In response to the article ‘This Pisses Me Off‘ on phark.typepad.com I wrote the following:
After reading Zeldman’s Designing with Web Standards, Eric Meyer on CSS and a slew of other books I’ve been picking up on CSS and implementing it accordingly. To be honest, however, I learn something new everyday and for someone to even consider CSS to be challenging…. well, I’d explain to them that anything is challenging — at first.
Anyone can read a book on Rocket Science and if they devoted enough energy and attention to the subject they could easily learn to become a rocket scientist. The unattainable is for those people that don’t feel the need to learn about the subject or don’t have any interest.
I chose to learn CSS (albeit gradually) to break my HTML “spaghetti code” habits. I realize how bloated and non-semantic the code was and had an awakening if you may. Never would I quote on my site that I’m an expert because I feel that noone is an expert in their field no matter how many certificates you have hanging on your wall.
To me, we are constantly learning and honing our craft. Be it a hobby that we picked up over the weekend (bikini belly dancing or whatever) or taking the time to learn CSS, we’ll never become an expert. Anyone that claims to be should take a step back and realize that learning is part of life and it’s something that will never cease.
I’ve been in debate about this for the past couple of years. Showing people that anyone can learn whatever they please but please remember that even teachers and idols are human beings and people that are learning as well.
The guy who wrote that article doesn’t have a clear idea of what he is writing about. It’s like these reviews of video games or movies wherein the reviewer (or critic) spends about 3 minutes with their subject and then spend 2 hours writing an article explaining their displeasure for said subject.
It’s easy. Spend time, hone your craft, continue learning and enjoy life. Our skills are never perfect and neither are we.
I couldn’t agree more. The way I see it is that the moment in which we are complacent enough to think we know everything is the moment in which we become stale, static and start walking in the proverbial rut.
As designers or developers we have a responsibility to keep up with the advancing technology that is available to us.
I enjoyed this post, thank you :-)
Thanks for the comment, Gordon. You managed to back up my feelings to the tee and I’m glad that I’m not the only person out there that feels this way.
Also, you have a very nice site! I can tell you’ve put a lot of work into it. Count me in as a new visitor.
Man, I really love the Internet.
Forgot to mention; great work on the HTML/CSS layouts.
:-) Thanks! I love the Internet too hehe.
You did not need me to back up the fact that you were right, I find it so hard to believe that people like that ignorant post you showed us all can still make web sites at all.
The saddest thing is that people like that say things they don’t mean in a desperate attempt to gain a massive comment return only because they are totally jealous of people within the same community that are doing the same things as them, but with successful returns.
OMG I am so negatively minded for it being a Saturday and a day away from the day job hehehe, sorry for griping within the walls of your beautiful site.