Staring at website code day in and day out can do some wacky things to a person. Like any line of work that is repetitive at times, an outlet is necessary. Many web developers turn to video games or music. A select few (myself included) follow a sports team or two. A very select few (myself not included) opt for exceptionally tight pants. Anyway, what I’m getting at is that taking a short break from coding has been extremely valuable to me. An approaching deadline and plenty of caffeine also have proven their worth.

It’s amazing what great things have come from determination and a little sleep deprivation. For me it’s always the smallest thing that will keep me up until it’s fixed. A page that is a single pixel off in Internet Explorer 6, a jQuery animation that isn’t as smooth as it should be, or any other garden variety of things most annoying to developers. Did I mention Internet Explorer 6? (Cough) Is this mic even on?

The more annoying or outlandish the glitch, the better it feels when the perfect bit of code is written. Or maybe not just written, but tested and verified to actually be working. That is my ah-hah moment, when the pixels align and Firefox and Internet Explorer agree on my code. It’s the best feeling in the world to get those issues solved, to have conquered the summit, so to speak. Everything after is like running down the side of the mountain. Still have to be cautious and watch the footing, but the momentum is there.

All in a day’s (or night’s) work.

For just about everything I can think of in this life, someone has gone through it before me. In a few instances, though, the opposite is true. As a web developer over the years I’ve been a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge and experience as I could. Despite taking awhile to get this blog started, I hold out some hope that someone will be thankful they’re reading an entry, and that perhaps my experience will help them out. Maybe a year from now, or maybe today. Who knows.

More than what I decide to write about, the chance of the above paragraph becoming a reality almost entirely depends on you, the reader. If I’m not answering a question you’re asking or discussing something you’re interested in, do yourself a favor and close this browser window and read your local paper’s website for the next few minutes instead. Wait, don’t, that’s just an illustration. Let’s just assume I’m relevant. Hey, you found me, so that’s your judgment call.

In my conversations with clients and potential clients, one of the very first things I do is try to gauge if I need to be the lead talker or the lead listener. 95% of the time I choose “listener” because the more I know about a client’s situation the smarter my answers become. Whether or not it’s the polite thing to do depends on the situation. Case in point…

A few years ago a potential client found me and we started the client/provider courtship thing — they debriefed on the project details, I put together an estimate and sent it over, and then we went back and forth back and forth back and forth back and forth. All told it was probably 10 calls and another 7-8 emails. Finally they let me know I was too expensive and I wished them the best of luck with their project. Cue the sad music.

However, this is a situation that was salvaged because of open communication and timely advice. When everybody is on a tight budget, including me, it’s one of the first and last things to come up. Ultimately this client budgeted for an inexpensive site, and I wanted to keep my pricing in line with similar projects I’d completed. During our back and forth time, though, I was able to answer a variety of questions about the reasoning for my costs. I broke down everything line by line and took some time to explain things in a friendly way. Also, the potential client answered plenty of questions about the reasoning for their budget, which was entirely out of their control. A potentially contentious series of conversations stayed professional (happy music now).

The end result today is that while I don’t have a new client (yet), I’m aware of very specific challenges this client is facing, and they know I’m ready and willing to help. For a developer, that’s just about as good as it gets. Also, we just connected on LinkedIn. Hmm…maybe they’re asking for a second date?