I started teaching a web development class and I have been thinking a lot about what happens after class is over. My students will learn a bunch of HTML and CSS and a bit of JavaScript over the course of 10 weeks. After that, development gets harder.
There are so many options about what languages to learn, platforms to work with, and frameworks to use. New languages and libraries are released constantly. New versions of these languages and libraries are released constantly. There are always new techniques, standards, and tips to play with.
One of my favorite interview questions is “How do you stay current?” I love hearing candidates answer this question because it tells me 2 things about them:
- Do they realize that you have to keep learning new things to stay relevant in our world?
- Are they serious about keeping up?
There is no single right answer to this question (though there are plenty of wrong answers). This is simply my answer.
- @JavascriptAgent – JS tweets!
- @JavascriptDaily – More JS tweets!
- @dcww – Twitter account for DC Web Women. Great group, probably more helpful if you are in DC.
- @startupvitamins – Motivation for startups and independent contractors
Blogs
- Codrops - A design and development blog. Great stuff in here.
- Konigi - A blog all about UX design.
- Viget’s Extend Blog - Viget is a consulting firm based in the DC area. Their Extend blog is all about code & tech.
- Little Big Details - Bite-sized bits of design inspiration
- JavaScript Weekly - I am a JavaScript developer. This makes sense.
- Responsive Design Weekly - Weekly e-mail newsletter, all about responsive design.
- Smashing Magazine Newsletter - Great tips and tricks for both designers and developers. News about fonts, design trends, responsive tricks and more.
Podcasts
- Tech News Today - Daily (weekdays) podcast about the latest technology news.
- Supercharged - Weekly podcast about the latest tech news and answers to tech (and life) questions. Super fun to listen to.