processes
    Responsive Deliverables
    Repurposing Your Tools

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  10. Workflows & processes

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  11. Responsive deliverables

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  12. Repurposing your tools

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  13. TWO WEEKS BEFORE GIVING THE TALK
    Everyone’s already talking about this...

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  14. Let’s get started with some
    audience participation
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3272079115

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  15. The Answer to all OUR problems
    http://uptodate.frontendrescue.org

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  16. how does it try to solve my problems?
    Who to follow on Twitter
    A list of news sites, blogs & podcasts
    Conferences to attend
    Advice on finding your own sources

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  17. does it solve my problems?
    Not really...

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  18. HOW DO I FILTER ALL THIS CONTENT?
    700+ Articles 65 Episodes
    ~58 Hours ~50 Hours

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  19. How long?!
    5 Months

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  20. Twitter
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/eldh/5858249526

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  21. A window to the hive mind
    Me
    Vs.
    Everyone I follow on Twitter

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  22. The trouble with Conferences
    There are so many
    They can cost a pretty penny
    Getting the time off
    Convincing the boss
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4624389421

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  23. The list is missing something...
    Who to follow on Twitter
    A list of news sites, blogs & podcasts
    Conferences to attend
    Advice on finding your own sources

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  24. TOOLS
    Typography
    Boilerplates
    Pre-processors
    Libraries
    Frameworks Prototyping Tools
    Task Runners
    Code Editors
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7126146307

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  25. That’s a lot of stuff
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CS7j5I6aOc

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  26. so how do you keep up?

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  27. The short answer
    You can’t

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  28. The Depressing Part
    Threatened by the knowledge of others
    Put myself under pressure to learn
    Been judged for not being ‘up-to-date’
    I’ve doubted my own abilities
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciaranryan/9728262844

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  29. Good news everyone!
    You don’t
    have to feel
    this way
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/toomuchdew/3612905889

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  30. The Young Guns
    There’s always somebody younger
    There’s always somebody hungrier
    These are the people who do crazy things
    with stuff you’ve never even heard of
    http://shazza91321.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/young-guns.jpg

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  31. You have two choices
    You compete by trying to learn
    everything you can
    or
    You can realise that it’s time for
    someone else to do that stuff
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldineen/2122384796

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  32. Relinquishing control

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  33. Relinquishing control
    “You also have to embrace that fact
    that things won’t always be 100% the
    way you would like it; they can’t be;
    as you’re not doing it yourself.”
    - Joel Hughes
    http://thebusinessofwebdesign.co.uk/2013/11/08/6-the-traits-of-a-good-freelancer/

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  34. acceptance is key
    “For after all, the best thing one can do
    when it is raining is to let it rain.”
    - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/9219910524

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  35. A DIFFERENT APPROACH

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  36. A Different approach
    Learn only what
    you need
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/kblanqua/8422890539

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  37. A Different approach
    Keep it relevant
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4643095630

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  38. A Different approach
    Build an archive
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/dolescum/3568499590

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  39. ADVICE
    Take advice with a
    pinch of salt
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/info_grrl/10366207823

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  40. And that’s how I do it
    Learn only what you need
    Apply new techniques if relevant
    Save articles for future reference
    Make considered choices

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  41. “The more I read, the more I acquire, the
    more certain I am that I know nothing.”
    - Voltaire
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3723714381

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  42. “To know is to know that you know
    nothing. That is the meaning of
    true knowledge.”
    - Confucius
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3723714381

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  43. “The more you know, the more
    you know you don’t know.”
    - Me
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3723714381

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  44. Don’t worry
    Accept that others will know more
    Only learn what you need
    Learn to let go of your work
    It’s OK not to be ahead of the curve
    BE HAPPY

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  45. Thank you
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/zanthia/10334451553
    @westleyknight

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