Life Behind The Curve @ Side View Conf - Brighton

Transcript

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

   View Slide

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

   View Slide

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/52329908@N00/516266503
   

   View Slide

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

   View Slide

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

   View Slide

6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/74105777@N00/5818096043
   Which means I do this stuff
   User Experience Information Architecture
   User Interface Design Responsive Web Design
   Content Strategy Typography
   

   View Slide

7. View Slide

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
   

   View Slide

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

   View Slide

10. Workflows & processes
    

    View Slide

11. Responsive deliverables
    

    View Slide

12. Repurposing your tools
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

14. Let’s get started with some
    audience participation
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/45409431@N00/3272079115
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

19. How long?!
    5 Months
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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/77868772@N00/4624389421
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

24. TOOLS
    Typography
    Boilerplates
    Pre-processors
    Libraries
    Frameworks Prototyping Tools
    Task Runners
    Code Editors
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/7126146307
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

26. so how do you keep up?
    

    View Slide

27. The short answer
    You can’t
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

32. Relinquishing control
    

    View Slide

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/
    

    View Slide

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/88328067@N03/9219910524
    

    View Slide

35. A DIFFERENT APPROACH
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

37. A Different approach
    Keep it relevant
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/8542711@N08/4643095630
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide

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
    

    View Slide

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

    View Slide