Rolling the Dice and Breaking Sandals

I like to believe that everyone has a point in their lives where they consider if they've chosen the "right" path to live their lives as happily as they possibly can. "Right" and "wrong" may be relative in this regard as how would you know what's the right way to live? And what would be the wrong way? Everyone has their own interpretation of this. It pains me when people push their interpretive view of this on others as everyone struggles at least at one point in their lives to figure out what is the right and wrong way to live for themselves. Having others tell you what the right and wrong way to live your own life just doesn't seem fair.

At my current crossroad, I have decided to learn more about web programming, which is a completely separate career field from my current career of occupational safety. But where to start as a programming newbie / noob / nub ...? Oh, what a debate this is. All my friends who are in the Information Technology or Computer Science field have the common feedback that if I learn one programming language (such as Perl or Python), it will be simple to learn all the others and/or hit the ground running in the field. But on the other hand, I still feel the need to learn more in depth about HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) so that I can do what sparked my interest in this field in the first place - re-crafting web sites. How did this come about? Well, as a safety professional, advertising and marketing safety to help build a healthy safety culture within an organization is important. With the need for technology these days, especially the world wide web (www), it is imperative to have our safety materials readily available online. But like Pringles, once I popped,... I just couldn't stop.

And so I'm rolling the dice. I'm determined to learn HTML, CSS, and Perl at least by the end of 2012. If you're trying to start a career or learn skills in computer programming too, what have you decided to start off learning with?

As I roll the dice on my career, I feel I am breaking the sandals around my feet... literally.

While it is great to break sandals in your life and let your feet freely roam every now and again metaphorically, I must warn you that if you forget to bring your own sturdy sandals when getting a pedicure and you get the flimsy free sandals from the nail salon (though it is nice they are provided for free)... I advise you to remember to pick up your feet when walking ;) (This may be applied metaphorically as well, but I do mean this literally from personal experience.)

As for rolling the dice, sometimes chances need to be taken to learn what is "right" or "wrong" for you. Think it thoroughly through as best you can before releasing the dice from your hands. And if you can, keep them with you for a while until you're ready.