There is No Normal
This year I learned, or relearned maybe, that “normal” is subjective at best, and pretty misleading otherwise. If this forsaken year has taught us anything, it’s that there is no such thing as normal. Things change. People adapt. Everything is relative to everything else.
Besides being quite metaphysical, this somewhat connects to front-end development, our industry, and the sort of expectations we have for people down there. Too often, it feels like we tend to apply our own insecurities onto others.
I learned this way and so should you.
I know about this and you should too.
I don’t care about this therefore it’s not necessary.
This behavior needs to stop. We have to acknowledge that this industry is, for the most part, self-made and therefore does not have a clear learning path, let alone a defined success trajectory. As they say, Your Mileage May Vary™.
Let this message be for everyone who’s just starting in this field, everyone fresh out of bootcamp or university, and everyone with insecurities or impostor syndrome. This is for everyone who feels like they are not enough and don’t belong here.
You belong here.
Your experience, no matter how different than someone else’s, is valid.
There is no definitive list of skills to have. There is no mandatory technologies to look for. You don’t have to keep chasing the hype. At the end of the day, knowing HTML, CSS and some JavaScript should be enough to make do. You will learn the rest in due time. You have your entire career to learn new things. There is no rush to learn everything right now.
Breathe. Enjoy what you already know. You are doing well. Welcome to the craft.
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