So I’ve spent the last week learning how to put together a website using WordPress. By early next month, I plan to have this whole site that you’re on now, completely converted over to the new one.
The reason I’m switching it over is because the functionality of the new platform is worlds above what I’m using now. The only issue is, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HELL I’M DOING! Well, had no idea.
It took a lot of YouTube videos and reading various articles to learn exactly what widgets, plugins, and code came together to make a site look good. And by no means am I a professional after only a week, but I am miles ahead from where I was when I started.
If You Really Want Something, You’ll Do It
My background is Biology and Math when it comes to the world of academics. I took one computer class during my college career and it really only taught me how to make a PowerPoint. It wasn’t exactly learning how to write HTML code. I think we even talked about floppy disks (this was only in 2009).
I knew that I wanted to put together a website that my readers and I could both easily navigate, with features that I can’t program into this current site because of the platform it’s on. I was feeling the urge to switch into something different because I had a feeling that creating the websites that I currently have were just a little too easy and there had to be something more. I was right and it turns out that there’s A LOT MORE…
After I went to a small event that featured three successful bloggers sharing the strategies they use to monetize their work (which means get paid for what you do… like a “real” job), I felt pretty good because a lot of what they’re doing I’m also doing. Except for the platform piece. Once I heard them shedding light on the practicality of both having a site like I currently have and also that of a site like WordPress, I knew what I was missing. And once I got started, I realized what I was missing was a computer programming degree.
I’ll Learn A Whole New Scientific Discipline… No Big Deal
Once I realized that I was day 2 into still having no idea how to even edit the theme of my new website, I was getting pretty frustrated. Especially since I’ve been working with the current platform for so long that I could easily put together a decent looking site in little less than a few hours. So this was really getting to me.
Sunday, I spent a solid two or so hours working solely on the footer of the website. The footer. Often times the only thing on a website’s footer is simply the title of the site or a little symbol. Easy enough right? More than two hours for this guy.
That either means I’m a perfectionist beyond reason, an extremely slow learner, or I’m just walking into unfamiliar territory and this is the cost of learning something I believe to be worth the burn.
It’s likely a varied mix of all three.
The biggest thing that I’ve been learning through this process is that it’s possible to do some things you’ve never done before. If you have the desire to complete something, you can learn almost anything.
I’m excited to share the new site with everyone once it’s complete. Here’s to creating! Even if it means learning an entirely knew discipline that you never realized you had interest in.
Don’t be afraid to explore and definitely don’t be afraid to fail or look kind of crazy… Two hours on a footer… C’mon man.
I wrote a little more on this experience. Click here for the extended blog! Love you! 🙂
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