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Hi Mike, In my career as a software engineer I've spent a lot of time with front-end technology. I admit not an artistic person but whenever I go I tend to be t

Hi Mike, In my career as a software engineer I've spent a lot of time with front-end technology. I admit not an artistic person but whenever I go I tend to be the guy who knows more about html,css,javascript than anybody else in the team. So I often end up coding the UI as well. Not that I hate coding UI stuff but I think I am not an artistic person -> I can't be a great UI developer. I'd like to hear from your opinion for reluctant UI developers out there. Thanks

civilian 15y ago
+1 looking for an answer. I'm trying to shift my career into more back-end web dev or non-web software development, but I keep getting pulled towards html/css/jss.
mikegreenberg 15y ago
So I'm actually in a similar position. Most of my company does lower-stack development (MAC protocols). But we still have to provide a lot of user facing technology. When we do, I'm that guy. I'm not traditionally a UI guy, but I find interfaces really interesting. I end up getting a lot of opportunity to try new things and play with large amounts of data. But enough about me. If you're really not interested in doing UI work, you should reconsider your current professional station and see if there are options which are better aligned with what you're interested in. There's no reason you should be dragged into projects that don't have any appeal. I'd be willing to bet that in the long term, you will grow miserable. If, in fact, you enjoy these UI opportunities, I wouldn't worry about your lack of expertise getting in the way. If they're willing to let you tinker around with projects like this knowing your skill level, I think this can only improve your skillset and help you be a more well-rounded developer. (It's hard to deny that a good knowledge of how interfaces work will pay of with good design decision during initial development.) There are amazing resources out there to help you learn good UI practice. I've mentioned some in other answer here. I have more if you're interested. (Or checkout my bookmarks at http://pinboard.in/u:mikegreenberg http://pinboard.in/u:mikegreenberg )

civilian 15y ago

+1 looking for an answer. I'm trying to shift my career into more back-end web dev or non-web software development, but I keep getting pulled towards html/css/jss.

mikegreenberg 15y ago

So I'm actually in a similar position. Most of my company does lower-stack development (MAC protocols). But we still have to provide a lot of user facing technology. When we do, I'm that guy. I'm not traditionally a UI guy, but I find interfaces really interesting. I end up getting a lot of opportunity to try new things and play with large amounts of data. But enough about me. If you're really not interested in doing UI work, you should reconsider your current professional station and see if there are options which are better aligned with what you're interested in. There's no reason you should be dragged into projects that don't have any appeal. I'd be willing to bet that in the long term, you will grow miserable. If, in fact, you enjoy these UI opportunities, I wouldn't worry about your lack of expertise getting in the way. If they're willing to let you tinker around with projects like this knowing your skill level, I think this can only improve your skillset and help you be a more well-rounded developer. (It's hard to deny that a good knowledge of how interfaces work will pay of with good design decision during initial development.) There are amazing resources out there to help you learn good UI practice. I've mentioned some in other answer here. I have more if you're interested. (Or checkout my bookmarks at http://pinboard.in/u:mikegreenberg http://pinboard.in/u:mikegreenberg )