HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and Developer Careers

What should you do when you need to build a website quickly? While Matt and Mike often say that you should take the time to create a website that you're happy with and will last a long time, sometimes your situation demands that the job be done quickly. In this episode the guys discussed how to build a website quickly using not just ready-made solutions like no-code tools and templates, but also productivity drivers such as hiring out developers while you and your team work on content at the same time. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/how-to-build-a-website-quickly Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Transitioning from coding to management can be a career goal for some, and a dreaded pathway for others. In his recent work experience, Mike has been managing a team of developers while continuing to code a bit himself. In this episode, Mike shares his recent experiences and enlightens us with some of the lessons he's learned along the way. While managing a team of developers may seem easy for those at a senior development level, it's easy to forget that the code is not the only thing you have to worry about, the human element becomes a factor that can make or break a team's productivity and effectiveness. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/lessons-ive-learned-from-managing-a-team-of-developers Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

SEO is an important part of a healthy website, but it can be a lot harder than it looks. When you follow advanced SEO guides, or use programs that scan your site for SEO problems, you'll commonly come out with a laundry list of fixes that will take weeks to implement and a developer's expertise to install. These advanced SEO checks can help you modify your site down to the smallest SEO molecule, but it's a large undertaking that can easily be pushed off for months or years. In this episode, Matt and Mike steer away from the intricate and daunting, opting to cover SEO tips that you can implement on your website today. The guys touch on topics like writing more content, defining your website, learning keyword research, and technical SEO. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/seo-tips-you-can-implement-today Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Hiring junior developers has become a hot topic as of late with AI threatening to take their place and some employers outright refusing to hire self-taught developers citing the quality of their work as justification. The problem with taking out this critical career starting point is that we're breaking the traditional career cycle - junior developers get hired, learn skills to become a senior developer, then eventually change over to management, or decide to retire. By "turning off the tap" of new talent we're essentially limiting the amount of professional developers that there will ever be, forcing salaries to rise, and companies to poach each other's talent (more than they already do). In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed why you should still be interested in hiring junior developers at your company in order to keep the industry happy and healthy. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/we-need-to-hire-junior-developers Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

What is the best way to make a website? Websites can be made with no-code builders, custom code, marketing software, and unique combinations of available tech. Even if we narrow down our choice to custom code, we're still left wondering what our tech stack should be. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed if there is in fact a best way to make a website. Websites are complex and they're made for humans, whom are also complex. Beyond technical requirements we have to consider the site's audience, who will be editing content, deadlines, and social limitations. Just like many things in life, there may be an objectively best way to make a website...somewhere in the gray area, after you've analyzed your needs, wants, and realities. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/is-there-a-best-way-to-make-a-website Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Today we celebrate this past week's milestone of 300 released episodes. Now we know that this number is a bit wishy-washy because we have some "side episodes" like Tidbits and Web News...and it doesn't help that we changed how we number our episodes in the feed at some point down the line. But despite all that, we're considering the episode that released just this past Tuesday as of recording this, as episode 300! In this special edition episode, we won't be talking so much about web development, but instead of reflecting on the past 300 episodes of the HTML All The Things Podcast and discuss our future goals on where we want HATT to be in the future. Thank you all for listening and here's to another 300! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/celebrating-300-episodes-whats-next-for-html-all-the-things

This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with the creator of MacOS Web, Puru Vijay to discuss how creating projects can help land you a job in the web development field. MacOS Web has come up in Puru's job interviews and has helped him build a connection with the development community, including those that are hiring. He is also passionate about contributing to open source projects and ensuring that navbars at the bottom of smartphones have left-handed and right-handed detection. Matt and Mike had a blast with this interview and hope that you enjoy it too! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/make-a-project-get-a-job-w-puru Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

AI is a hot topic these days with LLMs dominating much of the tech talk we see online. In the web development scene, chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot are able to develop and debug code through simple conversational prompts that don't require complex developer-level knowledge. This simplicity has brought with it a lot of discussion and debate about AI's role in the development space. Will it replace all developer jobs? Is it simply another tool to increase a developer's productivity? Should aspiring junior developer use AI in their learning. In this week's episode, Matt and Mike discussed learning to code alongside ChatGPT and Copilot. The guys explored the dangers of using AI while you learn, when you should reach for a chatbot, and then touch on their thoughts surrounding the future of the industry. Will Devin take all our jobs? Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/should-junior-developers-use-chatgpt-to-help-them-write-code Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Vendor lock-in in web development refers to a situation where a company becomes overly reliant on a single vendor's products or services, making it difficult and costly to switch to another provider. This can lead to several issues, such as reduced flexibility, high switching costs, and a lack of interoperability with other systems. This might mean that a business is using a specific technology stack or platform that does not easily allow for migration to other systems, potentially leading to increased costs and limited innovation. On the flip side, vendor lock-in can provide benefits to a business such as great pricing (ie sales and loyalty benefits), increased productivity as users master a limited toolset, and the avoidance of "reinventing the wheel" repeatedly with custom code. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed vendor lock-in in both a negative and positive light. Breaking down what you should be looking out for when choosing vendors to build products with. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/beware-of-vendor-lock-in Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Free tiers are no stranger to web developers as many look to them to get them started on a new tool, try out hosting, or help with some basic design work. The problem is that free tiers are sometimes downgraded, or even completely removed from existence if a service decides that they're more trouble than they're worth. For those relying on free tiers to do their work, this can spell disaster and even cause some businesses to shut down. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed the dangers of free tiers, what they're good for, and why you should be ready to pay up at some point down the line. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/free-tiers-are-dangerous Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Kevin Powell, known to many as the King of CSS, joins Matt in this packed episode to discuss the current status of CSS, how to tailor your content absorption for learning, and more. The duo discussed whether or not popular CSS toolkits (ie SASS, TailwindCSS) outweigh the need to learn vanilla CSS. They also discussed whether naming conventions like BEM are still relevant since most web developers use frameworks that have localized CSS per component. And that's just getting started, the guys also discussed tutorial hell mitigation, browser support + using features in production, focusing your educational content absorption, and much more. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/css-styling-the-web-learning-through-content-w-kevin-powell Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

WordPress is a very popular tool for making websites that can be easily extended to get the job done. While the original focus of WordPress was blogs, over time other websites started being created with it through the use of plugins like WooCommerce (eCommerce sites), ACF (dynamic data-driven sites), and Elementor (sites that can be built visually). This versatility fuels WordPress' continued popularity, but also brews a community that believes it's a bloated and dated tool. Having recently make a website with WordPress, Matt takes us through a deep dive of what he believes is an identity crisis stemming from Gutenberg/FSE, no built-in disaster recovery, and limitations forcing the use of multiple plugins. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/wordpress-is-a-no-code-tool-that-requires-coding Learn with Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

With the tech job market seemingly exploding with layoffs recently, nailing your technical interviews is possibly more important than ever. With that said, there are a lot of opinions out there on how much prep you should be doing and whether you should be applying everywhere, or just to a few select places so you can focus your studies. This week we had that pleasure of speaking with Kyle from TechSquidTV to discuss all things technical interviews. We also discussed what to do after you've been laid off and then switched gears to discuss the marrying of hardware and software together into unique projects. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/technical-interviews-exposed-w-kyle-techsquidtv Learn with Scrimba - https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Progressing through your web development career is unique depending on the companies you decide to work for, but there are some common positions that companies will use to help guide their promotion process. These positions include junior developer, developer (intermediate), senior developer, tech lead, and staff engineer. Each one of these positions will have a unique flare depending on who's setting up the teams but in general as you climb the ladder through them you'll collect more cash, more responsibility, and slowly transition to less code/more management. In this episode Matt and Mike discussed the common promotions that web developers progress through and how they can vary company to company. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/junior-developer-vs-senior-developer Learn with Scrimba - https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Work-life balance is an important topic to talk about in the tech field, especially in 2024 with the recent layoffs and overall industry downturn. It can be easy to sacrifice some personal time to log extra hours at the office in an attempt to give yourself some job security or impress your boss. The problem is that this can be a slippery slope that leads you to work all the time for no additional pay and if your company restructures, or has problems keeping up revenues, you may still get a layoff. Digital availability is also a major problem in the tech field and other industries that rely on technology heavily - work is always ready to be done 24/7, with messages and emails coming in at all hours of the day. It's easy to just "check one email" when you get home from a long day at the office, quickly leading to getting pulled into a situation that could have you working throughout the evening. During these trying times it's important that we keep our families, friends, and mental health in mind alongside our careers. In this episode Matt and Mike discussed the importance of work-life balance for web developers during these trying times. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/work-life-balance-for-web-developers-in-2024 Learn with Scrimba - https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Running a web development agency isn't easy from both the technical and customer service side of things. Luckily, Matt and Mike have been running their web development agency for 7+ years, making plenty of mistakes, and claiming even more successes over the years. In this episode, they lay out the top 5 tips insider tips that have helped them maintain a successful business for all these years including: presenting technical solutions to non-technical customers, avoiding scope creep, pushing back on customer ideas that won't work, and more. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/top-5-insider-web-developer-agency-tips Learn with Scrimba - https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Almost everyone has a unique story on how they joined the field in which they eventually made a career, but many aren't as unique as Francesco Ciulla's. His development journey has lead him to work with the European Space Agency as a full-stack developer, developer relations at Daily.dev, become a Docker Captain, and most recently create a massive YouTube following in just a few short weeks. This week Matt and Mike had the pleasure of sitting down and discussing Francesco's unique developer journey at length discussing his previous jobs, education, passion for teaching and much more! Show Notes - https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/francescos-unique-developer-journey Learn with Scrimba - https://scrimba.com/?ref=htmlallthethings

Web development, often hailed for its versatility, empowers us to create websites, progressive web apps (PWAs), mobile applications, and robust web-based tools. However, beneath the surface lies a complex landscape far from utopian. To make web development sustainable without the need for networking engineers, IT managers, and server admins - tools that go beyond the vanilla platform (HTML, CSS, JS) have become staples of the industry (NodeJS, Svelte/Kit, Angular, etc.). These tools provide web developers with the ability to perform complex and time-consuming tasks with relative ease and without having to touch the underlying layers of technology. The side effect is that many web developers are left learning an absolute ton of technology at a high-level, with very little expertise in one area versus another. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed the current mess that web development finds itself in as they converse about the sheer amount of material to learn, abstraction layers, and more. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/web-development-is-a-mess-do-we-need-frameworks-is-there-too-much-to-learn Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Learn how to land a web development job with this week's guest, James Quick. James is a content creator that focuses on teaching web developers through his YouTube channel and podcast. Our discussion this week focused on landing and keeping a web developer role with our conversation focusing on what you should do before landing the job, immediately after getting into your role, and how to keep your career going into the future. First off, our conversation on what to do before getting a developer job focused on studying, coding practice, and standing out as an applicant. Second, we discussed what to do right after landing the role conversing about whether you should keep learning on/off work hours and whether you should make an effort to learn job-related tech or branch out. Lastly, we discussed what to do once you've had a developer job for a while, touching on whether you should bother having a side hustle, how much learning you should do, and if you should update your portfolio or not. At the end of the interview, we asked James to expand and explain Astro, a web framework for content-driven sites. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/how-to-land-a-web-development-job-w-james-quick Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Back in the days of Internet Explorer web developers struggled with keeping their websites compatible across various versions. This problem exemplified as more modern browsers like Firefox and Chrome were added to the mix, forcing many web devs to create websites that could utilize modern features and fall back onto old ones for users still on IE. Today, these problems are largely solved, but not entirely. There is still some feature disparity between Edge, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox...and even now some developers need to continue to support Internet Explorer. It's also widely known that as newer versions of these browsers seem to squash more of these differences, users won't always have the most up-to-date version of the browser due to update neglect, or system compatibility. In this episode, Matt and Mike focus on CSS feature disparity between browsers and how to handle site development when your user base doesn't all have the latest features that you're utilizing. When is it safe to use a new CSS feature on a production website? Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/css-browser-support-when-can-i-use-this Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

React is a powerful tool that empowers web developers to create reactive websites and web apps. Unfortunately, sometimes projects built with React can struggle to reach their maximum performance potential. To solve this, Million 3 (million.js) steps in to help make your React project up to 70% faster. Million boasts a simple setup using an easy-to-use installer so that you don't need to spend hours installing and troubleshooting. In this interview episode, Matt and Mike discussed Million.js with Aiden and Tobiloba, exploring when Million should be used, when it should not be used, and what it helps with the most. With the release of Million 3 just this week, the guys learned about some cool new features that should help Million be even more useful than it already is. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/make-react-faster-using-million-3-million-js-w-aiden-tobiloba Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

When a junior developer is assigned to your team, it's easy to give them the "new guy" treatment. You might give them jobs you don't like to do or play some sort of harmless prank on them, but take it a step further and you're in danger of becoming a toxic workplace. Handing over jobs that are simply too difficult for a junior developer and ridiculing them when they inevitably fail is one large example of how a team joke can take a dark turn, forming a habit of treating junior developers poorly in the hopes that they'll "rise to the challenge." In reality, most teams would benefit from having another experienced developer, so why not help the newbie grow into someone you can trust? In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed how to challenge and mentor a junior developer by giving them achievable challenges, avoiding a "trial by fire" that they will inevitably fail. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/working-with-junior-developers-teaching-training-and-mentoring Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Subscription fees are any household budget's worst nightmare, but they're not limited to just your favorite TV subscriptions. Web developers are also constantly bombarded by subscription fees for everything from development tools, analytics software, and WordPress plugins. Perpetual licenses (one-time fees) are almost a thing of the past and so everything you reach for at the paid tier ends up becoming a recurring cost that you'll need to make the most of to maximize value. Not only can these costs very quickly spiral out of control, but they're also a hard sell when dealing with a client. Every WordPress developer has surely come across a client that expects a feature-add for free, when the plugin to do so is behind a monthly subscription. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed the hidden costs of web development reviewing the dreaded ballooning monthly bill made up of premium WordPress plugins, SEO software, development tools, and more. Thanks to this episode's sponsor Magic Mind. Use our link (https://www.magicmind.com/JANhtml) and promo code (HTML20) for up to 75% off in January 2024! After January? Our code is still good for up to 20% off! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/the-hidden-costs-of-web-development Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Three web development topics grace this episode's contents as Matt and Mike discussed the seemingly never ending tech layoffs that keep making headlines. The guys also discussed HTMX, a lightweight UI library that has taken off in popularity recently to the pleasure of some and dismay of others - is HTMX the "Tailwind CSS" of backend technology? Finally the guys discussed how to handle your family and friends approaching you with their ideas and wanting you to work on them. We've all been there, you're at a family gathering, and someone wants to work with you on their new idea that's sure to "take the world by storm" - or in a twist, sometimes they just want you to be their mentor...what do you do if you just don't have the time? Thanks to this episode's sponsor Magic Mind. Use our link (https://www.magicmind.com/JANhtml) and promo code (HTML20) for up to 75% off in January 2024! After January? Our code is still good for up to 20% off! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/more-tech-layoffs-htmx-is-real-friends-with-ideas Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

This week we revive an old episode format where Matt writes the show notes and interviews Mike without him knowing any of the questions or topics before recording. In this "blind episode" Matt and Mike explore building out your web developer portfolio versus a personal website that covers both your personal and professional life. The guys also discussed choosing your developer career path if you were starting out in 2024, what kind of project they would create if money were no object, and philosophically "look back" at their careers once they've come to a close. Thanks to this episode's sponsor Magic Mind. Use our link (https://www.magicmind.com/JANhtml) and promo code (HTML20) for up to 75% off in January 2024! After January? Our code is still good for up to 20% off! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/building-your-web-developer-portfolio-choosing-your-path-as-a-developer-and-making-an-impact-with-your-career Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

It's a new year, maybe it's time for some new gear? If you're a web developer just getting started this year, or looking to maximize your productivity with the latest gadgets, this week's episode has got you covered. We broke up our gear selections into three budgets including minimum, moderate, and max. Matt and Mike discussed gear ranging from budget refurbished laptops that can help you get started on your web development journey, to fancy sets that can accommodate not only web development but gaming and content creation as well. Our gear guide is sure to help anyone out there wondering what they need to get started coding up websites in 2024. Thanks to this episode's sponsor Magic Mind. Use our link (https://www.magicmind.com/JANhtml) and promo code (HTML20) for up to 75% off in January 2024! After January? Our code is still good for up to 20% off! Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/essential-gear-guide-for-web-developers-in-2024 Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

We've all heard of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - the latter being used in both frontend and backend technologies. Despite the utility and versatility of JavaScript, other languages still exist and thrive off of large fanbases such as PHP and Python. Why is this? Isn't JavaScript enough? In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed programming languages that you might find useful as a web developer (or other developer for that matter) other than JavaScript. The duo covered the pros and cons of each of these other languages as they discussed which ones you may be interested in learning after mastering the art of JavaScript. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/is-javascript-enough Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Learn web development for free with learning resources from all over the web including courses, YouTube channels, and written guides. The holidays are in full swing with many people spending their newfound free time trying their hand at learning web development for the first time. Some are even planning to learn coding as their new year's resolution so they can try their hand at a new career. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed a collection of free learning resources so that you can supercharge your learning without having to commit a small fortune to getting started. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/get-started-in-web-development-for-free Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

AI tools have taken off over the past year touching almost every aspect of the internet, and web development is no exception. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot (Bing Chat) can be used to help write code, troubleshoot, and learn web development in a way that is much more interactive than a traditional Google search. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed how they use these AI tools in both their learnings and production work. The duo covered how to approach these new AI chatbots as they're something that is well beyond the commonplace assistants that we have today like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri. Learn how to add AI to your web development toolkit and get work done faster. Thanks to this episode's sponsor Magic Mind. Use our link and promo code (HTML20) for up to 50% off! Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

There are a lot of courses and guides out there to help you start learning web development. Despite this abundance, it's unfortunately very easy to fall into a common learning pitfall, such as following a tutorial that's out-of-date, or taking a course that glosses over important parts of the process. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed commonly learning pitfalls and how to avoid them. They also discussed how to go beyond courses to ensure you're learning as much as you can before landing a job. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/youre-learning-web-development-the-wrong-way Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Web developers have a lot of tools to build websites with, but this vast selection opens the door for needless complexities. Needless complexities weigh projects down and can make troubleshooting problems a nightmare. Unforeseen issues arising from tangled webs of WordPress plugins, third-party services updating their endpoints unexpectedly, and installed-yet-forgotten features have taken down more websites than we can count. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed how and why you should avoid needless complexities in your projects and why some complexities are necessary evils. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/make-web-development-easy-avoid-needless-complexities Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

AI has been taking the tech world by storm for the past year or so as new chatbots and tools are created seemingly every day. These tools can help revolutionize the every day workflow for a web developer and Mike has been embracing these changes with open arms. In this episode Matt and Mike discussed this "AI revolution" and how Mike uses these new tools to compliment and enhance his every day tasks on the job. The guys also discussed the massive shake up that OpenAI had with their CEO Sam Altman being fired then potentially landing a position at Microsoft. Please note this OpenAI news is developing quickly so our comments may be out of date by the time this episode is published- original recording date can be found in the show notes for context. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/learn-to-use-ai-to-become-a-better-web-developer Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Are web developers required to do too much? Websites and web apps are getting more complex as some startups rely on web developers to deliver critical company infrastructure, marketing sites, and ecommerce stores. The problem with all these responsibilities is that the knowledge base for web developers has grown exponentially over the past decade, making it a struggle to keep up for existing developers and increasingly difficult for aspiring devs to break into the field. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed Matt's recent critique of the learning journey that web developers need to embark on to get job ready due to the vast amount of skills that are needed in the field. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/are-we-expecting-too-much-from-our-web-developers Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

When you deploy a website how long do you think it'll last before it needs some maintenance, or a design refresh? Will it keep running as long as the hosting bill is paid? This week, Matt and Mike discussed the longevity of a website and whether or not its realistic to assume that they'll run forever - eternally, if you will. Even though they're pieces of software, websites are susceptible to problems that require maintenance, and some websites need regular preventative maintenance to keep things running smoothly. Not to mention the need, or rather want, for design refreshes in order to keep up with the modern standard and competing websites. When clients ask for a website, but don't think they'll need to maintain it after deployment, are they running themselves into a risky situation? How do we keep website maintenance budget friendly? Show Notes - https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/are-websites-eternal-the-longevity-of-a-website Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Out of all the developer productivity tips, enhancing your focus is probably the most important because it can increase your work output, helps keeps you motivated, and can improve your quality of code. In this episode Matt and Mike discussed why focus and concentration is so important to developers and what you can do to help improve it through practice and habit forming. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/why-improving-your-focus-will-make-you-a-better-web-developer Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Learning web development is difficult, even if you're already familiar with it and just looking to update your skills. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss Matt's continued learning journey as he works towards understanding modern full-stack development through Svelte and SvelteKit. This time, Matt has taken a step back from his original project, a passive income tracker, and instead decided to change his approach. Instead of learning full-stack development, struggling through creating and deploying a web app, instead he's decided to break it up into three smaller projects. The first of which will be a modified to-do/grocery list app that will just be using Svelte. Followed by another project focused on backend technologies with SvelteKit. Finally, he'll return to his passive income tracker idea with all he's learned for the grand finale. With this new approach, Matt hopes that he'll retain more information and have a better understand of all the topics he covers, rather than struggling through each and every step of the passive income tracker. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/3-web-development-projects-full-stack-struggles-3 Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed a collection of web development topics including git in school, what makes a good code review, and the return of PHP. Git for version control is a major part of most web developers' toolkits although there seems to be a lack of git training in schools, the place where learning git basics could help future graduates' resumes look a bit more favorable. Code reviews are commonplace in web development teams, but they're not all cut from the same cloth - what makes a code review good? PHP has been called dead by many web developers (even though WordPress uses PHP and is a major contributor to content on the web), but lately it seems like people are talking about it...is PHP back? Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/git-in-school-good-code-reviews-is-php-back Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

You can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job - a classic problem for many beginners across several industries. This problem also plagues web developers as junior devs are left handing out hundreds of applications sometimes failing to get an interview let alone a job. For some, the opportunity to work for free will come up as a low barrier to entry to get some experience, but this move is controversial. Not only are you missing out on money, but you're also providing value to someone else's business for free. Working for free with nothing but experience is nothing new though, as unpaid internships are apart of some college and university programs across many different degrees. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed whether a junior developer should work for free to get work experience, or if they should wait until a paid opportunity arrives. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/should-a-junior-developer-work-for-free-to-get-experience Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

When you take your first job as a junior developer you may be nervous about what type of tasks you'll be assigned and the expected quality level of your deliverables. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed some of the types of tasks that you may be assigned as a junior developer. They walk through how and what a manager may ask you to do, and how much detail you're likely to receive before getting started. These tasks range from simple tests of your UI layout skills, through your ability to pull in information from an API and display it appropriately on the site. Every workplace is different and so Matt and Mike also covered some of the common struggles that junior developers may face in their new role including legacy codebases, lack of mentorship, and a toxic work environment. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/what-id-expect-from-a-junior-developer Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Documentation helps web developers navigate CSS frameworks, WordPress plugins, and helpful npm packages. Without it, we're left doing trial-and-error for hours, or left to community support from potentially dated forums. When documentation is bad, it can cost the documentation owner customers and trust from the community, but when it's good, it can save developers time and drive trust in the product. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed the price of bad documentation and what makes documentation good from the perspective of a web developer. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/the-cost-of-bad-documentation-and-how-to-fix-it Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Svelte 5 is coming and with it the addition of Svelte 5 Runes, a replacement for the let, =, export, and $: that we use in Svelte today. Runes replaces this old syntax with function syntax to achieve the same old things and more. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss a brief history of Svelte before diving into what was shown off so far about Svelte 5 Runes. The duo then discuss the learning experience for those studying Svelte 4 and whether they should stop and wait for Svelte 5. This leads to a debate about keeping websites up and running with maintenance, and how updates like Svelte 5 can help or hurt a site in production. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/sneak-peek-at-svelte-5-learn-to-embrace-change Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is how websites prepare and portray themselves to search engines like Google and Bing. The goal of SEO is to generate as much traffic (ideally organic traffic) as possible from the right people - namely prospective customers. The problem with SEO is that many industries and specific keywords are very competitive and require a lot of effort by someone that knows what the search engines want. In order for them to operate effectively they'll need to work with a developer and/or CMS to ensure good technical SEO and be given control over at least some of the website's content (ie blog posts) so that they can try and rank in as many relevant keywords as possible. For small businesses, having someone do their SEO for them seems like a massive gamble, so its a hard sell. If the small business tries to do their own SEO, they may find that their efforts aren't yielding any leads because SEO is not only time consuming, but can also get complex. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss how to deliver the best possible SEO service to a small business that is on a tight budget, with minimal free time to dedicate to content and keyword research. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/seo-for-small-businesses Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Authentication is a critical part of modern websites and web apps. Everything from ecommerce stores through membership sites will almost always have some form of authentication for their users. As a web developer, creating an authentication system can seem daunting because of the security that's involved in storing people's passwords and sensitive account data. It's difficult to keep up with all the security threats out there when you're juggling a DIY authentication system, maintenance, and developing new features. Luckily, there is tooling available for web developers that can help them authenticate their users with minimal effort. Products such as Firebase, Lucia, and NextAuth.js all provide ways to help offload authentication from your developer to-do list. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss why you would (or would not) roll your own auth, and your available options if you don't want to make your own. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/web-development-pitfalls-the-dangers-of-diy-auth Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

It can be difficult to choose the right tech stack for your website or web app because there are so many to choose from. There are more traditional stacks like LAMP, MERN, and MEAN...as well as new serverless stacks that use Vercel/Netlify, Next.js, and Planetscale (MySQL). Furthermore, if you're working for a client in an agency or freelance, a single tech stack might not cut it. It's not uncommon for a client to bring you in to work on their website, setup their newsletter, and code up a new web app. Projects like this might use LAMP w/ WordPress for the website, serverless technologies for the web app, and Constant Contact for the newsletter. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss choosing your tech stack based on its pros and cons, the project's requirements, and how to avoid personal bias that could cost you money. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/how-to-choose-the-right-stack-for-your-clients Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Project planning sounds like it's the job of a project manager, but the truth is that a web developer interacts with so many parts of an online project that project management skills are crucial. When working as a freelancer, or for a small business, there might not even be a project manager on staff, leaving the web developer to manage their own team, time, and communications. Sprints/scrum and agile seem to dominate the project management space and have helped a lot of teams be successful, but as a project manager its important that you use what's right for your team. You might only be working with a few developers and a Kanban board (ie Trello) board, and if that works? Then why change it? In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss project management from the perspective of a web developer - covering how to manage stakeholders, communication channels, and organizational techniques. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/project-planning-for-web-developers Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Side hustles are a popular choice when looking to make additional money on top of your primary income. There are seemingly countless ways to make a little money on the side and many of them are done online. With that said, web developers, whose job it is to create online experiences, should arguably have an upper hand in this space with their technical knowhow and exposure to online marketing. This week, Matt and Mike discussed whether a web developer should start a side hustle. They covered the pros and cons of side hustles, the difference between side projects & side hustles, and whether junior developers have enough time between their job applications & learning to have a side hustle at all. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/do-web-developers-need-side-hustles Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Finding a job as a web developer is difficult right now. We're hot off the heels of the crazy hiring spree during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now companies are tightening their belts. We see tech companies constantly laying people off, and we've been hearing about a recession for the past year or so. The good news is that finding a job as a web developer isn't impossible, as there are still a lot of companies looking for web developers. Many of these companies are outside tech, however, instead they can be found in finance, retailers, logistics, etc. In this episode, Matt and Mike discussed the current job market, why it's the way it is, and how to navigate it. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/why-is-the-web-developer-job-market-so-tough-right-now Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT

Choosing the right web host is crucial for your project's success. Web hosting should be seen as the foundation in which your website or web app is built upon. It doesn't matter if you make your app with this framework, that plugin, or have the best content in the business - if the hosting goes down, your project goes down. The problem here is that as a web developer and especially a junior developer, you've spent the majority of your time building and learning on your local machine. Hosting projects locally is fantastic for building, but it doesn't reflect the real-world demands of a website being used by the public. Once deployed your project must withstand varying amounts of traffic while remaining performant, both of these things rest largely on the web host's shoulders - having the right server configuration with the proper networking infrastructure supporting it is crucial. In this episode, Matt takes a look at various web hosting types including shared, dedicated, WordPress, reseller, and nodeJS. Each of these unique hosting types have their own pros and cons ranging from how powerful they are, what their scalability looks like, and how much they cost. The focus of this episode is on what is commonly called "traditional web hosting" or "traditional web hosts" provided by companies such as HostGator, Hostinger, BlueHost, and more. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/what-type-of-hosting-should-you-use-shared-vps-dedicated-reseller-wordpress-nodejs

Your first week as a junior developer can be nerve wracking and anxiety inducing. Not only are you meeting a team of new people, but you're starting a new job as a newbie to coding. This week Matt and Mike discuss how to make the most of your first week of the job, making a great first impression on your team members, and hopefully letting you absorb as much knowledge as you can. By handling social situations with grace, asking valuable questions, and being honest about your capabilities; you'll be well on your way to becoming a valuable development team member. Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/succeeding-in-your-first-week-as-a-junior-developer

Web development hackathons can be a fun way to do some friendly competitive programming. The result is often a few great portfolio pieces for those involved and a cool prize for those that come out on top. For Paolo Ricciut and Antonio Sarcevic they not only won the Best Ecosystem Integration award at the SvelteHack Hackathon, but they created a project that could help push the Svelte/Kit industry forward with the creation of SvelteLab. SvelteLab is an in-browser code editor that quickly sets up SvelteKit environments where you can test and share your projects easily. Show Notes: www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/how-a-hackathon-changed-their-life-w-paolo-and-antonio Scrimba Discount: https://tinyurl.com/ScrimbaHATT