So one of my resolutions for the new year (which I'll talk about later) is to start a YouTube series on web development.
Random? Yes.
But I've been learning web development for over seven years now. I'm a professional developer now and one of the leaders in the Tarrant County WordPress world. I think it's time to start teaching web development, and WordPress, so that others can learn and do this for a living as well.
And the way I want to teach is through YouTube. And here's why.
Check Out My ChannelA chance to be better with public speaking
I've never really been a great public speaker. I mean, I don't feel like I'm the worst, but it's definitely something that doesn't come naturally to me. I guess that's just part of the territory for being an introvert.
But I got a bit of a wake up call back in October when I gave a talk at the Fort Worth WordPress Users Group meet up. It was over the differences between themes and plugins and how to create child themes and custom plugins. It's something that I felt very passionate about and that everyone who uses WordPress should know.
But I suffered the worst bit of dry mouth I've ever had. I went through the bottle of water I brought in the first five minutes and struggled to get words out despite knowing what I was going to say. Thankfully it got better as I went one, but it wasn't a good feeling at all.
So this series will be a chance for me to get better at public speaking. I know that it's not quite the same as normal public speaking in front of people, since I can edit myself to sound better. But in that process, I'm able to see my mannerisms and hear my pronunciation, and make changes from there.
I can already tell a difference in my comfort level and ability with the first couple of videos I've filmed an edited. If that can continue throughout the year, then this will be a success.
There aren't a lot of personal web development videos out there
Something I've kind of noticed is that there aren't very many personal web development videos out there, particularly on YouTube. Every time I search for a web development-related video, the results are a bunch of screen cap videos and some disembodied video talking.
Now, I'm willing to bet that there are people out there on YouTube teach web development in a personal way by showing their face. I don't think I'm doing anything ground breaking in that regard.
But I want to add to that genre if at all possible. I've learned a whole lot more and a whole lot better by seeing the person teaching face-to-face, whether it's a professor or someone through a screen. So if I can be that for someone else who is learning, then this will be a success.
I really want to give back and teach those who are learning
But most importantly, I want to give back to the community which has done a lot for me.
WordPress is built by and for the community. And one of the tenants of working with WordPress and being a part of this community is giving back and helping others, whether that's through answering support questions or teaching. And that's what I want to do.
I'm about seven years or so into my web development learning, and I feel like I'm at a point where I can help others who are just starting their learning. And there are somethings I wish I learned either earlier or in a different way that would have helped me get better quicker.
It won't replace other places of learning, obviously, but it will be another place to learn for those who are looking for it. And I hope to bring something new for people to learn about web development.
I don't know how this is going to go. It could totally flop or it could be a hit.
But I'm not going to worry about views or subscriber counts or any of that stuff. None of that's important to me. If those numbers are good, then it's just the cherry on top.
Instead, this channel is about helping others and helping myself. And if I do both, then it will be an unmitigated success.