Why, Why, Why?

So why do I want to learn Ruby on Rails anyway? The short answer is that I’m stuck. Once upon a time, I was a web developer who was ahead of the curve (or at least on the curve) with regard to current technology. I’m no programmer—far from it—but I was able to master html and css pretty early on and I did pretty well with other slightly more advanced technologies, such as ColdFusion. I loved my work because, for the most part, I had free reign to design concepts and build applications. Things were good.

Things are no longer good. I’m now in a situation where I don’t have any creative freedom or control. In fact, I’m not even developing anything… I’m just supporting a system that may never even fully launch. My day consists of mind-numbing tasks and multiple hour-long meetings. Not only has this crushed my creativity, but also my spirit. I’ve thought about switching jobs, but I’ve been in this holding pattern for so long, that my skills are out-of-date. And to be honest, I don’t really feel like doing anything anyway. I need a jumpstart.

I still enjoy following web trends, and I love what’s been happening over the past few years… as a user. As a developer (or, one-time developer) it scares me to death. What makes the web turn these days is much more complicated than simple html. I’ve tried learning object-oriented programming in the past… my brain just doesn’t work that way. Day 1, everything is crystal clear. Day 2, things are a bit fuzzy. Day 3, I’m lost and busy counting the tiles on the ceiling. I fear that in the new world, I’ve already been left behind.

Then I start to hear rumblings about Ruby on Rails. Until this point, I was sure it was just another language that was way too complicated for me to learn. But word on the street (er, the internet) is that it is a powerful and relatively simple and fairly intuitive web applications framework. This grabs my attention. If I were able to learn RoR, maybe I could break out of this situation I’m in… maybe I could develop some of these apps I’ve been thinking about for a while. Maybe.