Seasoned DW user, trying to update my game

[fifthstory]

Hey DW community!

I've been using DW since the MX days, and I think I may have gotten stuck in my ways.  I'm a consistent HTML, CSS, JS, and PHP developer, and work by myself.  Now, I'm trying to expand my horizons, find some community and hopefully learn a few new things.

I was hoping that maybe you guys could help me figure out a good place to start.  I thought about diving into react or angular,  and maybe SCSS.

Anyway, some fresh ideas would be super helpful.

Thanks!

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[pziecina]

How good is your knowledge of html5, css and ecma6 or even php7?

Before looking at anything else, the items you have mentioned have changed dramatically, and most developers are still creating and using layouts, css, etc. as though IE6 was the latest browser.

What do you know of flexbox, srcset, css shapes, or even the js api's, did you know that it is now possible to do in the browser everything a device specific app was previously required for.

That said, a lot will depend on just which section of the market you are working in. If it is the lower none dynamic end, (static pages), you may be better off looking at some of the more visual tools for creating web sites, such as Muse, and learning how to use those effectively. If it is the higher commercial end, then it would be worth looking into and learning how to do modular development.

[fifthstory]

Thanks pziecina​! I've definitely kept up with those languages the best I can, though I haven't begun to explore the new features in PHP7.  I do use Bootstrap a ton, which may or may not be a crutch, but it makes work very efficient. 

As far as the market I'm in, I'm working in a higher commercial end, utilizing WSDL web services and other APIs to pass data back and forth.  I'm recently started digging into more JS APIs too.  Obviously, I still build static sites, but the bulk of the work is in dynamic sites.

[osgood_]

fifthstory  wrote

Hey DW community!

I've been using DW since the MX days, and I think I may have gotten stuck in my ways.  I'm a consistent HTML, CSS, JS, and PHP developer, and work by myself.  Now, I'm trying to expand my horizons, find some community and hopefully learn a few new things.

I was hoping that maybe you guys could help me figure out a good place to start.  I thought about diving into react or angular,  and maybe SCSS.

Depends how old you are and what you see as your future, who pulls your strings etc.

If you have a good gasp of html, css, javascript or jQuery, a server language you probably don't require anything else to build websites which can do everything.

I'm not sure spreading your wings and knowing a little about everything is as good as focusing on less and making sure you have a better indepth knowledge of using what you use. You won't know everyting about css or javacript/jQuery or php so I would suggest focusing on what you do use now and becoming more adept and skillfull at deploying that instead of taking onboard new, mostly excess to requirement options, which you can do without.

If of course outside sources are pulling your strings and they require you to know about frameworks, the usual CMS like Wordpress etc then you may have to jump onboard. I dont think its wise to invest a lot of time in learning that which really offers not much beyond what can be done without it.

For me the most import aspects of future web-development coming up are the inclusion of css variables and the new grid layout, they are going to be major developments and everyone should know what is going to be main-stream, everything else is optional but not a necessity, that's what I think anyway.

[fifthstory]

Thanks for the response.  It's encouraging to know I haven't done myself a disservice after all these years.  I guess, I keep looking at job boards and seeing requirements for react or angular and frameworks that I've never had the need to learn and it makes me wonder what I'm missing.

Truthfully, at this point I really need to make sure that my skill set is not becoming outdated, but it sounds like I'm doing all right 🙂

[pziecina]

fifthstory  wrote

Thanks for the response.  It's encouraging to know I haven't done myself a disservice after all these years.  I guess, I keep looking at job boards and seeing requirements for react or angular and frameworks that I've never had the need to learn and it makes me wonder what I'm missing.

The problem with job boards is that they ask for everything but the kitchen sink, (and if they could justify it, they would ask for that also).

My first rule when looking at anything 'new', (and very little actually is) is what does it actually do to help me, or is it just another way of doing what is already available. Then I ask myself if it is not just another, 'latest attempt to justify someone's ego', and give someone job security, for something that is not really required, which so many things are now.

[fifthstory]

No joke! There's nothing like a job board to make you feel unqualified 🙂

In the last 20 years of building websites, I've seen a lot of changes and trends, and it's good to know that the good old standard building blocks are still standard.

Thank you so much for the feedback.  It's nice to find this community and not feel like such an island.

[anissa_thompson]

To help you get those pushes in the right direction, in addition to checking out the Adobe Forums/Help, be sure to connect with other developers:

• via online (social media like Facebook and LinkedIn, Slack channels, message boards, etc.)
• in-person (user groups and local meet-ups have a wealth of knowledgeable tech folks who are usually up-to-speed on the latest industry topics)
• via education resources (especially training resources like Lynda.com, Pluralsight.com, etc.)

Hopefully in exploring these different options, you'll find the perfect blend to help you get caught up familiar with the latest changes.