Transition To Web Designing
25 Feb 2021
Learning HTML & CSS
Honestly, having to learn a new programming language and utilizing it in different ways such as with Javascript and functional programming was a bit overwhelming, given that the timeframe we had to learn each new topic was about a week. I will also admit that I still do not have Javascript completely figured out, and so I was not looking forward to learning a new language that does not have much to do with what we have learned in past ICS classes, and instead has the main purpose of customizing the look and layout of webpages. I am personally not an artistic person at all, and having to learn a new language in which its purpose is to make a webpage as pretty and appealing as possible had me not looking forward to grasping this new topic and language as a whole. That being said, experiencing HTML and CSS was a bit of a nice break as grasping these new keywords and styles that the language had to offer was a lot simpler than I had expected. I also thought that the experience was really enjoyable and fun, and so getting to learn a better version of UI Design in Semantic UI, was just as fun as well.
Designing
I thought that starting off with HTML and CSS was a nice way of being introduced to UI Design, as there is a certain appreciation you get for getting to experience one of the main languages for designing websites in its entirety. Like I mentioned earlier, Semantics just felt like a simpler and broken down version of HTML, kind of like a functional programming version, that also makes the webpage look a lot nicer and professional by default. So experiencing this was actually more relieving than when I experienced Javascript and functional programming, as I felt more engaged and enjoyed learning the ins and outs of Semantics, though I do also believe that at this point of the class, I was very used to the caveats of the class in which the professor emphasizes that we spend at least two hours a day, five days a week on learning the contents of the topic for the current week. Having strictly followed these guidelines for the class, I feel like I was able to efficiently learn this new language, and new concept of programming.
Conclusion
Overall, I feel like I’ve benefited a lot from this experience in learning UI Design. The more I think about how useful this skill is, the more appreciative I am of getting the opportunity to have learned what this programming language is about. As for the importance of having this skill as a Software Engineer, it really depends on what path you plan to take since designing websites or web applications isn’t really a required skill to have as a software engineer, but I feel like learning at least the basics of UI Design is very beneficial especially if you’re a freelancing programmer or trying to apply for a job, and want to make a good first impression on potential clients and employers, I think a very nice well formatted web page example would be a lot more appealing than a simple black and white text resume.