Getting Started is the Hardest Part

Time to CHECK-IN!

The last week or two have been a bit of a humbling experience as PROJECT – GRIFFITH is concerned.

In my previous posting, I alluded to the idea that self-teaching web development was akin to moving mountains with shovels in terms of difficulty.  Well maybe that is an exaggeration, but one thing that I am really starting to discover is that, the hardest part to self-education is really starting and finding a way to hold yourself accountable to putting one foot in front of the other.

Don’t get me wrong.  The realm of the “interwebs” is not a simple topic to tackle; which is why a good developer is not yet a dime a dozen,  and also why there are so many articles out there about being able to communicate realistic expectations with project managers, clients and non-technical decision makers.

However, over the last two weeks I have been able to take significant steps toward learning the fundamentals needed to be a developer.  To provide a sort of CHECK-IN, here is what I have done:

• HTML Intro - Lynda.com class entitled XHTML and HTML Essential Training with Bill Weinman
• HTML TAGS and ATTRIBUTES - Gathered from Mozilla Developer Network
• Evolution of HTML 4.0 to 5 and current standards
• Starting into CSS - Lynda.com class entitled CSS Fundamentals with James Williamson

More importantly though, here are the life lessons that I have learn over the last week.

1 – Starting is the hardest part

I graduated from college in 2009, and pretty much instantaneously found out I needed to supplement everything that I had learned previously.  This project, has been on the wish list from that point. Four years later; I am finally taking the initiative to get started. 

And furthermore, I am holding myself accountable.  This is a HUGE step.

Accountability is partially why I am documenting my progress for you.  If you are reading this, and can’t Google my portfolio by the end of the year, I have clearly faltered somewhere.  I am giving myself rewards for finishing my first website, getting my first client, and I am removing simple luxuries from my life if I miss deadlines.

These are self-administered checks-and-balances, so if you are considering any method of self-education I simply advise to get started and hold yourself accountable for successes and failures.

2 – Talk to people in the industry

In my previous post I outlined a class structure that I was going to use to develop my understanding of web development and its related topics.  However, as I reached out to complete strangers through Linkedin, they began pointing me to brand new resources and communities I had never heard of.

•          Sitepoint
•          Stack Overflow
•          MDN

These are just a few examples, and they have already helped me connect dots that I would not have otherwise.  One caveat here is to not just follow every piece of advice people have, including my own.  When I first entered into conversations on forums, I got both good and bad advice, from professionals of a range of backgrounds and understanding of my goals.  It’s the research into these pieces of advice that is the fun part.  Figure out what you want to listen to, and in the case of critical comments, how you want to prove people wrong about your own ambition!

3 – Organize your education

We are talking about web here so get out your computer and crank away at some code right???  Well, to-each-their-own on this one.  I myself need to rinse and repeat, so here is how I have organized.

Even though I have some background in web design, I started from page one.  This allowed me to review, and actually uncovered a few things I didn’t know before.  I realized that things I was taught four years ago are indeed outdated and no longer standard.  I found new short cuts, and some basic definitions finally clicked that I had once been told, “You don’t need to know this right now.”

I not only typed out notes, but I physically wrote out every html tag out onto a note card including lists of definitions, applicable attributes and browser supports. 

My goal is to not have to rely on templates and references when coding.  I want to be able to hardcode from scratch and understand the difference and meaning of every element that I type.

Personally, when it comes to HTML, staying on top of what tags and attributes are active and useful is the hardest thing to master.  

Self Teaching Web Development

Announcing – Project Griffith

I feel as if I am on the verge of a new stage in my life.  As I watch political debates and listen to how wrong everyone in the world is on every topic at hand, I want to create something that will provide a sustainable future for me and the family I someday hope to start.  Professionally, I am extremely grateful for the experiences I have collected.  I have a 4 year degree from the University of Evansville in Mass Communications.  I have worked for a pioneer market research company, numerous not-for-profits, and the world’s largest online search engine for employment and staffing needs. 

It is this culmination of experiences and the people that have mentored me that gives me the confidence to do what I am about to describe in this article.  I take pride in the things I do, and I am looking forward to creating something new under a set of morals that I believe in, and that will remain a sustainable business to support my family and my community.

My take on business is that it should be used to enhance some aspect of life, and if you are fortunate to have a reach beyond the community that houses you, I believe you have a moral obligation to take care of the people and community that support you first and foremost.

So here my project -

STEP 1 - 1 Year to Master Web Development Technology

My first job out of college is where I first had the idea of building a full service marketing firm.  Not just a digital shop; But a home with a printing press, video and audio studio, and of course, a digital shop.  So this is the first step in making this dream come true.  My career has taught me what it means to understand online, print, video, and audio marketing.  But over the next year I will be studying and self-teaching the tactical level elements of digital marketing.

I have scoured the internet in the past trying to find advice and direction, and while it is out there, there is no easy path or open source method for understanding step 1 to finish when it comes to setting up a website.  Therefore in conjunction with my self-education I will be documenting the path I follow to hopefully guide those that stumble onto this path behind me.  I do not currently have the resources or think it is a responsible investment (at this time) to go back to school for a formal education. But believe this path will at the very least give me the experience and understanding to step out onto the playing field of entrepreneurial marketing.

STEP 2 - 1 year to establish sustainable business plan for full service marketing agency

Starting a business is not an easy thing to do, nor is it a fast thing to do if done correctly.  In January of 2014, I will set a goal to begin developing a sound business plan that is sustainable for the long term.  This includes measures to gain investors, capital, and a base of employees.  Again, I can’t stress enough the position this will be created under.  Things will be done right, no short cuts taken, and it will be done transparently, as an educational experience for small business owners to use as a reference.

Self-Education

The self-education is by far the most detailed portion of this initiative because I frankly haven’t thought further ahead than this.  I will basically be splitting my education into four “classes.” These classes are aimed to make sure I know the technical skills, the design concepts, the management aspects and that I am staying current with the current development world. I think back to the multimedia classes I took in college, and over the last 4 years, that technology doesn’t even exist anymore.  So to me it is critical to get a real-time comprehension of the market standards and issues. The class structure and goals are as follows:

Language Arts

A class oriented toward the specific languages and resources that will need to be master to be successful in not only coding a web page but understanding the best consultative approach for advising clients of all sizes what the best approach is going to be for their given resources. This is a robust initiative that involves not just understanding elements of web design, but also the underlying languages of computer, server, and database programming.

Languages include:

Web Authoring - HTML, XHTML, HTML5

Web Styling - CSS, CSS3

Web Interaction - JavaScript, Action script

Server and Database Integration - Ajax, PHP, MySQL, Perl, .net

Computer Programming - Java, C++, Apache

Industry Resources

A class that aims to grow awareness of active and healthy industry forums, business supported products, and opportunities to network with current innovators in the world of web development. This includes all aspects and related topics ranging from graphic design and aesthetic to hosting and CMS platforms.

• Forums – sitepoint, stackoverflow, web developer, W3C, Designers Talk, Digital Point
• Graphics – Adobe Cloud
• Content Management Systems – The world of CMS is so great I will be identifying the key systems that appeal to me and actually setting up product demonstrations and trainings with them over the next year.

Administrative Skills

This class breaks down the meat and potatoes of web development and optimization practices.  In this area, we explore social media, search engine optimization, and debugging.

Search Engine Optimization, Demographic optimization, Mobile Optimization, Cross Browser Compatibility, Accessibility, Image and Media File Optimization, Legal and copyright provisions, evaluation and measurement standards

Development Processes

Development processes are ultimately the backbone to the birth of any website.  This initiative will outline a way to automate the customized creative necessities that go into building a website.  This means identifying client needs, resources, and current processes; as well as, documentation and versioning of the brainstorming process.

Discovery Period

When I was a child, I used to be able to look at the world as if standing on the precipice of endless possibilities.  If I was afraid I would imagine, visualize and feel an unphasable skin of titanium wash over my body, as if a colossus like invincibility existed within me.  If I was confused I had an uncanny talent for removing myself from a situation and seeing the details that would explain the inner workings that would lead to the consequence before it unfolded.  I calculated everything, I knew everything, and everything had a reason for happening.  I was invincible.  I was a child.

Over the years, however, I have had a handful of experiences slap me in the face with a harsh education.  It was the kind of education that you can only learn from age and mistakes.   I know I don’t have a metal skin that will protect me from the physical dangers of life. However, I still hold onto one talent from my youth. I still like to see the areas that I need to improve in order to reach my goals.  I understand how to get things done, and what is keeping me from achieving my goals.

FLASH FORWARD INTO THE PRESENT:

So after having had the pleasure of being laid off twice within a 1 year span, I am in the position to really step back and figure out what I want to do.  It may sound odd, and I challenge you to reflect on this yourself, but the last time I stopped to think about what I want was back in high school. That is over 7 years ago at the time I’m writing this.

After being laid off the first time, I was in survival mode, and simply took the first job that would allow me to maintain a relatively similar salary to my previous position.  I remember speaking with some friends about it on Facebook, and commenting that in the grand scheme of things, “people just need to remember happiness is not everything.”  I simply needed a job.  I quickly discovered money is not everything.  I was an inbound sales executive, and while I exceled, I knew it was not my dream job.

 

So almost a year later I was pulled into a room and told that my position would be moving to a new geography.  A blessing in its own way. My call center job played its part and I developed some valuable skills, and life lessons, and I know now that a job needs to be more than a job, and there is a distinct difference between a career and a job.

I am a writer, and I help create better and more efficient ways of doing things.  I take pride in not specializing in any one thing, and being able to float between skills.  I help people live better lives whether they are at the low point of their life or a member of the so called 1% elite.  I care, and I work hard, but this does not mean I deserve without action (an understanding that I think my generation lacks comprehension).  Now notice, I am no longer a marketer or a sales person or a project manager.

These are things I am still discovering.  Who am I? What do I want to do with my life?  I don’t know, but I am in the process of discovering the answers, and I am starting to find my roots once again.  I believe I know what I want. Now I just need to learn how to survive in a way that will allow me to reach that final outcome that I previously explained I have a knack for finding out how to achieve it.

Pre-Log

On this beautifully cloudy Friday afternoon, I am finally working up the ambition to recollect what creativity is still mustering in the depths of my imagination.

See, in my younger years (which I say lightly as I am currently only in my mid-20's) my eyes swelled with the pride of a philosopher that would someday author the world's next great literary piece.  I had a vision of touching people's lives, not in the pursuit of riches, but in the mission of bringing clarity to happiness.

And then I found my path straying from what I had always planned.

I left my small town, actually more prone to refer to it as a village, and journeyed nine hours east to Indiana.  I had a year to transition to the different moods, mentalities, and cultural subtleties that were unfamiliar to my life back in small town Minnesota.  And trust me if you wish to say all people are inherently the same, it is not true. People in one region simply do not act or think in the same way as people in another, completely dissolving any notion I will ever have of what a normal person's life should be.

I have now been living in some region of Indiana for the last seven years at the time I am writing this dialogue.
One year of high school followed by four years of college and two more in the professional work force as a Marketing Analyst.

College was a bittersweet experience brought on from my own naïve perceptions and beliefs about education.  My freshman year I was on the verge of failing out of school as I habitually skipped class despite getting perfect scores on tests.  Coupled with the fact that I was attending a school that I really couldn't afford, I found my optimism, creativity, and general excitement to change the world slowly begin to dwindle.

Over these four years I dabbled in philosophies, creative writing, religion and psychology majors before finally landing in communications and marketing.  I had lost my vision of becoming the world's next great author, and my confidence began shrinking as I noticed that I truly celebrated a life of mediocrity.  Don't get me wrong, I am good at what I do, but I was unclear about what I did.  I still believed that my perspective on life and farm-grown hard work gave me an edge over my classmates, but by the time I graduated my creativity had been expunged on the realities of being broke and without a plan.

My one saving grace of college was meeting my now wife.  After a year of losing control of my grades, she set me straight and gave me something worth working towards once again.

Because of her I was able to straighten out my life, and grow up a bit. I was fortunate enough to acquire a great job right out of college working as a marketing project manager for comScore, Inc. Shortly after I felt that I had a stable lifestyle, I finally asked her to marry me after four and a half years of having her in my life.

And that brings us back to now; a moment when clarity seems to finally be regenerating my creativity and imagination.

My past has become a learning experience of celebrated mediocrity.  I am by no means an expert in any single path of skill, but I tout a broad understanding of skills. I believe that it is important to understand the various elements that affect your life, and therefore, I believe in not specializing in any single one thing.  Combined with my farm-boy upbringing, I believe you do everything right the first time so rather than producing a shoddy piece of work quickly, I face longer time frames with a better outcome.  I have no problem looking at something I want and saying I will have it in one year... no sooner!

And thus my project begins.  In the beginning, this blog will be scattered, perhaps visually distorted, containing typos (I do know how to spell so I apologize if an occasional taht slips in place of that... but in elementary school we learn about contextual reference, and so I trust your will understand what I am saying)

This blog is simply a dialogue among the many divided interests I have in life, and a reflection of how I perceive my world to be.  I invite you (when I get it setup, and so long as they are intelligent) to leave your comments, and help me to grow as an individual.

I am a writer, a designer, a developer, an artist, a videographer, a photographer, a marketer, a gamer, a reader, a wood worker, an appreciator of a good drink, a film enthusiast, a family man and a husband.