Pivoting a little...

I met with my new manager a few weeks ago and described what I wanted to do at work and what I was interested in. His response, "Well that's a lot."

He's right. I tend to not focus and that is a significant barrier to my success and progress.

There are two reasons I have wanted to learn React and also modern web development:

1. I want to be able to develop and build any web application myself, with assistance from AI, and not rely on anyone else to complete each project.
   1. I may just do this for quickly iterating MVPs, and then others may build the more complete applications.
   2. It often is easier for me to quickly throw up a prototype than describe in detail the requirements and design.
   3. I like to use end-products themselves as the initial design documentation. A prototype is a good foundation for design documentation.
   4. There sill will be a need for graphic designers, copywriters, and overall UX/UI specialists, but I still desire the ability to generate my own MVP.
2. I have several web sites and web businesses in mind that I have wanted to produce for years.
   1. My knowledge and skills have been my major blocker.
   2. I've always said things like, "First I need to learn Figma" or "I need to get good with React just so I can produce a MVP".
   3. I've not been good at learning using other people's projects because so much of the code is already written and it doesn't let me creatively build from scratch myself.

Earlier, I said my approach was to learn by doing. Learn by building and then I can get better.

Now I'm thinking I have just added another blocker. Or at least a delay.

Upon reflection, I think it's better to hire someone to produce an MVP for me using my preferred tech stack and then I can tinker with it and learn from there. This site or sites can be my foundation to learn from. I can use these products to tinker with and creatively build from scratch when I make enhancements or do a full rebuild.

I think having a product that I want to continue to build-on and maintain will help me learn React. Not only that, but it will eliminate the blocker of "first I have to learn X before I can produce this site". I should be able to progress more quickly.

All I need to do from here is review my Gatsby site build and deployment methods, write-up a basic site design, and select who I'll outsource the work to using Fiverr. (One day soon I may even be able to lean on AI for quick site production.)

I already have a curated list of Gatsby SSG site producers on Fiverr. Even though Hugo is a nice SSG, I've decided on Gatsby because I'm more familiar with it, I've used Node.JS quite extensively (though not always happily), there is more documentation for Gatsby, and it doesn't rely on a more obscure templating language. (I really do like a lot of the features of Hugo, especially the speed and elegance of the system. The biggest drawback is that I'd have to learn a custom templating language.)

I haven't been making as many posts or as much progress in general partly because I've been trying to plan and reorganize my efforts and partly because I also have been working on learning AI.

Of course this could be considered a distraction, but I do feel like it's something I have to get good at to future-proof myself with both career and business. Prompt engineering is a thing. It takes skills to massage out of the AIs what I want. AI agent technologies including langchain, AutoGPT, MemGPT, etc., can help me with every work effort I want - whether that's maintaining (or even producing) a web site or automating my menial, recurring work.

For example, once I get one or more Gatsby-based site produced and published, I will need to also produce regular content and updates. AI can certainly help with that, in every way. AI is proven to be useful for SEO, content outline production, mimicry of author style and voice to produce content, image generation, research, and more.

I already have used AI to help me with code production, but it could also help me with improving, modifying, and debugging the base site(s).

At my regular day job, I have signed up for the SANS Applied Data Science and ML/AI for Cybersecurity course. SANS courses are pretty intense, so I also have been motivated to get a very solid foundation with the technology.

Finally, I would like to start two different agencies in the next 1 to 2 years: an AI Agency (producing AI automation and agents for other businesses); and an Info Agency (producing content for influencers to monetize their subscribers/fan-base).

Both expertise with site production and AI will be needed for these two business objectives.

There are other pipe-dreams I've had that relate to AI. Everything from automated food production applications to automated security auditing and fuzz testing for smart contracts (or other software/protocols). But again, I need to focus.

I will need to update my goals and objectives, which was needing an update for this next quarter (Q2) we are well within.

The basic path is:

• Review Gatsby deployment protocols;
• Design and procure an MVP Gatsby site;
• In parallel, learn and practice with AI technology for both content production and general automation;
• Deploy the Gatsby site and begin producing content.

This means that soon I won't spend much time studying. Instead, I'll be focused on doing and learning through that experience.