“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”
Neil Gaiman
To begin with, everything. And I truly mean everything. I love the sheer breadth and variety of what “web development” encompasses. For every new topic or process I start to learn, there are myriad rabbit holes of related knowledge to dig into, and better yet, the tools with which to do so are constantly evolving.
Is it overwhelming as a student? Heck yes it is, but that’s what’s so exciting. My brain gets bored not just with repetition, but with completion. I’m the most excited when there’s still more to learn. In my former career as a woodworker, I thrived the most in shops where there was always a new problem to solve, process to optimize, or tool to add to my belt. I’m over the moon about how endless the digital equivalent of those opportunities will be in this field, too.
Breadth and variety are also what inform my second favorite thing about web development – creativity. For any one goal there are so many different ways to get there. The most effective solutions tend to be artful, and I’m not just talking about CSS tricks or even front-end development necessarily. It inherently requires creative thinking to make effective decisions in everything from data structures to DOM manipulation. The difference between endless spaghetti code and an efficient, performant script, is all about the intersection of comprehension and creativity. Those little moments while I’m coding when a more eloquent solution suddenly becomes apparent are an absolute thrill. They tell me I’m making progress and get me excited for whatever little revelation might come next.
More than anything, though, I love the potential for the web to be a more equitable space. I happen to check a few boxes that have often left me feeling like a square peg in a world full of round holes. It’s frustrating! And tiring. And sometimes downright dangerous. So, to whatever extent I’m able, I’m determined to contribute toward the prioritization of accessibility and inclusion. Web developers have this amazing ability to make life a little easier for everybody with the stroke of a few keys. What’s not to love about that?
Up Next…
For more musings from an eager noob, see my post on “Choosing a Theme“. There were ups, there were downs, and plenty of considerations and lessons learned in between.
Tess is a former woodworker and current web developer in progress. She specializes in bridging the gap between aesthetics and algorithms, bringing a seasoned eye and passion for creative solutions to all that she does. She will graduate in May of 2024 with an A.A.S. in Web Development.