Episode 87: Flying Solo on the Front End of Despair

02/14/22 • 40 min

The focus of today's episode is the tricky role of a solo front-end developer, and we kick things off by sharing some of the experiences we have had working in this configuration. This is a plain and simple show today, without any guests, and our panel gets into some thoughts on the links between front-end dev work and specialization, learning through negative feedback, and the many different levels of accessibility. The conversation also covers how to go about solving problems that reach beyond your scope, and why this can be so hard without a team focusing on the front-end. The consensus seems to be that there is a definite trade-off when working alone versus joining forces and that both scenarios have their advantages. To end things off for today's chat we share a few picks, from TV shows and DIY decor to a new YouTube personality who Tessa thinks is worth checking out! Join us to hear all.

Key Points From This Episode:

The panel's experiences of working as a lone front-end developer on a team.
Front-end development and specialization; we explore how the two are linked.
Bad programming habits and learning what not to do on the job.
The importance of accessibility and the time that goes into the different levels.
Thoughts on solving new, unknown problems with no one else on your team.
Finding answers to problems in the treacherous waters of Twitter!
Issues with trackpads, mice, scrollbars, and different browsers.
Difficulties with asking the right questions; fear of embarrassment and a lack of vocabulary.
The kind of learning and knowledge accumulation that suits a solo front-end developer.
Final thoughts on the challenges and requirements for working alone on front-end dev.
This week's picks! Peet Montzingo, googly eyes, and Maid.

Tweetables:

“Even if you know CSS, I think it's not really something that you can show or that people are necessarily looking for.” — Tessa [0:08:11]

“You can learn a lot about how to do things by learning how not to do things.” — Alex [0:13:56]

“It has been tremendously helpful to have all of the resources I've gained through the people that I've interacted with on the show.” — @GloomyLumi [0:28:18]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Grid Critters, Dave Geddes
Flexbox Zombies, Dave Geddes
CSS Grid, Wes Bos
Vue roving tab index
The Manager’s Path, Camille Fournier
The Backstage Handbook
Be Here Now, Ram Dass

This Weeks Picks:

Alex
- Googly eyes
Ari
- Maid, Netflix (Limited Series)
Tessa
- Peet Montzingo, YouTube

Support Enjoy the Vue

Support us on Kofi!

Key Points From This Episode:

The panel's experiences of working as a lone front-end developer on a team.
Front-end development and specialization; we explore how the two are linked.
Bad programming habits and learning what not to do on the job.
The importance of accessibility and the time that goes into the different levels.
Thoughts on solving new, unknown problems with no one else on your team.
Finding answers to problems in the treacherous waters of Twitter!
Issues with trackpads, mice, scrollbars, and different browsers.
Difficulties with asking the right questions; fear of embarrassment and a lack of vocabulary.
The kind of learning and knowledge accumulation that suits a solo front-end developer.
Final thoughts on the challenges and requirements for working alone on front-end dev.
This week's picks! Peet Montzingo, googly eyes, and Maid.

Tweetables:

“Even if you know CSS, I think it's not really something that you can show or that people are necessarily looking for.” — Tessa [0:08:11]

“You can learn a lot about how to do things by learning how not to do things.” — Alex [0:13:56]

“It has been tremendously helpful to have all of the resources I've gained through the people that I've interacted with on the show.” — @GloomyLumi [0:28:18]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Grid Critters, Dave Geddes
Flexbox Zombies, Dave Geddes
CSS Grid, Wes Bos
Vue roving tab index
The Manager’s Path, Camille Fournier
The Backstage Handbook
Be Here Now, Ram Dass

This Weeks Picks:

Alex
- Googly eyes
Ari
- Maid, Netflix (Limited Series)
Tessa
- Peet Montzingo, YouTube

Support Enjoy the Vue

Previous Episode

Episode 86: Our Oscar Award-Winning Episode

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Today we have a special introduction to the newest member of our team! That means that we will be freewheeling through all things Oscar, taking in his history, current work, love of games, cocktails, music, and a whole lot more that you are not going to want to miss. To kick things off we hear from Oscar about his early interest in computers and tech, and how he began messing around with coding in high school. We also talk about the first time he used JavaScript, his initial thoughts on Vue and the community, and what keeps him excited about working with computers. From there, the conversation takes a decidedly casual turn to the other things that Oscar is passionate about, namely his piano, playing mobile games, going to restaurants, and making cocktails! We even get to hear about Oscar's dream to open a cocktail bar one day before we do a round of this week's picks. So to get it all, listen in and listen up, as we bring you the Oscarsode!

Key Points From This Episode:

Oscar's background, different jobs, and the paid open-source project he is currently managing.
First experiences of coding during high school, and Oscar's entry into college.
Oscar's first job and early experiences of starting to work with Vue and the community.
Tracing Oscar's passion for games and game design.
Oscar's keen musical interests and a little about the piano that he owns!
Thoughts on an important battle: Slack versus Discord!
The restaurant scene in Boston, and Oscar's passion for food and cocktails.
Oscar admits his life goal of opening a cocktail bar one day.
This week's picks; the new Beatles documentary, Alba, cleaning vlogs, and more!
How to find Grain and connect with Oscar on Twitter and GitHub.

Tweetables:

“I got into technology, sort of the way I feel a lot of people do. Just playing around with computers, and just having a good time.” — @oscar_spen [0:05:58]

“When I do get a chance, I love just relaxing and playing simple video games, stuff like that.” — @oscar_spen [0:21:52]

“Find the things that you think you're awesome at. Also, find the things that you think that you can learn and keep growing.” — @oscar_spen [0:31:05]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

This week's Picks:

Alex
- The Beatles: Get Back, Disney+
Oscar
- Having a nice meal at a nice restaurant
Tessa
- Alba, ustwo games (PC, Apple Arcade, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, XBox)
- 꿀주부 Honeyjubu, YouTube
- Lost in Space, Netflix

Support Enjoy the Vue

Next Episode

Episode 88: Learning in Public about Learning in Public with Gift Egwuenu

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There are very few barriers keeping you from creating the career you want. For many developers, formal education no longer matters. What matters is demonstrating your skill and your dedication to the craft you’ve chosen to pursue. When you learn in public, you do just that; you share your skill development and your work in progress online. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, today’s guest is a frontend developer, content creator, speaker, and conference contributor who advocates for the benefits of learning in public. Gift Egwuenu relocated to the Netherlands in 2020 to begin her journey as a Frontend Engineer at Passionate People, a Javascript-focused consultancy based in Amsterdam. Since then, Gift has gained experience working in various environments, with various people, and in a multitude of frameworks and, in today’s episode, she shares some of the pros and cons of learning in public and what it means, from sharing what you’re learning on Twitter to creating video tutorials and live streams. We touch on the concept of conference-driven development, self-motivated learning versus audience-driven content, and work-life balance, and we share some of our favorite resources and suggestions for getting started on your learning in public journey! For all this and so much more, including our weekly picks (of course!), make sure not to miss this insightful conversation with Gift Egwuenu!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introducing Gift Egwuenu and today’s topic: learning in public.
The concept of conference-driven development and #100DaysOfCode as public learning.
Why Gift believes that Twitter isn’t necessarily the best forum for public learning.
Alternative methods for learning in public, including YouTube videos or Twitch streams.
Alex and Tessa share their opposing views on the benefits of seeing learners struggle.
How having knowledgeable guests on your stream can be beneficial.
Why you get more flexibility from having a specific framing context for public learning.
Gift highlights the value of using her edited video content as practice for live streams.
Creating audience-driven content versus self-motivated learning in public.
How learning in public can engender accountability, according to Tessa.
Gift shares the benefits of learning in public, from gaining visibility to community support.
The panel reflects on the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance while also learning in public and creating content consistently.
Setting boundaries around learning in public without creating extra work for yourself.
Some of Gift’s favorite resources, including Shawn Wang and Kent C. Dodds.
Tips for getting started, from setting yourself up for success to embracing failure.
Gift’s advice for those who want to try public learning: don’t take it too seriously!
This week’s picks: United Parcel Service, live-action Sweet Home, Sally Rooney, and more!
What headphones Gift is currently using and whether or not she likes them.

Tweetables:

“A lot of people [think], ‘Why would I come out and publicly humiliate myself? Because this is not something that I'm an expert in.’ They shy away from doing it, but I like to advocate for [public learning], because of the benefits that it comes with.” — @lauragift_ [0:09:54]

“One of the reasons that learning in public is popular is because it can engender accountability.” — @EnjoyTheVueCast [0:22:39]

“Job opportunities, getting access to mentors, or just people helping you out is another benefit you get out of [public learning].” — @lauragift_ [0:25:51]

“The most important thing is to have fun with it. No one’s sponsoring you. No one’s paying you to do it. If you're just doing it for the heck of it, have fun with it. Learn however you want to learn. Don't let anybody get you down.” — @EnjoyTheVueCast [0:41:35]

“Feel free to ask questions. Feel free to make mistakes. That's definitely the idea of [public learning] in the first place. You're not perfect, so you learn stuff, break stuff, and then you get better at it.” — @lauragift_ [0:43:30]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: