This Saturday will bookend the first three weeks of CS467 and all the new learning that comes along with it. I’ve always enjoyed exploring new technologies. Specifically, I find myself drawn to drawn to languages like C and MASM. On the other hand, I’ve always met styling languages (CSS, specifically) with a combative stance. I was well aware of my disdain, but never considered personality ‘bug’. However, the last three weeks have given me reason to question this disposition.
First there were enemies
I feel that most would agree that working with CSS feels like more of an art than a science. I’ve never accomplished getting my margins and padding just right and punctuated the work session with, “Wow! Look at my brilliant work! This must put me up there with Linus Torvalds”. If anything, the entire time I’m tinkering with CSS-aesthetics, I was probably thinking that I was carrying out a dull, meaningless, boring task that was beneath me. Even worse, I would make zero attempt at learning the fundamentals in favor of aimlessly guess-and-checking new properties. In the end, I would often turn to my favorite crutch, Bootstrap, and copy/paste a fancy canned template. Never once did I feel that this approach was slowing my education. After all, my professors explicitly allowed the use of styling frameworks and I had ZERO interest in pursuing a career that ever touched CSS. Fortunately, during the final few quarters of the program, my feelings have changed dramatically.
Putting aside past differences
I’d be lying if I said I could pinpoint the exact day that I realized there was extreme value in understanding CSS. It could have been my project partner that is a web development whiz. It could have been my realization that all my web applications are complete aesthetic atrocities. I’m not kidding, I would need to pay somebody to use anything with my signature on it. Regardless, at some point, I realized that I should be honored to have the opportunity to become adept at creating beautiful website/apps. Just because the task is less difficult than low-level socket programming does not mean it is unworthy of my attention. At the end of the day, nobody is ever going to use anything I create if it causes their eyes to hemorrhage. I’d be lying if I said this realization wasn’t humbling. However, my deep dive into styling fundamentals has been surprisingly cathartic. When you actually take the time to absorb the material, working out the nuance of a flexbox can be pretty dang rewarding. With my newfound appreciation, I can tinker with a single form for what feels like 10 minutes, only to find that a full hour has passed by. In fact, I’ve been surprised to find that learning React/Next.js hasn’t been nearly as energizing as revisiting CSS.
I am committed to ensuring that my experience with styling does not repeat itself with any other frontiers. The moment I find myself belittling a technology, I promise to catch myself and re-appraise the situation. This doesn’t necessarily mean I will attempt a career focused on tools I don’t naturally tend towards. The promise simply means that I will respect everything. Throughout the remainder of the quarter, I’m certain that React/Next.js will find there way to my forefront. That said, I will make sure to update my readers regarding my relationship with enemy-turned-friend, CSS.
