General Musings with Kevin Powell

This week I'll talk about why I believe Grid is simpler and more intuitive to learn first compared to Flexbox, exploring some common misconceptions, the complexity of Flexbox, and how learning Grid first sets you up for success.  

My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell 

✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 

💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK

In this episode I dive into a topic sparked by a discussion in my Discord community where someone avoided learning grid because an experienced developer told them Flexbox can do it all. I share my thoughts on the impact of experienced developers' opinions shaping new learners' paths and emphasize the importance of embracing new tools to make our work easier.

In this episode I delve into the evolving landscape of CSS, discussing why we have so many ways of doing "simple" things, like declaring colors. I emphasize the importance of a solid foundation in core languages, the necessity of continuous learning, and the value of practical experience in mastering front-end development. Despite the increasing complexity, I believe these advancements ultimately offer better solutions and flexibility.

My experience talking at CSS Day 2024: https://www.kevinpowell.co/article/my-experience-talking-at-css-day-2024/

My experience attending CSS Day 2024: https://www.kevinpowell.co/article/my-experience-attending-css-day-2024/

Miriam's article I mention near the end: https://www.oddbird.net/2024/06/13/css-layout/

In this episode, I talk about the slow adoption of new CSS features within the front-end and web development communities. I talk about why new CSS features, like container queries, despite initial excitement, seem to be taking so much time to be widely adopted.

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My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell 

✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 

💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK 

Help support my channel

👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 

👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 

💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

My newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter/
The post by Chris that I mention: https://frontendmasters.com/blog/weve-got-container-queries-now-but-are-we-actually-using-them/

In this podcast episode I discuss how he's come to realize that not everyone is as entrenched into the world of CSS as I am, and wonder a little bit about how to raise the general awareness of new features.

In today's episode, I talk about why I think it was so hard for me to make the decision to reduce my workload for YouTube content, even though, looking at that decision now, it was a really good one!

If you'd like a bit more context, I talked about the decision more in this video on my main channel.

I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Travis Neilson, who's channel DevTips inspired me to start my own channel.

Our conversation explores their experiences in the web development industry and their approach to creating content. We discuss the pressure to conform to trends and algorithms, the importance of staying true to oneself, and the challenges of keeping up with rapidly evolving technologies.

We also touch on the role of AI in design and development (which you might be able to tell, I used for these show notes 😅), highlighting the need for strong articulation skills to effectively communicate with AI models.

Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of experimentation, continuous learning, and pushing the boundaries of creativity. The conversation explores the future of software engineering and the evolving job market, touches on the idea that while technology is changing, the skills and problem-solving mindset of a software engineer will always be valuable.

We also reflect on the early days of their YouTube channels and the personal connections they formed with their audience, and the importance of a balance between work and personal life.

Travis reflects on his decision to leave the DevTips YouTube channel and the impact it had on his personal life. He discusses the importance of genuine relationships and the joy of being loved rather than praised. Travis shares the unexpected story of how he regained ownership of the channel after five years and his plans for its future.

My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK  Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

In this episode, I talk about how I've started to see Cascade Layers used in the wild, and I talk a bit about how much support is enough support before you start shipping features in production.

My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell  

✉ My newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 

💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK

The Veritasium video I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhgwIhB58PA  

In this episode, Kevin discusses the importance of being open to different learning methods and not getting stuck in one's preferred way of learning. He emphasizes the debunking of the learning styles myth and advocates for a multimodal approach to learning. Kevin shares his personal experience of scheduling learning time and how it has helped him become more organized and efficient. He also talks about the challenges of creating online courses that cater to different learning preferences. The key takeaway is to be willing to try different learning methods and not dismiss them outright.   

My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell