Stick to what you know

I admit, sticking to what I know is one of the hardest things for me to keep on my mind. It is far too easy for me to get involved in a project and then realize there is a fair bit more that I need to research or learn about to continue on. I believe I have much knowledge stuck up in that brain of mine, but alas I realize that much of it is nonconsecutive and just bits and pieces at most.

Find what you are interested in, and have experience with and the time to research the topic extensively. This can be difficult when your paying job is not what you intended to do with your life or was only a subset of what you envisioned as a kid as your perfect job.

For me, I have been working with computers systems for much of my life and started learning about programming in 4th grade with the BASIC language. I remember clearly designing programs to function as flashcards to learn our vocabulary or math problems. There are times when I wish life was as easy as programming pictures using TURTLE Graphics. In 7-8th grades, I designed a graphical fishing game with a friend of mine. Now I find myself modifying WordPress themes and plugins to create something similar to what I envisioned. I am also learning how to create my own plugins to provide the functionality I need with a site.

In all of this, what I realized is that I can easily “Read” code. What I struggle with is creating something from design stages and applying the appropriate standards for coding. I know I have the ability to mimic images on paper with ink or pencil and have them look mostly good, but I seem to have difficulty in creating something new. I really would enjoy the opportunity to create a new Theme for use in WordPress, but I recently realized that I need to not only consider the code necessary but that I will also need to learn the standards of what makes a good web page design. Every day standards change or technologies advance, faster than I can keep up with.

This is why I decided to start this blog, as an opportunity for me to start to realize what it is I truly “Know” versus how much knowledge I might be able to get “Into Trouble” with. As I create these “Life Tips”, I hope that I can realize what I know, where I need to improve, and where I can specialize. I have been spending many hours over the last few years trying to grasp all that is WordPress and realize that I should just quit trying to reinvent the wheel (so to speak) and continue to study other programmers works and modify to my specific needs.

What I know, I can read the code and make good edits. What I know is that I do not have enough knowledge nor the time to learn how to create beautiful responsive web pages. What I know is that if you draw it out on paper, I can usually create the code to mimic it. What I know is that I need to step back and learn about each and every thought I want to pursue and not just step right in with dry feet.

So this is my little advice for you. Stop, step back, review the project and be honest with yourself about the knowledge you possess and what is required. Possibly consider enlisting the aide of another person, or at least creating the time to properly learn about the task at hand. Be prepared to spend hours, days, weeks or months in this pursuit as the only true satisfaction will come when you absolutely “Know” what it is you think you know.