Hi all,
Glad to be in this community.
I’m a Web Developer, Technical Lead. Please feel free to ask me anything.
Cheers.
[AMA] I’m a Web Developer, ask me anything.
Lreactvue on 22/07/2018 - 11:36
closed Comments
And a million other features Scotty and co will never ever get to because only I can see the matrix. Hi sup
Hi,
Any global trends/paradigm shift that you are seeing?
Cloud has been popular in recent years. I am suprise that by now we don't have code generation, where everything can be generated by specs.A piece of code is a collection of logical instructions, translating arbitrary specs which are more or less "ideas" into functional programs would be ultimate achievement for AI if not mankind has ever done before. Right now machines can't even translate voice to text with 100% accuracy or translate from one spoken language to another without a database of some sort.
In terms of paradigm shift, in the past has always been the backend that people have concentrated on. It seems there is more focus on the frontend and UX side of things now.
Why won't corporates move off ie8?
Probably because of legacy line-of-business applications that only works off the IE8 engine.
Sorry, it was a rhetorical question ;)
Hi @shirotech,
Really appreciate the time you've given for this AMA and all the answers you've given so far. I've recently embarked on the journey of a web developer career, having taken a 6-month bootcamp at Coder Academy and being hired by a dev agency shortly afterwards. It's been about a year or so since I've been working there and while I feel like I've learnt a lot, I'm starting to wonder what my next steps should be in terms of career progression.
Being in an agency environment, we were always given tasks that forced us to learn all aspects of development, whether it was design, front-end, back-end, or devops - similar to being full-stack. However, by doing this, I've never felt really confident in any one area and am starting to wonder if I ever will be. I've considered perhaps it is the nature of agency work that prevents us from focusing on tech stacks that we prefer and naturally become more comfortable and confident with. Rather, we're always learning what clients have already started suing and work on top of it.
Do you believe this is a good way for a junior developer to be learning or is there a more structured approach that I should be taking?
Cheers,
@robhung I was interested in attending Coder Academy and was wondering what most of your days looked like while you were doing the course? I'm currently torn between General Assembly and Coder Academy.
During my time at CA, the days really consisted of teaching concepts / knowledge during the morning and self-study / completing exercises in the afternoon, with teachers and mentors there to support you when you have questions. All the exercises we did were similar, if not identical to resources you can find online. On occasions, they would arrange professionals in the industry to come in and speak to you. We had people that worked in startups, big corporations and agencies give us different perspectives in how they approach their work.
I've met students from both schools and can tell you that they are very similar in terms of curriculum and what you'll learn. The difference between the two is that CA guarantees you an internship and gives you an accredited certification (Diploma of Software Development) but I'm not sure if this actually means anything in the industry. Contrast to GA where it's your own responsibility to seek employment, although they do still provide assistance (just not a guarantee).
The other difference is time, CA is 6 months and GA is 3 months. What this means is that people at GA usually continued working at night to attempt exercises which they couldn't solve during the day (you will get stuck and hit constantly hit roadblocks), where as CA was a very 9-5pm sort of feel - they tried to replicate a sort of workday schedule so you're in that routine once the internship comes around.
If you have no other commitments, want to make the most use of your time and are willing to put in the effort of seeking employment then I would recommend GA as you get into the workforce 3 months earlier and can start getting paid.
If you want to take it slow, prefer a bit of guidance and not worry about finding a job, then CA is a better option.
This post couldn't receive enough upvotes from me. Thanks so much for the detailed response!
That seems pretty typical for an agency, and the culture of the company. Actually you're in a very good position right now getting to learn everything even at a basic level, get as much exposure to all sorts of technology as you can now, it will help you later on. You've got a long road ahead, no need to rush. Keep doing what you're doing now for probably 6-12 months more, use it as a stepping stone, get comfortable and when it seems to be too comfortable that's when it is the right time to move on. I would suggest along the way try to find an area where you can specialise in, if your company doesn't give you time to research or self improve maybe start a side project about something that interests you. I know I've said this many times before but I can't stress enough the importance of this step. You will only get what you put in.
Do you work with QAs/Testers? How's your relationship with them?
I do work with them, acting as a QA Lead also because we don't have one yet.
Hey Shirotech,
I've been web developing mainly front end for a few years on and off for companies. I am from the UK and have struggled to get my foot in the door in companies since arriving in Melbourne here due to being on a working holiday visa which has restricted me so have taken a bit of a back-step from web developing but will be sure to take your advice on-board from a lot of the things you have said and I thank you for that.Just a couple of questions, what framework do you use when making the responsive aspect of your sites, is it bootstrap?
Do you use a standard CSS template reset, if so which one?
&
Also, what are your top techniques for improving SEO you've come to see as most important?
Sorry to ask loads, but I rarely get a chance to speak with anyone in the know these days, and have had some burning questions :)
Have you considered freelancing remotely? As it will be locationless, you can work anywhere in the world and be paid and doing the work you do.
Just a couple of questions, what framework do you use when making the responsive aspect of your sites, is it bootstrap?
I don't use frameworks anymore since started using flexbox, my honest opinion is grid system is old school. Since started using flexbox it just makes a lot more sense and can finally get rid of the horrid way of hacking floats etc.
Do you use a standard CSS template reset, if so which one?
Be very careful with resets, it is very prone to breakage when you start using 3rd party styles. I would avoid it and only reset to a very minimal as needed.
Also, what are your top techniques for improving SEO you've come to see as most important?
In my honest opinion is that SEO and accessibility actually goes hand in hand. E.g. opting for semantic html will improve accessibility as well as SEO. This should be the first step before trying to optimise further. The other important SEO component is having quality content. Good content will get users to share your page and come back for more, meaning more backlinks and just better overall.
What's your opinion on django?
I can't comment much on this, have barely used it. But I did like the template engine.
Can we see a couple of examples of websites you have developed?
I used to work at Carsales and AusPost, maybe you can check them out :)
Hi OP, thanks for the AMA. Got some questions related to career building:
- Do you have some general advices for devs working at startup environment?
- How do you see/value employment history with major tech firms** ?
- Have you ever considered taking up US-based role and relocate to, say, SF or Silicon Valley?
- Is GitHub profile really developer's "second résumé"?
** E.g. Amazon, ThoughtWorks, Google, Atlassian, Facebook
Do you have some general advices for devs working at startup environment?
If you like working on new tech and fast paced environment, they are pretty good and I find them more rewarding then big corporates. A general advise is get along with your co-workers and your boss more, team building exercises etc. Startups are mainly small groups, it pays to be more social. I was very quiet at my first startup, didn't click with my co-workers, and so it was hard to communicate your ideas.
How do you see/value employment history with major tech firms** ?
For me, not at all. I just care for their actual talent and skills and what value they actually bring and will I learn from them? Granted that working from Google etc. will bring good culture, but it can be a hit and miss, it is not a decision making factor.
Have you ever considered taking up US-based role and relocate to, say, SF or Silicon Valley?
I have, but only if they let me work remotely.
Is GitHub profile really developer's "second résumé"?
It does help in showing your potential employer (if they are technical) your previous work and open source contributions. The other credible online CV you can have is your LinkedIn.
How much would it cost to build a site like ozbargain, but tweak it enough to be even better?
Cheers.
Like adding thread collapse on mobile browser.
Building is one thing, maybe around $10,000. Supporting it would cost a lot more, you need a whole team.
Some UX suggestions I've mentioned before in another thread.
- Make the side panel sticky so I don't have to scroll all the way up to navigate.
- Would like to see it to be responsive, as I resize my browser it should automatically refit
- The +/- buttons looks out of place, maybe closer to the timestamp
- Should make use more of icons for cancel, votes, bookmark, report, hide etc.
- Text area to button ratio is too different, buttons can be a little bit larger
- Needs more spacing between posts or make use of horizontal lines, it looks a bit cluttered.
Only $10000? Just out of curiosity, how are you coming to that estimate?
What about PHP?
Are you still using it?
Is it still relevant in the industry or is it left in the dust of everyone's now favourite Node.js?I don't use it anymore, I think it still has it's place mainly the most popular blog engine Wordpress is using it. And Facebook is using PHP backend.
Why is so much of the web being broken for anyone with hardware/software more than 5 minutes old? Do you not get that there are many people who are locked into legacy systems for a wide variety of reasons, technical, financial, preference? Locking these millions out is akin to bolting the doors on a physical shop.
I think it's just lack of testing and/or opportunity cost, making the most of your time and bang for the buck. And agree it is not very good practice.
Remember how nobody cared about the environment until recently?
We now have child slavery in the cobalt mines which feed our tech. And the actions of developers are supporting that by reducing the lifespan of our devices. After all, there is no reason not to expect 20 or more years of service before replacing things, if the software is not an issue.
So who better placed than those building the software to promote change? You could be environmental warriors of the highest order.
We now have child slavery
Huh? Child slavery is not even in the same ballpark as not having the latest webshit run as fast on your computer.
You can run most things just fine on 5-10 year old hardware.
I am a fresh grad in bachelors of IT. How important is it for a fresh grad to know multiple coding languages. I am only fluent in HTML / CSS as well as using Adobe software for design.
Hi. Depends on what is your interest. I guess at uni you studied more into general IT management subjects. If you like design, you should take additional design courses. Just an idea. Good luck
This is very typical of a uni graduate, everyone is graduating and you need to stand out from the rest. If you want to increase your chance to land a job, start a project on something that interests you. Can you build something you're proud of with what you have learnt from uni? I think just a little bit more push can make a difference.
None of those are coding languages. What did you learn in your bachelors???
Can you recommend any resources to learn WordPress.
I wanted to teach my teenage kids (obviously myself as well) on how to easily build ecommerce store using WordPress.If you mean as a WordPress developer, will need to learn PHP first. If just using WordPress in general, from video would suffice maybe Youtube?
I have a B Inf Tech also. Snr BI Analyst/Developer. This thread makes me feel dumb. haha. So many niches, so much I don’t know. Thanks for the thread.
Don't be. Btw. Which BI software do you recommend to learn to nail a job? (For a friend, not me)
Everyone has their own specialty, I’m sure you’re great at what you do. Have used Tableau and bit of Domo before, have you used them? What are your thoughts?
How to understand node.js and what it can do (some real samples at your workplace if you don't mind)?
What framework or api do you use to make sure responsive design work across various versions of ios and android and browsers?
Thanks in advance.
Node.js has great support for websockets and most modern browsers supports it natively. It allows a direct communication line between the client and the server. Think of a chat room for example.
We use browserstack to test on different browsers and other devices giving consistant results that is reproducible.
Do you go to Melbjs?
How many hours a day do you work?
Do you do any side studies or side projects in your free time?
Do you go to Melbjs?
Nope
How many hours a day do you work?
Meant to be 7.5 hours a day, sometimes I work abit more to meet a deadline. I do really enjoy the projects that I am working on, so this bit of overtime isn’t a deal breaker.
Do you do any side studies or side projects in your free time?
I have my own open source projects and contribute to others. I build prototypes using technologies that I want to learn more about or evaluate how good a piece of technology is when you put it in practical use. This is my way of stuyding.
What laptop/desktop do you use for work and at home and what OS?
Do you prefer Windows or MacOS for work and at home and why?Cheers for all your replies
My preference will have to be a MacBook both for home and work. The one thing for me is the trackpad, it feels so natural even on max sensitivity. I'm actually more efficient with the trackpad than a normal mouse nowadays, haven't used a mouse for 4 years now. MacOS because I can run it like a Linux but also supports the software I need like the Adobe products.
I am a self taught developer who started learning in Feb 2017 and am currently 3 months into my first junior dev role. I am currently learning the MEAN stack for hobby projects whilst doing basic front-end markup at work. I am always looking for new places to learn things. I am wondering your thoughts where I should go for Angular resources? I have started the Youtube Net Ninja series but feel that's out of date. Unless you recommend a different javascript framework?
That's really good that you are putting some time to learn more than what work provides. I'm not sure what your current level is with AngularJS, but you can probably attend meetups with minds alike so you can bounce ideas off. Seems like you are also missing a good mentor, bring this attention to your manager. AngularJS is actually a pretty good framework to learn from, then probably have a look at React or Vue.js and see how it compares. My recommendation is try out all of them, and determine which is best for you, the project and list some pros and cons. Each framework are almost equally good in their own rights.
Thank you. This is great advice, especially re: the meetups. As I'm still pretty green it's a little intimidating but, best to get out there. Thanks.
That's great you landed a job from self taught. I am currently in the same situation at the moment. Would you please share some tips of your experience? What resource did you use? What kinds of projects did you finished before apply for jobs? How much time did you put in to it everyday? I am currently doing freeCodeCamp challenges, there will be some projects to finish at the end, then I'm going to do the treehouse.com tech degree. It's also projects oriented. Hopefully I can finish these at the end of this year, and then start to apply for jobs. If I still not ready by then, I will go and attend a bootcamp.
Hi there, good on you for giving it a go. If you're anything like me, you'll be in for a helluva time trying to understand concepts, but eventually it will just 'click'.
Some of my tips:
-Create a Trello board with lists for each area you're looking to study. Within each list just drop in each course/ book that you're currrently tackling. You can then track progress with checklists etc. Mine for example is broken up with: Javascript, CSS, Angular, Node JS, Projects for example.
-I used resources for Javascript such as: John Dukket Javascript and jQuery (book), Wes Bos' Javascript 30 (hghly recommended), Codecadamey Javascript
-For CSS, I'd recommend getting onto SCSS as soon as you have the basics nailed. Then learning to configure Gulp and Browser sync. This will make your dev workflow a lot quicker.
-For your Front End framework, I used bootstrap, you may want to look into CSS Grid though as that seems to be making waves.
-Start learning git as soon as you canProjects:
-I built two wordpress sites with custom themes and a profile site before landing my job
-I continue with projects out of hours which is really fun as you can build whatever you like and you'll learn a tonne.My greatest advice is to maintain consistency. I worked a demanding job full time and cut out all gaming and netflix and used that time for study instead. I wouldn't change it for the world. You can do it without a Bootcamp but without having done a bootcamp I can't comment.
I'm an old school web developer who lost my job through redundancy. What areas should I upskill myself in to make 'me' a more marketable product?
Online resume: http://neophytte.mine.nu/portfolio/
Thanks
I’m very sorry to hear about your employment. Looking through your profile seems you’ve got quite an impressive track record and sheer amount of experience. You can use this to your advantage, have you ever thought of becoming a Technical BA, Engineering manager or Software Architect? However, if you still have a burning desire to do development with a passion I would recommend looking more into modern JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular or Vue.js, ES6, webpack or rollup.js, Sass or Less. Basically using modern tooling if you haven’t already. Hope this helps getting you started.
Thanks for your feedback - I've used Angular and SASS/LESS in the past, but not to any great extent, so I'll spend some time honing my skills in those areas (although, I've never seen a really good reason to have script modifiable CSS - maybe because I've been in larger corporations … if you have time perhaps you could elude to some scenarios where this is required??)
I've been keen to move into a BA or SA role, but without the experience in those positions, no-one wants to risk it .. the jobs in the West seem to be in a bit of a decline at the moment, hopefully will start to pick up soon.
And thanks for your AMA!!
The main reason to use a compiler for css is to support variables (cross browser) and allows nesting like in OOP so it is more manageable.
e.g.
.too .much .repeats a {color: green}
.too .much .repeats span {color: blue}Wouldn't it be easier with:
.too .much .repeats {
a {color: green}
span {color: blue}
}Also there are many other benefits such as utility functions, plugins like autoprefixer and lots more etc.
Take a look at the Internet of Things (IoT) scene - Saw your EE background
Thanks for that - I always play around with my Raspberry Pi and made a stand alone time-lapse camera from a Model A (which has the best battery efficiency), there are a couple of sample videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb0CbEokscQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXw0cU9vS9A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJnl-TLnTaM
Cheers!!
Find something that people want, build it, and market it?
https://www.patreon.com/cemu
https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina
https://coinmarketcap.com/
I can't use that website on Chrome.
You might want to fix that. No one likes a scrollbar that is hard to use!
Edit:
You remember those old resumes where people wrote just text and nothing else?
Those are the best tools for getting a job, even today. No one will read this website, I can guarantee you. It's hard to read on PC and doesn't do much for you.
Can you please teach me how to inspect element paywalls and 'sign up to view the rest' etc
Just need to right click on the element and click inspect, I think you would want to change the opacity or remove the overlay..
Talk me out of learning web dev. I like design work but hate websites. Even Wordpress is boring.
Web dev is currently at a stage akin to the housing bubble. It's about to get really dirty soon.
Is your answer to this question 'no'?
How come most relatively larger tech startups are based in Sydney and Melbourne? Why not Brisbane?
Probably because their population are both double of Brisbane, therefore theres more market and easier to attract talent.
Infrastructure and servers. There is just more there for cheaper. Melbourne and Sydney have bigger talent fishes too.
It has nothing to do with the population.
If America runs out of electricity is any part of the internet still accessible from Australia?
That could be possible due to a solar flare causing an EMP which can take down the entire grid, there are many other Level 1 networks which can still function just fine.
What do you think are the must knows for someone who primarily does Java stuff and wants to transition into actual web dev? Assuming proficiency in programming in general but has no idea about web besides basics of HTML, JS, web services etc.
Is the web dev area much more flexible for work arrangements/hours than just sitting in an office 40 hours a week? It seems to be it's own culture.
Thanks in advance.
What do you think are the must knows for someone who primarily does Java stuff and wants to transition into actual web dev? Assuming proficiency in programming in general but has no idea about web besides basics of HTML, JS, web services etc.
I assume you're more of a Backend developer wanting to move more towards the Frontend. I would recommend taking a look at Typescript for it is strongly-typed so you will feel right at home. Also you can look at modern toolings for Frontend like Webpack, Rollup.js and some of the modern JS Frameworks.
Is the web dev area much more flexible for work arrangements/hours than just sitting in an office 40 hours a week? It seems to be it's own culture.
This entirely depends on your employment arrangements you have with your employer. Having said that it seems startups are more open for you to work from home. If this is a requirement, you can work full remote from doing Freelancing.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah I'm backend but I'm pretty open to any language. I didn't know that about start ups, i just heard they make you work much harder compared to established companies.
This all depends on the culture of the business and has nothing to do with startup or big corps. Having said that, the big 4 in consultancy will work you like a slave. It all depends.
did you study at uni to become a web developer?
I was already a Web Developer before even studying at Uni, but yes.
How's life? I have made several websites using WordPress, I felt good doing minor coding for tweaks/fixing bugs but it is too addictive for me. Designing and coding (mostly design), I go crazy, don't eat-sort of OCD-cant sleep-too much excitement-enjoy it-no day no night but addictive. It was harming me and my life so I stay away from web designing now.
I know exactly what you mean! Sometimes if I’m working on something really exciting or engaging, but then you get used to it and finding ways to calm yourself down. Spending more time with my wife and doing activities together seems to help.
Ditch Wordpress, try CraftCMS
Why do a lot of new startups use node.js and Angular/React and Ruby rather .NET?
I'm a .NET developer and been working for around 4 years. I use Angular + .NET in my spare time but work-wise it's all .NET (ASP.NET and C#). I enjoy developing software and I want to improve, move further in my career and want to get higher pay jobs. Should I abandon .NET and move onto open source stack like node? Any advice? Cheers
Dear jssss,
Yes.
Kind Regards
Why do a lot of new startups use node.js and Angular/React and Ruby rather .NET?
Mainly Node.js also uses JavaScript, so it is easier to do things like Server side rendering and re-using the same markup or template for both the client and server. Also Node.js is an environment or platform, while .NET is a framework. The difference is Node.js can provide it’s built in programmable web server which allows you to do really interesting things tightly coupled with the JavaScript language.
I enjoy developing software and I want to improve, move further in my career and want to get higher pay jobs.
I wouldn’t move to a new platform just because it might have higher pay. I would suggest you play around with it for a week or even start a mini project using it. Evaluate and see if you like it before deciding if it’s right for you before making the jump in career.
If you think my opinion is rude, that's quite rude. I'm being respectful.
It's clearly quite a popular thread if it's on the front page. Sounds like you think everyone things like you.
Are you jealous of OP earning enough to be in top tax bracket and also loving his job?
Why would you think he's earning enough to be in the top bracket?
Why would I be jealous of him being a web developer when I'm a software engineer?
He did state that in a comment above.
So you’re a software engineer who doesnt give jack shit about what other people think?
And you also believe software engineer is above web dev.
Enuf said.
@kaitok: I really doubt he's getting paid anything remotely near the highest tax threshold. He can't answer questions that are taught in first year classes regarding this subject. There's no jealousy required.
When did I say it was above web dev?
Why are you so upset at me wanting him to give good answers or none at all when he doesn't know how to answer correctly?
Do you also consider your self as a Software Engineer? Why/why not?
You are given a car insurance website project. The site consists of 3 pages, Get Car Details(Collect from the page), Display Plans(Retrieve from API) and Payment(Collect payment details). The back-end RESTFUL API is ready, you just pass the car details, retrieve plans and collect payment. You need to build 30 similar sites with different designs and branding, some sharing similar layout but some having different design and options. Your task is focus on the front end development, just call the API and retrieve the plans, call the payment and complete the sales.
- What JS framework you will be using
- Do you create 30 different projects, or will be sharing similar components
- Do you park them under the same Git project, or individual GIT projects
- Do you consider a CMS?
Feature wise so far it seems pretty good. Some UX improvements I would suggest are:
The list goes on, but yeah these are the immediate things I can see that can be improved.