Letting go of the mindset that there is a need to be impressive to others in my career field is a tough thing to do. I relate more to the, “I stumbled through the race but still made it to the finish line!” mentality. I feel more comfortable there. I have been a full-time Freelancer / Solopreneur since August 2010 when I was laid off from my web marketing job.
A Means To An End
Since that time I have sought in many ways to grow as a person. Although Web development is one major area of my life I know that it is not the complete picture. I love technology and what it makes possible in lives of every person but I realize technology is only a means to an end. The question that I ask myself in my more sober moments is, “How can I be of value to others through the technology that is so readily available to each of us & still make some type of living?” From a professional standpoint, I find that the free sharing of what I know is most useful and valuable to others. Teaching has become a passion for me & I find an outlet for that passion through the various avenues: WordPress Meetups, one-to-one meetings, informal get-togethers with friends & other public speaking engagements. The knowledge that I have gained from earlier learning sessions become more solidified as I speak about it.
The Catch Up Game
In the last few years (3-4 Years), the web world has seen the cropping up of many front end tools and those who were very well-versed front end technologies just three years back, if they did not keep up with all the new stuff on the block, may have found themselves trying to play catch up. I was among the crowd of those attempting to play catch up. My last 4 years on a personal level had become a blur of tragedy and joy and at one point and time, running my business was not a priority. I have kept the fundamental knowledge of HTML, CSS, Web Grid Systems, jQuery & basic PHP but have found that the holes in my understanding of web technologies have needed to be filled in. Back to the growth Mindset.
My Current Goal.
My current goal is to fill in those holes of fundamental understanding in the knowledge & use of modern Front-End & some backend technologies (Frameworks, languages, etc..) so that I can come out fluent in my understanding & actually become more useful in my execution of each technology.
Becoming Fluent In The Code
I have concluded that to fully express the creativity that I want in any domain I must master the fundamentals of the technology. One useful analogy that I have heard someone use is the analogy of language. When a person begins to learn any language they will stumble along through the process of learning until they actually become fluent in the language. Once they become fluent in the language they actually begin to use creativity. That creativity can come in the form of poems, prose, plays or whatever they want. The key is that they are no longer hindered in what they want to do because their deep understanding of a language.
Let’s Journey Together
I began this blog post headed in one direction but ended in another. if you are still with me I commend you. I plan to write a bit more often here and document my journey of growth in code, life & business. I invite you to join my journey and I hope that you are somehow helped along in your journey as I continue to record my discoveries, trials & errors.
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