I might as well start over

I started web developing back in 2002, when: if you could understand HTML and could copy and paste - you were considered a Web Master.  Oh my how that title has been misused and now laughed at.  I don't think if I ever used that as a description of myself (it was pretty pretentious) - but I know the stigma that came with using it, regardless of your intentions or ability.

Self taught, just enough to land a job at a friend's web dev company, I was slammed face first into server side scripting and the wonders of slicing and dicing web designs.  Oh the joys of learning, mastering and then becoming bored with Active Server Pages.  Yeah, I was ruined by Microsoft's near-English driven language making it forever more difficult to pick up something more common sense-ical like PHP and even Javascript.

Oh the mass wonder and amusement that followed working with accomplished headstrong designers, and trying to mash the concept of designing for a grid, rather than in their curved, rounded and warped way of designing interfaces.  There were no rules or sets of compliances that they would dream of adhering to.  But you learn to compensate and make concessions.  I did, they did, we all did.  Thanks, internet bubble!

I transitioned out of that job and went right into self-employed web development contract work.  And of course since I was the first to ever dream of this - I blazed a new trail and became the Lewis and Clark of how running an independent, solo developer web-house should be!  I made my millions and retired happy.  I failed pretty miserably.

I never got over my apprehension to charging the right rates, or valuing my own experience.  While I did become a darn good web site engineer, I succumbed to the the fatal trap of landing one large client.  My independent days filled with inspiration and a free-will, slowly were absorbed and I became nothing more than a responsive robot performing the bidding of a client that would frequently ask for unconventional, unacceptable, and just plain wrong application of the web development arsenal.  Looking back, which is more criminal: the violation of the awesome code of web developers, or knowingly crossing those lines?

Back in the saddle and ready to re-brand myself an internet professional - I know enough to to know what I don't know.  HTML5?  CSS3!?  At least the more things change, the more they stay the same.  I mean, there is still no standards that are adhered to by all web browsers.  Its still a challenge to have your sites look dazzling in all clients, without a mountain of code (something I am opposed to).  I have been well trained in still having my work appear as well in IE6 as it does in FireFox (current).  Ugh.

So here we go.  Time for this pre-apocalyptic 2012 internet makeover.  I might as well chronicle it here for future civilizations to read!