A lot of companies nowadays are moving from desktop apps to web apps. Most people try to do it all, some get into web development with an ill-conceived notion that everything works out without much effort (even though the barrier is shallow, it’s not enough for it to be easy) as it’s portrayed in mainstream media or stereotypical movies and FAANG or big tech company influencers. Most people getting started with web development wrapped up in this false sentiment makes learning less exciting and moving forward feel more like a chore than a genuine interest. These people have to understand that 10 years doesn’t make you an S-tier ‘know-it-all developer’. It’s a continuous process that lasts for years, especially in front-end or full-stack development, UI frameworks keep changing, and new tech keeps coming in and that’s just half of it. There’s still a need to understand how to manage your development process, your code and production best practices.
I asked someone once, ‘why did you get started with web development?’ and he replied, ‘money’. He had almost zero interest in programming or building projects, but he happily called himself a ‘Web developer’. A low entry threshold, good job security and sometimes zero qualification job, who wouldn’t want that? I think, to put it plainly, building a website isn’t programming languages or UI frameworks or fancy text editors that make you look like Elliot from Mr. Robot or those 90s movies hackers. It’s about creating something that shows on your browser when you visit a particular URL. There are lots of website builders out there that save time, so even non-tech people can create the best looking websites with minimal effort. The question is, why don’t these ‘money people’ or ‘It’s too boring people’ or ‘that’s not how I was sold to the idea people’ just go ahead and just use Wix or WordPress. It’s so easy to see that it even becomes frustrating trying to explain things to them because it feels like you’re discouraging them, or you’re trying to discredit and look down on them.
The answer is, it’s ‘cool, easy and fresh’ to learn to code and make millions from doing almost nothing. I think we should heavily try to start making a distinction from ‘cool and fresh’ to ‘realistic and grounded’. With the rise of so many ‘learn coding in 2 months’ boot camps, this idea sounds almost impossible to implement. So what do we do? How can we discourage people from ideas such as this? We should slow down and think about which priorities are important. Boot camps and trainers should start giving people a realistic idea instead of treating them like food in a fast-food restaurant.
Programming isn’t for the elites or the greats, but it should spark genuine interest and effort. Bona fide curiosity also allows someone to help give back to the community. It keeps your mind (most of the time), free of doubt and allows you to bounce back even when you’re not getting everything you want on your first try. Just doing it is not enough. You have to enjoy it and the process that goes along with it. This as a hobby can change your life (it honestly changed mine), it gives you the ability to learn how to get things done rather than doing what looks amazing or too complicated because almost everybody will agree that Firebase or Supabase, UI frameworks or any headless CMS are their go-to's for building fast and sometimes reliable web apps.
In conclusion, we should try to show people learning or getting started that this isn’t only about ‘street cred’ and use positive ways to show them that it should be enjoyed. Or what do you think?
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