Vince Shao

30 days ago, I signed up for Ship 30 for 30 by Dickie Bush & Nicolas Cole.

Every day, I write and publish a post on LinkedIn and X. I’ve learned the fundamentals of digital writing, explored new knowledge, and gained clarity over my niche.

Here are the 3 biggest lessons:

1️⃣ I can write

I took 1.7 hours each day, totaling 53 hours over 30 days, to complete this tough challenge.

This experience has given me the confidence to write consistently. Imposter syndrome had drained my passion for writing, but these 30 days reignited it. 

I am committed to continuing this journey.

2️⃣ Writing connects both internally and externally

Writing helps connect the dots in my mind and clarifies my thoughts internally. 

Externally, it connects me with people, opportunities, and new knowledge. 

It’s the best low-budget tool for making meaningful connections.

3️⃣ I want to write longer content

While writing short content daily is fun, I feel an urge to dive deeper into topics. 

I want to research and share my thoughts on subjects that interest me. 

Balancing quality and quantity will be a priority in the future.

—

That's it.

Ship 30 for 30 has been a fun ride! I’m super proud of myself for completing the journey 🚢

If you’ve been thinking about starting to write online, let me know. I’m happy to share more about my experience and what I’ve learned.

30 days ago, I signed up for Ship 30 for 30 by @dickiebush & @Nicolascole77.

Every day, I write and publish a post on LinkedIn and X. I’ve learned the fundamentals of digital writing, explored new knowledge, and gained clarity over my niche.

Here are the 3 biggest lessons:

Career changes are challenging, but your previous experience is an asset, not a liability.

It’s your X factor to stand out.

Here's how to optimize your resume and portfolio for a front-end dev role:

🧵

Career changes are tough, but your experience is an asset, not a liability.

It’s your X factor to stand out →

To optimize your resume and portfolio for a front-end dev role, your goal is to convince hiring managers that you’re:

✅ A Quick learner: Able to navigate through unfamiliar domains.

✅ Versatile: Capable of adapting to challenges.

✅ A V-shaped talent: Bridging gaps within the team.

To achieve the goal, follow this simple 2-step guide to transfer your skills:

1. Identify your strengths:

Start from your comfort zone and pinpoint your core skills (your X factor).

2. Create a project:

Develop a website or app that highlights your X factor.

It’s straightforward because there’s always a connection between a front-end project and your domain knowledge. For example:

• Data analysts → Showcase your expertise by building interactive dashboards.

• UI designers → Demonstrate your skills through meticulously designed components.

• Filmmakers → Focus on enhancing video performance on websites.

That’s it.

Making a career shift is a bold and challenging move. Identify, refine, and transfer your valuable X factor to your new journey in front-end development.

Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!

I’ve worked in various industries for 15+ years, including:

• Digital editor when Facebook got mainstream.

• Graphic designer for printing mediums.

• Web dev with top NYC creative agencies.

• Web3 dev who survived bear market.

I had so much fun, but I burnt out twice.

🧵

I’ve worked in various industries in different positions for 15+ years, including:

• Digital editor when Facebook became mainstream.

• Graphic designer for traditional mediums.

• Front-end dev with top NYC creative agencies.

• Web3 dev who survived the bear market.

I’ve had so much fun during this time, and there isn’t much I would change about my journey. 

However, I burnt out badly twice. 

The burnout exhausted me, taking away more fun I could’ve enjoyed.

If I could go back, here are a few mistakes I made—and what I would have done differently to avoid burnout:

1️⃣ Lack of boundaries

I failed to set clear work-life boundaries, leading to overwork and anxiety. The pandemic and remote work made it worse.

I should have set specific work and rest hours and a designated work area to ensure proper recovery.

2️⃣ Failed to manage expectations

I didn’t communicate effectively with employers and clients, which led to unrealistic goals and deadlines.

I should have taken the initiative to discuss workloads and responsibilities with stakeholders regularly.

3️⃣ Objectify myself at work

I measured my worth only by my job performance and output. Taking breaks even made me feel guilty and lazy.

I should value myself beyond work and reserve time for personal passions.

－

By addressing these issues, I could have avoided burnout and enjoyed my career journey more.

If you’re early in your career or feeling tired, remember to:

• Set boundaries

• Manage expectations

• Value yourself beyond work

Good luck with a sustainable and happy career ✨

I’ve shared my story of transitioning from a designer to a developer many times. People enjoy this success story. However, what I haven’t shared is that I actually failed three times.

The reality is, I’ve never excelled in subjects outside of the art and humanities. In school, I struggled with math, physics, and computer science.

Coding was as challenging for me as those subjects.

When I first decided to learn coding, HTML and CSS didn’t make any sense to me. I couldn’t understand how these characters could become visual elements in the browser.

It felt like magic, and coding just didn’t “click”.

I felt frustrated and dumb, and I gave up. But somehow, I also kept coming back to learn coding after some time. And I repeated this learn-and-break cycle for 3 times.

I adopted the “take-a-break” approach my mom taught me.

Whenever I felt stuck at school, she encouraged me to take a break — play basketball or games, just leave the books for a while.

Surprisingly, when I returned to my studies, the difficult concepts started to make sense.

I didn’t understand how this change happened. But now I realize this aligns with:

1. the "System 2" thinking from "Thinking Fast and Slow" and,

2. the "Self 2" from "The Inner Game of Tennis".

Exploring unknown domains requires time for my brain and body to connect the dots.

When I intentionally set aside HTML and CSS, the unconscious parts of my mind continued to process the new coding knowledge.

Eventually, on my fourth attempt to learn coding, everything clicked.

I could understand the rendering mechanism, and it no longer felt like magic.

And most importantly, I truly learned that:

• Learning takes time, and it’s essential to be patient with this process. 

• Taking breaks isn’t a sign of failure but a crucial part of growth.

I now consciously apply this “take-a-break” strategy and schedule rest time in my calendar when I’m learning new challenging technical concepts at work, or even to play tennis in my leisure time.

When you feel stuck, give your brain the space to breathe and process.

You’ll find that the dots will connect, and what once felt like magic will become clear and understandable.

Embrace the journey, be patient with yourself, and trust that the pieces will fall into place.

Trying to become a self-taught programmer without a CS degree? I did it in 5 months with these three strategies:

1. Set a clear, motivating goal.

2. Plan monthly, weekly, and daily.

3. Stay committed but flexible enough to pivot.

It wasn’t easy, but you can do it too.

Figma AI is here. And some people worry it’ll lead to more mediocre, standardized designs. I think it’s true, BUT it’s a good thing.

Because Figma AI offers hope to liberate designers from exhausting, repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on solving problems with creativity and originality.

I quit being a full-time designer because I felt disappointed.

• I expected to craft beautiful designs but ended up facing repetitive tasks.

• I wanted to solve problems but was given fast-food style requirements.

• I dealt with tight deadlines, low budgets, and endless to-do items.

I don’t blame anyone for this reality now, because it was my choice to be a designer.

But I’m 100% not the only designer who feels this way.

*A drastic misalignment* exists between a designer’s expectations and the real world.

We all want to create those amazing UI components on Dribbble, but in reality, we can’t.

To survive, designers need to take boring jobs that are too mediocre to showcase in their portfolios.

So starting with Figma AI, I hope more design tools can liberate designers’ true passions.

Standardized requirements can be satisfied with AI.

And designers will be freed for creative problem-solving.

This is such a beautiful reality, right?

-

I sincerely hope AI can make designers happy and fulfilled. 

So in the future, young designers won’t have to give up their dreams for more practical career choices.

What do you think about Figma AI? Will it be helpful for designers or have negative impacts?

If you have any thoughts, let me know. I’m very interested in hearing your perspective ✨

Want to learn faster online?

Ditch loyalty and embrace an open mind.

This is how I learned front-end development in 5 months and landed a job offer.

Here’s a step-by-step guide 🧵

1️⃣ Leverage multiple perspectives

When one tutorial is hard to understand, try another.

Different explanations, analogies, and visual aids from various sources can help concepts click.

2️⃣ Mix learning formats

Use various learning materials, including video tutorials, written articles, interactive coding platforms, and community forums. 

Each format offers unique advantages and keeps your learning experience dynamic and engaging.

3️⃣ Connect the dots

Actively relate new information to what you’ve learned from different resources.

This helps form a comprehensive understanding and makes it easier to recall and apply concepts.

4️⃣ Stay organized with Heptabase

Connecting dots can be challenging without organized notes.

Tools like Notion, Google Docs, or even simple spreadsheets help.

But my favorite is Heptabase, which can visually connect different nodes of knowledge. Super helpful.

5️⃣ Enjoy the journey

Learning can be challenging, but using multiple resources increases “aha!” moments and makes it fun.

Celebrate small victories and keep pushing through tough topics. Persistence pays off.

📘 The TL;DR:

• Learning doesn’t require loyalty.

• Leverage multiple perspectives to enhance understanding.

• Mix learning formats to keep the experience exciting.

• Connect the dots to deepen your comprehension.

• Stay organized with tools.

And of course, enjoy the journey.

If you enjoyed this, make sure to follow me for more learning tips around front-end development and design ✨

Great developers know that the key to quality code is:

- Simplicity

- Readability

- Good naming

You become a better coder by writing code that people understand, not by being clever.

Organizing is the most undervalued skill at work and in life.

Last month, I volunteered to organize my wife’s cluttered restroom cabinets for her.

I spent an afternoon moving out every item, inspecting for common traits, categorizing, and putting everything back with dividers and boxes.

She was happy with the result because now she can easily find and grab what she needs in seconds.

This is the power of organizing skills in everyday life — and at work.

With strong organizing skills, you can:

• Plan product roadmaps to guide your team through overwhelming tasks.

• Create visual design systems that are versatile and responsive to any scenario.

• Code and maintain a clean, easy-to-read repository.

Learn and improve your organizing skills; they are easily ignored, but incredibly useful.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.

I used to start by searching for the right tools when I decided to write.

Is Notion better than Obsidian? Should I use an iPad or a MacBook? Should I write on Medium or social platforms?

For over a year, I didn’t write a single word, leaving me feeling guilty and frustrated.

But I’ve been writing consistently for over 30 days now. Here’s how:

1️⃣ Start with whatever you already have

Don’t sign up for new services or buy new products.

• Want to write? Use Apple’s Notes app.

• Want to draw? Use paper and pen. 

• Want to code? Use MacBook’s terminal.

Just start with what you have.

2️⃣ Perseverance is your best free tool

Among all the tools you already have, willpower is the best and most essential.

Don’t be overly ambitious. Start small; quality doesn’t matter at first.

Build momentum through consistent effort, and things will become easier.

3️⃣ Make necessary tool enhancements

Once you get started, you’ll encounter friction.

When I started writing 30 days ago, I wanted to create a blog post summarizing my work experience, but after two weeks, I had nothing.

I aimed for perfection and worried about criticism, so I was stuck.

This is when you need to find the right tool based on your specific needs.

For me, Ship 30 for 30 and Typeshare were the right tools to push me forward.

And I’ve been writing and publishing for 18 days straight now.

🚢 Start simple, stay consistent, and let necessity guide your tool enhancements.

The GOAT design podcast is Design Matters with Debbie Millman.

It’s all about design, but it’s also a lifelong companion.

I’ve been listening to it since I was 20, and 12 years later, I still keep coming back to it.

What makes it so special to me?

You’ll hear from the greatest modern designers and creatives, gaining insights into their inspirations, passions, achievements, struggles, and failures.

And each episode sparks new ideas and inspiration.

As a 20-year-old English major teaching myself graphic design, Design Matters ignited my dream of becoming a designer in NYC. 

Now, at 32 and working as a software engineer, this podcast continually reminds me of my passion for design when I feel lost.

If you’re interested in design, this is the greatest podcast for you.

You'll learn about design, think about design, and fall in love with design.

It isn’t just a podcast; it’s a lifelong journey of inspiration. The greatest of all time.

https://www.designmattersmedia.com

If you are a web designer and/or developer, then you need to clear your calendar and read:

“Be the browser’s mentor, not its micromanager.” by Andy Bell and Set Studio.

I’ve read it many times and still do to remind myself of the important lessons.

Here’s why:

1️⃣ Break out of device-constraind thinking

Countless device sizes exist, yet many still think in mobile and desktop boxes.

This “shared consensual hallucination”, as Jeremy Keith puts it, is limiting.

Responsive design isn’t just a binary choice between mobile and desktop.

2️⃣ Build quality and unique experience, not potentially broken surprises

Is a customized dropdown or scrollbar worth it if it might break on some devices?

Always perfect core functionality and accessibility first.

Then, add the cherries on top—not the other way around.

3️⃣ Tools should help, not slow you down

Designers and developers often forget that people don’t care about our tool choices.

Tools should help us to provide and maintain best quality, not create extra burdens.

Sometimes, less is better. Don't overthink about your tool choice.

This blog post completely transformed my approach to digital interface design and development.

Read it before your next project; it’s worth it.

If you’re a designer or developer practicing these concepts, you’re the coolest—we should definitely collaborate in the future! 😎

“Focus only on technical skills.”

I’d NEVER say this to anyone looking for a front-end job.

As a front-end dev, design is critical. And your portfolio site is the best place to showcase it.

After reviewing 100+ portfolios, I realized how people ignore this fact.

Why front-end developers need design knowledge?

Because frontend is all about people.

We build interfaces (even invisible ones) so people can use our websites or apps with minimum friction.

Therefore, to do this job well, fundamental design knowledge is needed.

Even if not mentioned in job descriptions, a basic design sense is a default expectation.

It improves communication with designers and helps you spot and resolve UI/UX issues early.

So, how to build a design-minded portfolio site without a professional design background?

1/ Ensure quality legibility and readability

Always make sure the texts can be easily perceived, read, and understood.

For example, a 13px font size on a 1920px viewport is just hard to read.

Doesn’t trust your own eyes? Ask your friends for a quick review and you’ll know.

2/ Establish a quality information hierarchy

Place, size, and color elements to guide attention.

Guide readers to see the most important elements before leaving.

For example, when job hunting, prioritizing your related past experiences and projects is a good strategy.

3/ Keep your target audience in mind

If creative agencies are on your dream list, showcase your strong creative skills.

If you want to join Apple (I do), a minimalist style is better.

This also helps you to focus on a clear direction to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

That’s a wrap!

In summary, although technical skills are core, design skills make a better front-end developer.

Make your portfolio website shine, and I believe you’ll get more exciting opportunities ✨