JAVA

My entire knowledge of building interactive websites has been expanded. Coming from a person who's had a hard time learning enough Flash to get by, trying to learn Javascript seemed pretty impossible. Being such a visual person, all the code and learning the language seemed daunting.

I showed some of my work to a web developer who brought to my attention that the all-Flash websites I've been designing could be easily redone with Java and CSS. Considering the fact that Flash websites are a bit tricky when it comes to search engine optimization, I figured it might be worth my while to give Javascript a try. SEO is kind of a big deal, and although there are certain ways to optimize Flash websites for search engines, I knew it'd be worth my while to at least look into building without Flash altogether.

I literally knew nothing about it. But after a little research, I realized it isn't necessary to write Java on my own. Using a framework like jQuery has been super helpful and easy to understand. Before I knew it, 2 days later, I recreated something I did in Flash to be completely HTML, Javascript, and CSS. And it does everything I want it to.

Experiencing this has made me realize that it's not worth it to let yourself be intimidated by something you don't know. It just took some time and initiative to jump right on in, willingness to learn and try...And I've found that I actually prefer it. Another thing to tack onto my list of things I know how to do, or know I can learn how to use in future projects.

This probably sounds like no big deal, but learning something and having it turn out the way you want to is mighty refreshing.