This constantly evolving animal cannot be tamed. There are always so many new things to learn, updated coding, and new processes. And then there are the ever looming standards, which means that some of what I learned about HTML years ago is no longer applicable.
Change can be good. I’m not resistant to change. My problem is that I am teaching myself web design these days. There is no cubicle I can lean over to ask for help. I’m on my own, and that sometimes means I have to search for hours to find answers or fixes for simple things. For example, I was working on another site that uses the Swift Theme. Lovely theme. I really like it, but I was having a problem with the magazine layout. How to get it to show? Well, I always start with the search engines. Those may point me to a site that has a similar question being asked, and if I’m lucky, it’s the right question and the right answer. Poof! Problem gone. But I wasn’t lucky with this problem with the magazine layout. Finally I strolled upon the forum for the theme and began searching there. None of the responses were pinpointing my exact problem, so I essentially had to scan through almost every entry until I found a remnant of information. Aha! I need to have more posts typed up than what’s called for in the rotator. Simple enough. I had the posts, but by the time I found the answer, at least two hours had passed.
Lately, I’ve been more tweaking on themes. I am learning php and more css by default. Perhaps if I didn’t have to search so hard for answers, I could actually find time to read the book or do a few tutorials. One day, I suppose, I will know this stuff like the back of my hand. That’s how it happened with HTML. I remember that I struggled with it early on. I’d forget to close tags and then sit there with my head in my hand trying to figure out why my page was messed up. I’d use the wrong syntax and end up with a mess. Then finally, one day, I was typing HTML like it was a letter to an old friend.
I know my learning style. I need the written word, I need videos, and I need hands on tutorials. Soon before I realize it, I am able to do more and more. Now, if the web would just slow down a bit so that I can get ahead of this mighty engine, I might actually become a pro, of sorts.
