I’ve been involved in web development for 27+ years. so I figured I’d offer some words of (nearly) wisdom…
I should caveat this by saying that these views are my own and not necessarily that of my employer.
You know, I’ve been watching this whole “internet” thing for a while now, from the days when it was a series of beeps and squeaks emanating from a beige box the size of a small refrigerator, to the current state where it’s basically an all-singing, all-dancing, occasionally glitchy, digital universe. And one thing’s become abundantly clear: if you’re a web developer, you’re essentially riding a perpetual whirligig.
Just when you think you’ve mastered the latest framework, got your head around the newest JavaScript library, and finally figured out how to make those damn CSS grids behave, BAM! Something new pops up. It’s like those old fairground games where you try to whack a mole, only the moles are constantly evolving and whispering cryptic acronyms.
Remember when Flash was the bee’s knees? Everyone was slapping animated buttons and intro sequences onto their websites like it was going out of style. Now, it’s about as welcome as a cold cup of tea. And let’s not even start on the endless parade of JavaScript frameworks. It’s like a linguistic arms race, with each new iteration promising to revolutionise everything, only to be replaced by something shinier a few months later.
And now, with the whole AI thing, it’s like someone’s turned the whirligig up to eleven. We’ve got code generation tools that can churn out entire websites with a few well-placed prompts, and AI assistants that can debug code faster than you can say “syntax error.” It’s enough to make a seasoned developer reach for a stiff drink and a nice, quiet book about, say, the history of garden gnomes.
But here’s the thing: resistance is futile. Trying to cling to the old ways is like trying to hold back the tide with a teacup. The digital landscape is constantly shifting, and if you want to stay afloat, you’ve got to learn to adapt.
Embrace the chaos, I say. Learn to love the whirligig. Dive into the new technologies, experiment with the latest tools, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. After all, that’s how we learn. And who knows, maybe one day we’ll even figure out how to make those CSS grids behave properly. Until then, keep your coffee strong and your code clean, and remember: it’s all just a bit of a laugh, really…