5 Tips for an IT Specialist
1. Do not look for easy ways to solve problems.
Quite often, when a regular bug occurs in a particular browser, you want to address the problem as soon as possible, and this possibility appears. The banalest example: a block is shifted by several pixels in IE – you can, after all, in style for IE (or hack) move it back and not bother. The desire is quite natural – the timing, as always, is compressed, the result at the end is the same, and thank you for the extra effort you would not have paid – the payment would remain the same.
- The fallacy of this approach is that the problem is solved without a clear understanding of why it happened. Which in turn leads to its appearance again and again in the future. The desire to achieve immediate results quickly and easily translates into a loss of effectiveness in all subsequent projects. Also, this attitude hinders your professional development in this field, which in the long run is more important than the result of the current project.
If you postpone the effect and take the time to figure out why this happened, in what other cases does this bug appear, what are the ways to solve it. In hundreds of similar situations later this bug In all its manifestations, and not only in this particular one) will most likely just not arise, because you have the necessary knowledge for its natural prevention. And if it does, it can be solved immediately. With experience with this approach, you start writing code that works in all browsers at once, almost on the machine, without hesitation – ask the gurus they know, they will confirm.
- The same concerns the choice of solutions. Do not copy a piece of code blindly after you have found a solution by Google – take a couple of minutes to find and explain why this works.
- And yet – it does not mean that you will have to violate the terms for the sake of professional development. Just learn to take this time into account when agreeing to terms with the customer.
2. Do not be afraid to try new solutions.
There are many ways to solve each particular task in the layout. Everyone have advantages and disadvantages, cases where they fit correctly and those that do not suit at all. If you are just an amateur, you can stop at what suits you. But if you are a professional, you must know and be able to apply them all.
- If you have one particular method for solving a specific task (for example, image replacement or multi-column layout) – do not stop there. Continue to try others. Read blogs on new and apply them too. You will gain valuable experience and increase flexibility in your business. And the flexibility – the ability to adapt to changing conditions – is a critical professional quality, which in the long run will benefit you a lot of time.
In particular, by the way, this concerns the choice of the JavaScript framework. Bolivars on this issue are breeding amateurs – a good front-end programmer can easily apply any of them because due to his experience he knows the features of each and the principles by which they are created and working. (Another thing worth noting separately from the advice is that it is more important to understand the JavaScript programming language itself on this issue – it is much more compelling and exciting than it seems at first glance.
3. Do not obey the tools. Use them.
Take, for example, web standards and semantics. These are not indestructible commandments; they are instruments created for specific purposes. If you are obsessed with them only because colleagues tell you about it, without understanding it thoroughly, why, and in what cases it is necessary to comply – you can not apply them correctly in practice.
- For example, a person made a multi-level drop-down menu CSS-only and boasted that this made the menu accessible (available to people with disabling javascript and screen reader users). At the same time, he does not realize that screen reader, in spite of the widespread myth, quite support JavaScript and, in particular cases, respond to CSS. For example, many of them do not see the elements hidden with “display: none, and that this solution can not be used as Screen reader users. And all other people who do not navigate using the mouse (for example, only from the keyboard) – all the solutions of the CSS-only dropdown menu are tightly tied to mouse events.
- Moreover – the absence of delay in the appearance and disappearance of the menu will cause a lot of trouble for people with poor eyesight or impaired motor function (for example, Parkinson’s disease) – you’ll point the figs to the desired point. Here to you and availability.
- A reverse example: the developer spends a lot of time making the sophisticated Web 2.0 application ideal from semantics, not understanding that for people with disconnected CSS or JavaScript, it will never be of any use given its specifics. And search engines Restricted access to indexing because pages are only available to registered users.
- Another example: HTML / CSS validation. By itself, validity according to a certain Doctype does not bring any benefit to the project, does not make it more accessible and semantic, and does not say anything at all about the quality of the layout. It’s just a tool, and they need to be able to use, not blindly obey. For example, I bring my projects in line with XHTML 1.0 Strict, but not because it’s cool, raises me over other developers and gives a good reason for criticism.
Understand the essence of the tools you use. Know when to apply them, and when – not needed.
4. Do not allow unilateral communication with people you work.
If your customer (or boss or manager) makes an utterly stupid claim, you do not need to do it, clutching your teeth and swearing under your nose. Take the time to provide a reasoned explanation of why this solution is ineffective.
Of course, in such a situation it’s easiest just to think that the customer is an idiot, and stop the discussion, but this attitude will not be of any use to you, neither the client nor the project that is being implemented. Be above it. Look at yourself first, and then on others. In this case, this means, first of all, to think what was wrong in your argument and how it can be made more convincing. Even if he decides to act in his way after listening to your case, he will do it with an awareness of all the consequences. Besides, the trust and respect for you as a specialist will increase – in either case, both sides win.
- In the case of layout, the same applies to designers. A good designer should know how to complicate the design of certain things, and the capabilities of the Web, which he can use. Therefore, when you are actively interacting with designers as a coder, and not just typing what you draw, professionally you grow both, and the project together with you in the end only wins.
5. Know how to find more good in the chosen case and give it the first attention.
- A person can achieve truly meaningful results only in those things that he loves, with whom he is passionate and engaged with all his heart. Look for things that fascinate you in your work, and do them, no matter what. If you write to write ultra-semantic to the most little code, even where it is not needed at all for many reasons – write.
If you terribly like extreme experiments with CSS, for which the boss always kicks you – still dare. Loss of enthusiasm means loss of skill ultimately. Presence is a constant self-improvement and excellent results.
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