Too Scared to Learn
Note: One from the lost archives with some new content added for relevance today.
I was browsing the Sitepoint forums trying to get some ideas about what I could write about when I came across a thread that talked about major sites using CSS. Half-way down the page I come across this statement:
Tables are so much easier to use. Why would anyone want to move to something harder.
I have no problem with this argument. In fact I would agree that in some situations developing with tables could be easier. My problem is the fear that is laced within the statement.
I hate to generalize, but the majority of old management type people I have come across fear change. They like being settled into a routine that they know they can handle. The same can be said about designers who like to only work with tables. They learned to design using tables and find no reason to change. The problem is that it is hard not to change when the rest of the world is changing around you. For anyone who works in computers there should never be a day where you believe you have learned everything possible. This is why I love computers because I know there is always something new I can teach myself. You cannot fear the unknown, but you must learn to embrace it or you will be left behind.
For the older crowd out there do not fear the young people because you think they will take your jobs. If you are constantly teaching yourself new technologies then you should have nothing to worry about because most of the time you already have a headstart and real world experience. Just do not be scared to keep moving.
If you are a designer who loves to only work with tables because that one time you did try CSS it just didn’t work out then keep doing what you do. Do not get mad however in a couple of years when everyone else is getting the work you think you should be getting. Major sites are already moving their sites over to CSS. The business benefits really are too hard to ignore. Imagine the bandwidth savings Yahoo would get if they moved to CSS.
It is one thing to just jump on every new technology that comes out. That is plain ignorance. But when major companies and most major designers have been moving towards CSS for a couple of years now, it would be foolish to not start tweaking your Knowledge Portfolio to include CSS and all of its benefits.
COBOL was and in many cases still the defacto programming language for business mainframes. I have never come across a twenty-something COBOL programmer. One reason may be that they do not seem to be in high demand and another is that the language is something you just do not hear about anymore. All the COBOL programmers that I know are 40+ years old and the only reason they still program in COBOL is because 1. They have job security or 2. They fear moving to something else because COBOL is what they have been doing. My point is that there are a lot of COBOL programmers out of a job because they feared the unknown. They could not see Java catching on in the business world. It is not like they missed the boat because the boat sits there until you are ready to get on. It is your job to get on.
Learning a new language or technology is like learning to use a new tool. You know the end result that you want to achieve and have been getting that result for 20 years with COBOL. However, what if you find that Java is a better tool for the job and can cut your production time in half. To be honest you would be foolish not use that tool. As someone in the computer industry you should know that for any job you should use the best tools for the job. That is why we have so many programming languages to work with because someone thought they could come up with a better tool. The more tools you learn how to use the better off you will be.
I have a pretty broad technology portfolio. The reason I do is because I love to learn new stuff. When XML first came out I saw the benefits that it had and began diving into the language. The same with Java and PHP. Fortunately, my love for learning new technologies also happens to make me more attractive to our clients. Being scared to learn something new is as foolish as being scared to make money.
CSS is here to stay. XML is here to stay. If you are a web designer you should make it obligatory that you learn these technologies. If you are a Java or C# programmer why not learn some Python and see how it can increase certain parts of your production. See how they can help make your job easier both now and in the future. If you become too scared to learn new things then you are too scared to grow and to be honest if in the future you cannot find work then usually you only have yourself to blame. Love to learn new things even if you already know Ruby and Rails.
[...] Scrivs [...]
By usmediaweb» The CC Anthology » Too Scared to Learn on July 12, 2006 5:16 pm
“There are now so many web sites, blogs or publications devoted to helping people learn standards and accessible techniques that there are now no excuses not to work with semantic code or CSS. Those people still delivering nested table layout, spacer gifs or ignoring accessibility can no longer call themselves web professionals.”
- Andy Clarke
http://accessify.com/2005/11/interview-with-andy-clarke-aka.php
I don’t understand people who don’t want to expand their skills. I don’t know why people would want to supress their natural creativity and their passion for learning new and exciting things. Are they lazy or scared of failure? It’s not as if CSS is a bleeding edge topic any more, it’s a widespread technology with plenty of areas of help. I hope your article inspires people to learn the things they always wanted to but were too afraid because they think it’s too hard.
By Rik Lomas on July 12, 2006 6:04 pm
Well, it depends on whether technology is a job or a passion. If it’s a job, then every new advance will be greeted with a groan. If it’s a passion, then the advance would probably have been mastered even before the masses caught on. Passion trumps job, by the way.
However, one must also understand that technology is insanely difficult to keep up with. It’s true CSS is easy to pick up, I’ve learned it solely by viewing the source code on many sites. But for hobbyist bloggers who are focused more on their content, then having to keep up with all this newfangled coding can get very tedious.
By weisheng on July 12, 2006 8:37 pm
I agree in not knowing why in the world a designer would be scared of learning CSS. I started designing about 3 years ago in tables, and once I heard about CSS I learned it myself and immediately abandoned using tables. Obviously I don’t regret it.
It is just ignorant to be in the tech/design industry and not want to at least try and keep up with what the people around you are doing. I’d think that I would have a fear of job security.
By J Phill on July 12, 2006 9:35 pm
I wonder what someone who originally learned layouts with CSS and never used tables for that purpose would think if they were forced to use tables for layout. I’m guessing they would think, “why would I use tables for this when CSS is so much easier.”
I’ve been working with CSS for layout for five years now. About a year ago I had to update some html which was originally written using tables for layout. Granted it had a few nested tables, but it took me a long time to wrap my head around that markup and figure out what I was doing.
By Jonathan on July 13, 2006 9:48 am
We are having some major problems come up when redesigning some of these heavily nested table websites. The design portion is fine, we can handle that with ease. However, the loads of existing static content with font and span tags and endless tables is making it nearly impossible to convert in a reasonable amount of time. Be sure to investigate this before taking on redesign work, and schedule accordingly.
By Steve on July 13, 2006 12:27 pm
I’ve worked with (and am still working with) people that fit the description of your dyed-in-the-wool COBOL programmers, albeit with other languages. This seems very prevalent in the newspaper industry, where a lot of companies are playing a perpetual game of catch-up.
The Web site I produce content for was a mess of tables and font tags until a few months ago. In fact, they would have continued to use this outdated layout method if I hadn’t pushed for the use of CSS — the simply had not updated their skills to remotely understand it.
Take a look at nearly any local newspaper site, and you’ll undoubtly see what I mean (with exceptions, of course).
Trouble is, the folks that refuse to update their skills seem to lack incentive to do so. They seem content to fuddle with spacer .gifs and table cells.
It’s also hard to attract new employees that have the updated skills because college new media programs aren’t teaching CSS and Web Standards.
It’s often left to the few to teach the many.
By Patrick on July 14, 2006 4:58 pm
I have only learned webdesign a few years ago: only CSS from the start. Never build a site with tables. Every time I have to do something with a table-based site, I have a lot of difficulty understanding what’s going on. All content being chopped up in illogical pieces and placed in different table cells. Sometimes even tables inside tables. Very confusing.
By Matthijs on July 15, 2006 10:15 am
As a typical COBOL programmer (pushing on 40, not quite there yet) I can attest to the temptation of keeping with what you know and have been doing for the past 12 years, just because you’re so damn good at it. Also, because virtually no new programmers decide to learn COBOL (apart from the Indians, that is) and there’s still a large installed base to maintain, I can still find work.
This doesn’t mean I’m blind to the developments in the software environment; I’ve been dabbling with Java, learned PHP to be able to work on some database driven sites and mean to seriously get involved with Java once the opportunity arises. It’s just that it takes a lot of time and effort to keep up, and learning becomes harder as you get older; I have to be selective with what I chose, I can’t affort to jump on any wagon that happens to pass by.
By RonaldB on July 17, 2006 3:54 am