A sustainable web career, for when all this blows over

The web industry is currently undergoing a challenging phase, with uncertain long-term career prospects and a struggle in financial aspects. The author, who actively opposes the forces driving the destruction of their profession, suggests maintaining a job with a fallback plan while waiting for the situation to improve. In the meantime, focusing on acquiring critical skills in high demand can help establish a sustainable web career.

The author emphasizes the importance of front-end development, particularly accessibility, which is now more critical than ever. They stress the need to understand and implement accessibility guidelines from the beginning of any project, rather than treating it as an afterthought or a mere virtue signal. Collaboration with real people and specialists is essential to grasp the true implications of accessibility issues.

Regarding CSS, the author highlights its evolving nature and advises developers to invest time in learning the language thoroughly, rather than relying on simplified abstractions or "CSS-in-JS" solutions. These approaches lead to poor performance and lack real solutions. Emphasizing creativity and mastery of CSS will make developers highly desirable in a market seeking distinctive web designs.

Communication skills are scarce but highly valuable. The author recommends focusing on brevity, asking questions, and addressing concerns tactfully to avoid escalating issues. Additionally, the rise of far-right political ideology in the tech industry has become a threat to individual careers and the entire field. Rejecting fascism and speaking out against it is crucial for protecting one's role in the industry.

Certain outdated technologies, such as Facebook's legacy framework and React, are no longer worth investing time in. The author suggests focusing on learning basic git commands and using self-hosted git forges like Forgejo as an alternative to GitHub, which can become a liability in the future. Lastly, the author cautions against making public-facing work too attractive to the "dead internet" and emphasizes the importance of staying focused on the needs of ordinary users.