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Where do I go from here?
- 1. Where do I go from here?(!) Justin Foell - justin_f@cimbura.com
- 3. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme!
- 4. Mind the Gap Knowledge The Gap
- 5. Discipline!
- 10. @_jmichaelward “I'm far too aware of all of the things I don't know. The most difficult thing is deciding which ones to let go.”
- 11. Specialist Adaptability “It’s like asking a fire-breather to swallow swords.” @_jmichaelward
- 13. How do you get from here to there? Where do you want to go?
- 14. 1.Step One Mind Find the Gap 2.Step Two Do your homework 3.???? Iterate 4.PROFIT!!! PROFIT!!!
- 15. Topher Derosia • Majored in Religious Education • Minored in Aviation • Built his college website - optimized for Lynx • WP Profile says “HeroPresser”
- 18. @andreazoellner “One of the lies preventing me from pursuing a job in tech was that web development was only about code.”
- 19. @andreazoellner “I overcame the gap in technical skill with a giant leap of faith, hard work, and the support of the WordPress community”
- 20. @andreazoellner “In hindsight, I made the mistake of not asking enough questions”
- 21. Top of the stack? • Build something new and share it • Talk at WordCamp • Organize a WordCamp • Hone your skills in related disciplines The Gap
- 22. Resources • Actual People! • Find a Mentor • WordPress Meetup Group and/or mailing list • WordCamp(s) - let’s make them even better! • Birds of a feather / Co-workers
- 24. Education • College / Community College / Technical Schools • FrontEndMasters.com • CodeAcademy.com • TeamTreehouse.com • CodeSchool.com • CSS-Tricks.com
- 38. How will you help bridge the gap?
- 39. Justin Foell - justin_f@cimbura.com
- 40. References • bit.ly/generalists-vs-specialists • knowyourmeme.com/memes/profit • heropress.com/essays/a-leap-of-faith-into-wordpress • Meetup.com • WordCamp.org • PostStatus.com • WPTavern.com • Facebook.com • FrontEndMasters.com • CodeAcademy.com • TeamTreehouse.com • CodeSchool.com • CSS-Tricks.com
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to WordCamp Minneapolis! Thank you for being here Talk is filled with hopefully enough tweet-able quotes and internet memes to keep you awake & entertained
- 1/2 WordPress shop 1/2 FileMaker shop (Cross-Platform, Workgroup Database & GUI - Rapid App Dev) Many FileMaker customers are astounded to find out we can make their FileMaker data accessible via a beautiful WP website. Die hard mac geeks Enough about me… (disclaimer)
- DISCLAIMER / SPOILER ALERT We’re not going to solve all the problems here We may leave the room with more questions than answers We’ll talk about some stories about other people’s journeys Then I’d like your feedback on how we can make things better
- There is a knowledge gap in WP that separates power users from the professionals. Bottom: where we start - WP101 Green: hungry for more, but often a place we get stuck THE GAP - my goal is to help people cross this chasm Red: Broad working knowledge 1 percenters - I want to help you too, please be patient To overcome the gap, we may need to think about this “stack” in a different way
- Elephant in the room - Design & Development There are so many other places to contribute No one has these stats, except maybe wonder woman or captain america
- This is what a development specialist such as myself might look like
- Cate DeRosia (speaking Sunday at Brunch) Works in the WordPress realm - brushed up on HTML and learn CSS. Thinking she might try theme development, but so far writing has taken off. “was able to apply [her] dusty English degree and chase [her] dream of being a writer"
- This is what a generalist might look like - I’m won’t argue that either the generalist or the specialist is better. Generalists who have mastered delegating can be fantastic to work for - especially when they trust you to do the things you do well.
- Jeremy Ward (speaking later today) considers himself a generalist. It’s up to us to decide what to learn and what to rely on others for. Jeremy also provided this analogy for asking a top-tier specialist to do something out of their specialty…
- In the short term I think this is true, but in the long term people are adaptable
- Specialist - great at one particular function - also good at handling a broader range of duties, and eager to grow Generalist - wears multiple hats - also spent time acquiring greater proficiency in certain specific skills ADAPTABILITY - Maybe the fire breather discovers that the swallowing swords is a bigger crowd pleaser with less risk. In the longer term we can always change our path.
- Secret sauce time, ARE YOU READY? It’s only one slide so pay attention!!! Or don’t because it’s a repurposed internet meme (Similar to Eric Sherred’s talk at 10AM)
- 1. Don’t just mind the gap, find the gap There are places where you may be lacking in knowledge that you’d like to fill Gaps in the market where you are needed - with skills you already have Cate DeRosia - She didn’t need to become a theme developer, she was already a great writer 3. Becky Davis (is speaking right now in the next room) said her advice: “Practice, practice, practice and perseverance.” … more personal stories
- Let’s talk about some individual stories I first talked to Topher DeRosia
- HeroPress is a collection of essays about “people in the WordPress community who feel marginalized as a result of culture, language, gender, etc.” WOW I thought about putting heropress.com on a slide, dropping the mic and walking out
- The first essay I read on heropress.com was this essay by Andrea Zoellner It has some very powerful messages - BLEW ME AWAY She talks about her journey into the WordPress world First as an intern at Automattic, parlayed into full-time employment
- I love this quote because we always tend to think of the two disciplines of design/development when it comes to technology. There is so much more to be done, and we need your help.
- Help Homework “Practice, practice, practice and perseverance”
- What a great piece of self-reflection Do yourself a favor and start asking questions Example: beginning of every WordCamp technical talk “Does anyone have questions about setting up your sass compiler using Ruby?”
- If you didn’t get picked to talk at WordCamp, you can make it better by helping organize. This isn’t my conference, this is your conference. Other ideas from the audience?
- Maintain some FaceTime with people in your community - they’re the most likely to help you Mentorship - I’ve been to several business-y conferences (like upcoming Prestige) where thought leaders have mentors - but mentors aren’t just for entrepreneurs. Use your local meet up group - mailing list (google group) in-between meet ups. Our Web Technology VP @ cimbura.com Nick Ciske - built a brand around being the first to answer questions on the list
- Your employer may pay for some of these If you’re not a classroom type person, try something non-traditional While some sources like Lynda are OK (watching videos), many prefer interactive learning to put skills to the test
- Let’s talk about the schedule
- Developers could do this
- Designers could to this
- Content people could do this Here’s what I say to that…
- I can’t highlight everything/everyone If I don’t highlight your talk, know that I still love you all.
- Everyone should go to one of these community talks 1%ers - I’m asking that you help bridge the gap by teaching what you know. Topher DeRosia of HeroPress talks about giving back
- In this room… Travis Totz gives great design talks that cross all boundaries - you don’t need to be a designer to attend Chris Lema - arguably one of the hardest hitters in the WP community. He’s a very dynamic speaker, and also very helpful. Recommended for all.
- Jen Jamar - AMAZING. Consistently one of the highest rated speakers at WCMpls. Knows her stuff. Not just for content/marketers.
- I wish this talk were at the beginning of the day! Learn about WP’s data structure and take the next step
- SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! At the Metrodome! Who is going on Sunday? Go to brunch! You paid for it! It’s delicious! Listen to what the people have to say. Wish Cate a Happy Birthday
- Mykl Roventine - I call him the font nazi, but he’s an amazing local resource. Super knowledgable - not just for designers. Like a wine pairing class for fonts.
- Joe Dolson - our local accessibility advocate. 1%ers should go. We are not doing enough great work in this area. Josh Broton - Even if you know nothing about JavaScript, I promise this will be entertaining.
- We’re not going to solve all the problems here How do you plan to bridge the gap on your journey? How can you help someone else on their path? Here’s what I’m going to do…
- Myself and the other cimbura.com folks will be manning the Happiness Bar all day today and tomorrow, so come by and say hi and bring your questions!