I\u2019ve learned to be more comfortable not knowing. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d, comes easier now. \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about that.\u201d It\u2019s okay. It feels good to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s service workers, Houdini, shadow DOM, web components, HTTP2, CSS grid, \u201cmicro-front ends\u201d, AVIF… there are many paths before us. This list doesn\u2019t even broach JavaScript frameworks and libraries. Much of this tech isn\u2019t even novel in 2020\u2014but together act as a clapperboard<\/a> cueing in me a familiar fear of missing out or imposter syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n How does someone stay current, let alone learn something new? I am reminded of a comment made by Melanie Sumner<\/a> recently:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone else feel like paying attention to any specific area of development causes the other skills to rust?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To achieve deeper understanding in a topic, one must seclude themselves to a focused path, etching only a tiny arc on the complete circle that is the web. Mastery of a subject comes with it both the elation of achievement and an awareness of the untraveled, much like Matt Might\u2019s<\/a> The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D<\/em>.<\/a> Piercing or expanding the boundaries of our own spheres of knowledge is exhilarating, yes. But as Melanie observes, it\u2019s a bit like reaching a remote mountain peak only to see more summits stretching out to the horizon. It\u2019s a solitary place, not without reward, but not easily replicated. You must make that next trek from the bottom once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seclusion is as physical as it is mental, given the challenges a global pandemic puts us in. Gone are the meetups, the watercooler moments, the overheard new thing. It was hard enough to ask for help when I could physically tap someone on the shoulder and interrupt their flow. Strangely, it feels more difficult to strike up a call or chat when I\u2019m stuck. Everyone is at the same time a click and a mountain away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve learned to push through this tendency to seclude and embrace my teammates\u2019 talent. Where I used to enjoy taking a heads-down day to research a problem, I now try to shareout in nearer-to-real-time my findings. The feedback loop is tighter. I\u2019ve adjusted the internal clock that tells me when I am spending too much time on a problem. The team exists to help one another. We\u2019ve set aside time to pair program, mob, and demo. These plans are not without occasional setbacks, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n