I’ve been at The Associated Press for almost nine months now — I can’t believe it myself. I like to think I contribute in myriad ways, but two “things” I’m most proud of are our mapping systems, which I’ve had the fun of taking the lead on, as far as the development side goes. Everything is a very collaborative process, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this work without my teammates.

I’m pleased to be able to say here that we’ve created a US rollover map template system, which we’re getting solid use out of. A piece I like a lot is our gay marriage time slider map that our Phoenix producer is mostly responsible for.  It takes the system, and builds on it immensely. Technically, the marvelous Raphael.js vector drawing library is behind the magic. Yes, it’s responsive, and for that, we like ScaleRaphael a lot.

But today, it’s an even bigger day. We launch our OWN CUSTOM HTML ZOOMABLE MAP FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, leaning heavily on the great Tilemill to create the mapping tiles, and the oh-so-slick Leaflet to make the JavaScripty magic happen.

My cartographic partner in crime,  Phil Holm in New York, has been absolutely ESSENTIAL, and deserves special mention, particularly for his work with doing much of the custom tile design in Tilemill.

Our first project with it locates all active nuclear sites, and the 50-mile evacuation zones around them, providing population data and plant information, etc. Check it out, I’ll wait!

I stand on the shoulders of giants, and now’s a good time to talk about one of the more important lessons current mentor Jonathan has taught me. You see, he’s not around quite as much anymore, but tons of other brilliant people are. And I know things, on my own.  And as I realize I can literally create the world in an interactive panel, I can do anything, given time and patience.

Every time I’m confronted with an issue, scary sentences about CSS specificity and styles and trailing commas and syntax errors and models and views roll off my tongue. Someone explains a problem, and I say, “We’ll get this.” That’s not a sentence I could have uttered before AP.

You see, the greatest gift I’ve been given is the confidence that I’m good at this stuff, and I can do this. Yeah, I’m faking it till I make it, but I’m making it.

And then, once in a while, I’ll be trying to explain some technique at a meeting, broadcasting from DC to people spanning the globe. And one of several familiar expert-coder voices comes across from New York, asking if that’s really how it works, or gently correcting me. And I realize yes, sure, I can function without the help, but it’s awfully nice when it’s there.

Yes, we stand on the shoulders of giants, but we also note that while we’re a little less tall, we’re capable of standing on our own two feet as well. Good to know. And at 5’1″, being vertically challenged has never caused a problem for me.

Explore other posts:

• March 8, 2010 -- Data Delver: Matt Wynn, Arizona Republic
• February 8, 2009 -- “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, Michelle”
• April 7, 2010 -- Columbia’s new joint MS: Good start, but no panacea
• July 11, 2010 -- Data Delver: Andy Boyle, St. Petersburg Times
• November 25, 2009 -- The limitations of SQL and Access
• February 15, 2010 -- Visualizing networking: When it doesn’t work

Bring Your Mapping Dreams to Fruition — code for demos of Leaflet and Raphael, for making zoomable and non-zoomable maps.

• Tipsheet with links to projects we’ve done at the AP using these tools, documentation and helpful tools to use, and sample code for some more basic projects I demoed during the session

Web Scraping without Programming (Panel) — Chris Keller and I talk about free tools you can use that will take care of scraping tasks for you, without you having to spend time/have the knowledge set to write code.

• Slides
• Tipsheet - with summaries and links for the tools, and general advice

Web Scraping without Programming (Hands-on class) — Chris Keller and I walk through an example using a tool called Outwit Hub, great for scraping tasks of easy to intermediate complexity (grabbing tables from multiple pages, for example.

• Chris explains how HTML elements work, so you can find elements before or after the data you want to grab. This is necessary for using many free scraping tools.  A great primer. Blog post here.
• My step-by-step walkthrough using Outwit Hub and the Chrome Scraper extension to grab pieces of information from multiple pages. Blog post here.

Explore other posts:

• September 28, 2010 -- Heading to PBS: Dreams do come true
• September 21, 2010 -- The power of linkable data apps (my second LAT app)
• March 29, 2010 -- Using Javascript for interactive Google charts
• February 3, 2011 -- PBS post: Sharing our work, does it make “Census”?
• January 4, 2010 -- Reflections on Visualization Theory (Data viz readings, week 1)
• March 26, 2011 -- My (quickly formed) vision for a journ-prog curriculum

I still can’t believe that two years ago, I came to NICAR as a student at Medill, hoping to one day get a job in the field, anywhere, and two years later I’m speaking at three sessions, including holding one down solo, attending panels to soak up knowledge and constantly chatting with folks. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the ego boost of walking down the hall, and having people know my name, of having people stop me to ask for coding help. Which I’m delighted to be in a position to give. And any conceivable question I have about my own work can be discussed. I spent hours debating the best map projections to use, and I loved it. (Spoiler alert: there’s no “right” answer to this question.)

While I was there, I felt a surge of pride in what we’ve accomplished. I can stand in front of a room, hold my own, take a deep breath, and share it with the community. Knowing that I stand on the shoulders of my team members and giants, but also knowing that I’ve made…some things. And I can help others, and we can all make journalism a bit….better. I understood complicated talks better than ever before, and I can feel myself leveling up a frightening amount. (Some have called it getting Jonathan-ized. I take this as a high compliment.)

And when I had breakfast with Jennifer LaFleur and Cheryl Phillips, two of my great NICAR role models who I once hoped one day to meet, and now see/talk to every so often, one of them says to me, “You’re one of us, you belong here.” And I know I’ve arrived.

That’s all normal, and a large part of what makes NICAR special. But the coolest part is that hours after my plane lands at DCA, I walk back into AP, and I tell my colleagues all about it. They get it, and we start applying what I’ve brought back right then and there. I’m always even more intense with post-conference inspiration, and here, it doesn’t freak anyone out — we just work to make the most of the learnings.

Later today, Jonathan helps me solve a problem by mentioning “binary search”, which is yet another new-to-me supercool technique for efficiently determining where a piece of information is when it’s one of many in a series. I realize this is a learning that could just have easily have happened at a NICAR panel. And just like panels come with tipsheets, I’m armed with a few references that clarify the technique.

Whereas in past years I’m sad when NICAR is over, because I don’t know when I’ll be around my people, it’s different now. My people are at NICAR, and at AP. And the ones at AP will help me apply all that the NICARians taught me, and I spent NICAR sharing what AP has taught me. It’s…just a beautiful cycle. I smile, feel warm and fuzzy. After only two real years of this, I can’t imagine doing anything else, at least at this point in my life. I know I have so, so much to learn, but I have the confidence to know I have a great deal to contribute and share as well. I’m thankful to AP for helping me to accelerate faster than I ever dreamed I could.

Thanks to all the NICARians for joining in the mission, your support and your teachings! Together, we’re going to rock 2012!

Explore other posts:

• October 3, 2011 -- Conferences: How can we help more people feel dumb?
• February 5, 2012 -- At peace with where I am
• March 8, 2010 -- Data Delvers: Ben Welsh & Ken Schwencke, LA Times
• February 5, 2012 -- How To Count Queried Rows in a Google Fusion Table
• August 21, 2011 -- How to combine multiple Fusion Tables into one map
• January 20, 2010 -- How to “Group By” in Excel

When I heard Meyer had written his memoirs, titled “Paper Route: Finding My Way to Precision Journalism”, I instantly clicked the 1-Click purchase link on Amazon.  Days later, I ripped open the package, smiled at the cover photo of a very young Meyer reading the paper with his father, but didn’t have time to push further.  And on a delightful Saturday afternoon, after soaking up inspiration at the National Portrait Gallery, I sat down in the Kogod Courtyard attached to the museum (one of my favorite places to read in DC on a snowy day) to read a few chapters.

Two hours later, I had gobbled up all 338 pages, laughing out loud, nodding enthsiastically and remembering that Meyer was one of the first of “my people”, in days my parents had not yet married, let alone had a child.

The title of this post comes from a comment he makes while sitting in a social science class and realizing the application of data analysis work to journalism. But it applies to code, and mapping and interactivity and everything I do these days. Not that a coder should do it, but “A journalist could do this!” So, whenever I doubt, I’ll remember.

The book traces Meyer’s family history, going back several generations. As one might expect, it features letters from relatives in World War II, letters from him during college to his family back home. Because if anyone knows anything about providing primary source documentation for a story, verifying anecdotes with facts, it’d be Meyer.

I was inspired by realizing that he started his career in high school journalism, much like me, and not doing the type of work he has become known for.  That came later, but it was all part of a path, or a route, as the book’s title suggests.  He discovered data work as a Nieman Fellow in the 1960s.  Perhaps naively, I didn’t realize the history of Nieman went back to the ’60s. Meyer wrote that he was past the median age for Nieman fellow applicants at that point in his life, which is to say, he wasn’t in his 20s.  And it was then he discovered the tools of precision journalism.

All of which is to say that as much as I live in fear of not living up to what I can be, I’ve got lots of time to figure it out.  And the Big Impact that I hope to make, if it comes when I’m in my 30s, 40s, 50s — that’s okay.  Perhaps it’s presumptuous, but this book tells me that our paths are not so different, because Meyer’s story was not so unusual, in its parts.  Taking advantage of opportunities as they came his way, it seems…achievable.

I believe we’ll each take our own lessons from Meyer’s story, and I encourage you to pick up a copy and read it yourself.

I’ll leave with one more anecdote, though. Meyer quotes C.S. Lewis, and his thoughts on the “inner ring”, a notion of how we often seek to be part of some group we feel outside of.  But once we get in to that group, there is but another inner group.  But ultimately, Meyer quotes Lewis as saying, “If in your working hours you make the work your end, you will presently find yourself all unawares inside the only circle in your profession that really matters. You will be one of the sound craftsman, and other sound craftsman will know it.” (Read the full essay here.)

So what does this mean? Lewis, in 1944, in a lecture at King’s College of the University of London essentially said “You will find your people on the merit of your work.” It’s a quote that perfectly encapsulates how I feel about the data and Web dev community, at AP and far beyond.  Where I am respected for my craft, and my continual growth in my craft, and my age, gender, background, everything doesn’t matter, because the work speaks for itself. And I’ll respect you for the same. I want nothing more than to be a sound craftsman, well, craftsperson (it was 1944, I’ll forgive Lewis for the gender bias.).

And thanks to knowledge and inspiration from Meyer, and others he’s inspired, I have a chance at achieving that goal. Thank you, Phil.

Explore other posts:

• March 26, 2011 -- My (quickly formed) vision for a journ-prog curriculum
• March 8, 2010 -- Data Delver: Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
• September 21, 2010 -- The power of linkable data apps (my second LAT app)
• February 20, 2010 -- Data Delver: MaryJo Webster, Pioneer Press
• January 25, 2010 -- Personal reflection: Tufte’s messing with my head
• February 28, 2011 -- Why I really love NICAR (and the New York Times)

How can I count how many points I currently have displayed on a Fusion Table layer of a Google Map?

This would be especially helpful when we’re using filters, to show how many points are currently displaying.

I’m not the first one to come up with this, for more on the subject, and the creators of the code this is based off of, pleas see the “Getting Data” section of Robin Kraft’s post here.

If we assume that searchString stands for the value a user inputs in a filter (look into how to use HTML forms and connect it with JavaScript elsewhere, that’s left as an exercise to the reader, and I’m pulling info from Fusion Table ID which we will call…tableid…here’s the code you would need to get that count.

(The indentation in my code samples is ugly right now, and I can’t figure out how to get this plugin to cooperate, but the code should work, and you can fix the indentation for extra credit.  Cool?)

First, set a variable which contains the beginning of a URL, which allows you to query the Google Fusion Table SQL API.

var queryUrlHead = 'http://www.google.com/fusiontables/api/query?sql=';

Now, at the end of the URL, since we are reaching across domains (from where your site lives to google.com), we need to use a technology called JSONP.

var queryUrlTail = '&jsonCallback=?';

Create a variable that has your query string, which is specified in the Google Fusion table docs. The where clause shows how you want to limit your table, search string allows user to specify what you are limiting by. Instead of selecting *, which is everything in the table, or a specific geographic data column, we select count, to count up how many rows in our Fusion Table fit this query.

var query = "SELECT COUNT() FROM " + tableid + " WHERE 'Column Name' CONTAINS IGNORING CASE '" + searchString + "'"

Then, we encode that query, so we can send it across the Web.

var queryurl = encodeURI(queryUrlHead + query + queryUrlTail);

Use jQuery’s get method to get the result of the URL. The first parameter in this function is the URL to get, which we have just constructed. The third parameter says we want to use jsonp, to go across domains. The second parameter is a function which does something with the “data” that is returned.

What this function does, in this sample, is it fills in a div with the id of “count” on the HTML page with the count of rows. We get the count of rows by digging into the returned data object. We use try/catch because the data rows will not exist if no items are returned with the query used. So, if we get an error, because there are no rows, we set the count div’s HTML equal to 0, to show that no rows are displayed. The 0 display should only occur when we have a blank map.

var jqxhr = $.get(queryurl,
function(data){
try{
$('#count').html((data.table.rows[0][0]));
}
catch(err){
$('#count').html('0')
}
},
"jsonp");


Here’s the complete code block, for copying/pasting fun:

var queryUrlHead = 'http://www.google.com/fusiontables/api/query?sql=';
var queryUrlTail = '&jsonCallback=?';
var query = "SELECT COUNT() FROM " + tableid + " WHERE 'My column' CONTAINS IGNORING CASE '" + searchString + "'"
var queryurl = encodeURI(queryUrlHead + query + queryUrlTail);
var getCount = $.get(queryurl,
function(data){
try{
$('#count').html((data.table.rows[0][0]));
}
catch(err){
$('#count').html('0');
}
},
"jsonp");


Ideally, this would be used as part of a function that uses filters to change displays on the map. Just a quick post here in case this helps others googling around — it wasn’t as easy to find this solution as I might have hoped. So, search engines, read this: How To Count Queried Rows in a Google Fusion Table and Google Map. Are you happy, SEO machine?

Explore other posts:

• January 25, 2010 -- Personal reflection: Tufte’s messing with my head
• February 17, 2011 -- An inside look at life at PBS News
• February 2, 2010 -- Recognize the importance of journalistic creativity
• February 5, 2012 -- Changing definitions of what it means to be mentored
• July 11, 2010 -- Data Delver: Cheryl Phillips, Seattle Times
• January 4, 2010 -- Reflections on Visualization Theory (Data viz readings, week 1)

As always, I owe everything to my mentors.  I’ve been spending time thinking about how those needs have changed over time. A #wjchat this week on the subject merely strengthened my interest.  And as much as I am mentored, I’m spending more and more time mentoring others.  It helps me improve my ability to describe code, and helps broaden the pool of people doing technical journalism work.  And we need more people.

I think it bears pointing out that when I started, I wanted a lot more hand-holding. I still desperately need mentorship though, I have a lot to learn, and many high expectations for myself. The environment I have right now is truly special. It’s special enough that I would follow the people I am lucky enough to work with no matter where we worked. It wouldn’t have to be in a glamarous city, like New York or Washington.  And it wouldn’t have to be a big name place. It would be…more than enough to work with these people every day.

So, let’s get down to it. As I seek to mentor more and more, what lessons can I take from people at my current work environment?  Here’s a brainstorm:

1. Ask nicely for things, avoiding “Because I said so” syndrome. I can’t recall when I’ve ever been told that I need to do something. “Would you please” or “I thought you might enjoy” or “What do you think about” are the name of the game here.  It doesn’t matter if a deadline is close.  That’s no excuse for pulling rank, which is a last resort.

2. Give praise when something is done well. I’m thanked for almost everything I do.  Obviously, I have to do what I’m asked, but it’s nice when people are friendly about it.  Feeling respected and well-cared for is more important than any of us realize.

3. Listen. I’m pretty comfortable sharing my opinion with anyone who’ll listen, but of course, no one is obligated to give me the time of day. Take the time to pay attention to what someone else has to say. Then decide what to do about it.

4. Be patient. Sometime it takes me 30 seconds to put a coherent sentence together, when it’s technically hard. People just wait.

5. Believe in your mentee. Mentees may go through self-doubt. You wouldn’t be spending the time with them if you didn’t believe they could do it, right? Tell them they can, even when they don’t believe it. They’ll get through the dark place.

6. Say when you don’t know something. No one is omniscient. Realizing this is much like realizing one’s parents aren’t deities sent from on high (sorry Mom and Dad).  Once you realize that, you can band together to solve problems. And then you both learn.

7. Trust. When you ask someone to do something, believe they’ll get it done, or come to you for help.  No need to check in every 10 minutes, that’s just distracting. But check in on a regular basis, lest someone feel like you’re leaving them to the wolves.

8. Keep your cool. Deadline can have a lot of pressure, but freaking out helps no one. Don’t take offense when a mentee raises her voice, speaks loudly, rants, screams, says it’s not possible. Stay logical and cool, bring levity to the situation. It’ll all be okay.

Most of this doesn’t have to do with actual subject knowledge, although that helps.  It’s enough to just be a decent, kind patient human being, interested in helping. And it constantly amazes me how warm and fuzzy I feel with that kind of support at my back.

Thanks for being awesome, AP Interactive. You’re teaching me more than you can possibly know, even how to better pay it forward. There’s no way to articulate just how valuable that is.

Explore other posts:

• October 16, 2010 -- We must understand our news content as data
• March 2, 2010 -- Guest Post: Integrating data with our journalism
• March 5, 2010 -- Why we do what we do: Pursuing the sparkle
• December 14, 2010 -- PBS post: What Data Can’t Do For You
• November 22, 2009 -- Printies and webbies — we’re all journalists!
• July 11, 2010 -- Data Delver: Cheryl Phillips, Seattle Times

Of course, the day I finished said project, I started the Next Hard Thing. I don’t really get it, but I get it more each day.  And I take great comfort in the fact that each day, I’m one step closer to understanding. New attitude: What’s the next thing I don’t know now, but am going to know soon?   I believe that I can accomplish what is asked of me.

I’ve often said I don’t want to turn into a computer scientist.  I’d like to take that back. As long as I’m still doing it in the service of journalism, it’s more than okay. I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’m even respected for my attempts. I still feel stupid trying to articulate what I’m doing, but I’m told that’s part of why I’m being made to do it. I’m really lucky to be in a place that takes my technical and emotional failings as they are, and trusts in what I can be. The least I can do is afford myself the same courtesy.

I’ve been thinking about two quotes a lot recently.  The first comes from Ira Glass, of NPR, and has circulated the Web before:

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.”

“But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.”

In other words, it’s okay that I feel like I’m not living up to my potential right now. I must not give up. The most important thing I can do is do more work.  Too bad there’s not anything to do at my job…(you know I’m kidding, right?)

And the other quote that I live my life by these days, comes from boss Jonathan himself (this should shock no one).  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  It’s made to address my issues with the balance of being a journalist and a computer scientist — but really, it’s a life motto.

“Don’t worry about what the “right” mixture is or how you describe your affiliations. Just worry about living your life in a way that changes you and the world in a way that is pleasing.”

I enjoy my work.  I enjoy what I’m learning. I enjoyed going to a museum this weekend, and I enjoyed reading my code structuring book. I enjoyed going out to brunch with friends, and I enjoyed getting enough sleep for once, and I gave myself permission to…do as I wished.

Perhaps this is the reality.  I’ve kept a certain pace — if I can only get this far this month, maybe someday I’ll land somewhere I can make that difference. I can be all I expect of myself. And once I get woken up, and realize this isn’t real, then I’ll let go. And not dream about code. And say, ‘That was some fun make-believe, Michelle.”

But there is no soon-approaching end. I’m in it for the long haul. This is real. I’m no longer a newbie five months in. So I’ve got to make sure what I do is sustainable. because the only thing worse than me not moving fast enough to achieve my potential, is burning out to such an extent that I can never achieve that potential.

And that simply cannot happen.

Explore other posts:

• April 7, 2010 -- Columbia’s new joint MS: Good start, but no panacea
• June 13, 2010 -- Post IRE wrap-up + shameless self-promotion
• February 12, 2012 -- “A journalist could do this!” – Reflections on Phil Meyer’s “Paper Route”
• March 2, 2010 -- Guest Post: Integrating data with our journalism
• February 13, 2011 -- DataStories: How I Envision News Apps 2.0
• March 29, 2010 -- Using Javascript for interactive Google charts

It’s something to do with another level I’m trying to attain in my career, a lack of balance, a frustration with not being able to do what I wish I could.  Many have tried to help me out of this funk, and just as I start to feel better, another monkey wrench is thrown my way.  My medical problems — I can deal with.  High blood pressure, take a pill. Leaking protein – take some chemo.  Fine.  But this general discomfort is hard. I don’t know the end goal, nor the path.  I’m horrible at hiding my emotions, so I say things I shouldn’t, things I don’t truly mean.  I hope the team knows that.

I enjoy working out of Washington, DC, and have long said that choosing between working with my colleagues by format or by subject matter, would lead me to choose working in person with my colleagues by subject matter.  I love the “Washingtonness” of AP.  But sometimes, the people I talk to on the phone need to be just a little bit more.  I come back from three working days in NY feeling…better.  I love seeing them in person, but miss my DC colleagues.  In DC, I miss the people in NY.  But I’ve always lived in an intersection.  After my recent trip, it would be a lie to say my ennui is fixed, but I’m starting to see a path.

I thought I would share some clarifying quotes from my colleagues, who put a bit of a skip back in my step.  I think they may be helpful to anyone learning a new skill, in any field.

“At some point, it’s not enough for me to believe you can do it.  You must believe you can do it.”

“Perhaps you are frustrated because your potential is not yet matched by your skills.”

“Asking questions about how every line works is an excellent trait for a technologist. But sometimes it’s enough to grasp the big picture, and let the rest come.”

“Are you afraid of failing? Because you haven’t yet.”

“Think of this like school. It just happens to take place in a large global news organization.” (#nobigdeal)

“I have never known you not to find a solution to a problem.”

“If you want to work on the weekend, go ahead.  If you want to do something else, do that. You have nothing to feel guilty about for not working outside of work.”

“Side projects are supposed to be fun. If it isn’t, why are you doing it?”

“Why do you refer to learning as struggling? It’s part of the process, no different than before.”

“I know that you don’t see programming as the point, but a means to an end.  But you know what? The journey is pretty fun, too.”

“At first, you will just feel like you are copying down code. But it will make more sense.”

Eventually, me:

“It’s just so hard. (later) I never really learned to code with music, it was just so, so difficult I had to concentrate…wait a minute…like it’s hard now…oh wait, I think I just had a moment of clarity–this is no worse than when I started learning Python!  I can do this! Too.”

And my favorite question:

“Do you understand this enough yet that you see how the structure can help you dream up new interactives?”

Not yet.  But that day sounds pretty darn awesome. That quote’s going on my desk.

My task last week?  Learn enough about Backbone (a Web framework that helps organize JavaScript, the language I use most often) that I could execute a major project in it due at the end of the month.  Wednesday: I had a pounding headache, and laid down my desk, almost in tears.  Thursday: I made changes to a file, and modified features. Friday: I added features of my own, with barely any supervision.  I nearly broke my face with a wide grin as a click made a shape change from one color to another.

And for the first time in years, on Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t touch a line of code. I gave myself permission to rest.  I visited with relatives. I entered a world where my biggest problem was turning down the apple turnover being pushed on me after breakfast.  I gabbed with college friends over pickles and corned beef at a NY deli. I rode back to DC, just…thinking.  The Capitol building glowed at me as I exited Union Station. I was home, but with a renewed perspective.  And it was…liberating.

I’m still in a dark place.  I don’t know where all this will lead.  I don’t know when I’ll come out of my current funk.  I hope that passing on what I do know, inside and outside my organization, may help me feel better. I don’t know how I’m going to meet my own expectations, which I’ve learned, are even higher than those of my workplace. Which is ridiculous — I’m doing well enough for AP, but not for myself. I always have been my own worst critic.

There is no wrap-up conclusion at the end of this post.  Just this: I’m in a better place now than I was on Tuesday, before I went up to NY.  And maybe for today, that’s enough. Tomorrow? That’s a question I’m not ready to address quite yet.

Explore other posts:

• November 22, 2009 -- Printies and webbies — we’re all journalists!
• March 8, 2010 -- Data Delvers: Ben Welsh & Ken Schwencke, LA Times
• February 20, 2010 -- Data Delver: MaryJo Webster, Pioneer Press
• February 1, 2011 -- Making the structured usable: Transform JSON into a CSV
• February 2, 2010 -- Recognize the importance of journalistic creativity
• February 28, 2010 -- Django app #2: Conquering forms and Google Maps API

Goals are not the same thing as resolutions, and I know this.  I am making a conscious decision to set a theme which will influence goals for 2012.

1. Combating insecurity with talking too much.  I remain in an environment that is fantastically amazing.  I finally am able to name these people as colleagues, and look them in the eye.  But when I put on my “tough girl” face, I think I come on too strong.  Am I listening enough to others’ perspectives?  Would the reporters, editors, bureau chiefs pay me as much, or even more attention if I was less heavy-handed? Less “We need to do this,” less “I’m just the new kid,” more “I think this could be a good idea”.

2. Less chalking it up to being a newbie. I will forever be a student, and so I tend to think of myself as someone who has never really left school. This doesn’t help give me the confidence I need.  It also doesn’t help, when I ‘m not hitting conventions as well as I should. I have years, and I think, decades less experience than most of my colleagues. It’s possible to level up, and not be surprised things work.  Yet, I don’t want to lose my enthusiasm.  I’m still the person, who, when Jonathan explains some new tool, can’t stop herself from yelling “Really? That is SO cool!”  And then, I hurt my own ears listening to the aftershock of the screech.  Maybe I can be a little quieter. But I won’t lose that enthusiasm, and I probably won’t be able to tone it down much — this stuff is still really exciting.  I hope it’s just as exciting decades from now.

My point was, I’m too much of a newbie. This is not absolutely an asset, nor absolutely a detriment, just a fact.  I must not drag the overall work down.  The colleagues are more patient than I would be, but I must meet that patience with consistent leveling up.  Suck less.  Accept this: “I am no longer a beginning programmer.  I am at an intermediate level.”

3. Help others, but get help yourself.  I spend a lot of time paying it forward, and that’s not going anywhere, but I should spend just as much time getting the help I need.  Go back to the strategies of beginning Python, and apply them to new skills.

4. Don’t become a full-fledged computer scientist. This may seem counterintuitive, but I can feel myself getting better by leaps and bounds.  Yet, I spend my free-time reading up on closures, whereas I once would spend it keeping up on the news.  I long to do more of a certain type of work, yet I wonder if I get too bogged down trying to be an exceptional developer.  Continue to pursue what it means to code in the service of journalism, and try to strike a balance.  Problem is, I don’t yet know what the balance looks like.  Seek to find out.

5. More work/life balance. The culture at the AP has encouraged me to have more of a non-work life than I have in years (thanks!).  And I don’t feel guilty about it, because I give 200 percent at work itself.  Yet, I want more time to keep up a gym routine, practice cooking skills, visit with friends, go to the theater, pursue my other passions, and be a person, not merely the operator of a computer.  I’m the only one who can make this happen, but it will be a priority.

6. Less medical stuff. I can’t do much about this, I suppose, but I spent too much time in hospitals this past year.  People say it was impressive I maintained the pace I did, oh, and conducted a job search through chemo.  Hair is coming back, and I am feeling better than ever.  Moderation.  Take care of myself. Take those meds, eat healthy, get more sleep.  As my kidney doc says, take care of your body, it’s what enables everything else.  This year, for real.

7. Divide my intellectual pursuits, and read things that don’t relate to journalism, Web development and cartography. One thing I’ve noticed recently: really smart people pay attention not just to the field they’re in, but get to know the exceptional thinkers in other fields.  I hope to do more of this.  I will follow more diverse people on Twitter.  I will read more things.  I will try more things.  This means expanding my reading habits, and going to a more diverse group of events in the DC area.  This city is perhaps one of the best in the world for self-teaching.  Curious about astronomy? Head to the Air and Space museum?  Want to influence your designs with classical Greek art? National Gallery. I’d like to make better use of these resources, and bring them back to my work.

2011 was spectacular, in the good times and the bad.  It’d like 2012 to just be…very good on many levels.  That’s more than enough.

Explore other posts:

• May 16, 2012 -- On launching BIG projects — and gaining confidence
• February 18, 2010 -- Many Eyes: “Catalyzing the community around data”
• April 5, 2009 -- NYTimes Global Edition — do people care? Should they?
• October 16, 2010 -- We must understand our news content as data
• January 20, 2010 -- How to “Group By” in Excel
• July 30, 2011 -- What’s it like looking for a programmer-journalist job?

I hope it will not embarrass Jonathan Stray, who I count as a friend, manager and colleague, who has already been more than helpful with sorting out the technical issues, and providing kind reassurance that this is surmountable.  And that’s in three days, since I started this “leveling up.”  I’d be surprised, except this is in the pattern of Ben Welsh and Ken Schwencke of the LA Times, and Derek Willis of the NY Times (who also dealt with being consistently featured on the blog, so it is what it is).  I’ve thrown myself back into learning, just like I did when I decided I had to learn Python to get into this world.  I’m at a level where I can pass on some knowledge, but somehow I think I lost that I need to be working just as hard on my own education.

Some thoughts:

1. I’ve long said the programmer-journalist label doesn’t matter, but interacting with Jonathan has demonstrated the power of a CS background.  I think that’s more of why I feel so behind.  To paraphrase Jonathan, what a CS degree gives you is the ability to understand common constructs in programming. So, while the languages change, their building blocks have commonality that you have some understanding of.  For the first time, I get why that would be very powerful.  Meanwhile, I play catchup. This is not something I would have considered if not for working with someone who has that background, and works at the intersection of journalism and technology.

2. I try to think of functions as building blocks. It’s a lot like news writing — keep the chunks short and digestable, each section has a distinct purpose.  Now, my functions look more like an outline.  Small blocks, medium sized blocks combine smaller ones.

3. Things are busy in a newsroom, and I love the adrenaline rush.  But thinking it’s enough to just keep all the balls in the air causes major headaches later.  MAJOR.  As in, I didn’t understand how horrific it would be.  Slow down now so you can speed up later.

4. Don’t underestimate the power of an external CSS file.  Changing too much CSS with jQuery can cause great confusion.

5. Put in more effort to ground yourself in why you’re doing it.  I could write code all the time, but I’m paying more attention to everything else in the DC bureau, so I can be the best citizen of the newsroom I can.  You’ll always be too busy, if you let yourself.

6. I’m setting a goal of commenting every line of code.  Much like how I try to go to the gym seven days a week.  In both cases, this doesn’t happen, but with some slacking, I end up doing things just frequently enough.  The comments are for others, but more to remind me of why I did something.  Also, a great opportunity to develop a vocabulary for discussing code.  Writing out “we add the thing to the bigger thing” really hits you over the head with what you need to learn.

7. Every language has patterns that are common conventions. Other people have encountered your problem before.  It’s up to you to figure out what applies to your situation.

8. Saying you can be self-sufficient doesn’t mean suffering in silence.  It is not letting down yourself, your mentors, your community and your organization.  It is a growth process. It is not a weakness to ask for help. It is not a weakness to tell your boss you don’t know if you can do it, despite every piece of career advice you may have been given, which says young journalists should say yes to everything, and figure it out.  It is a problem if you make this proclamation a day before deadline. It is a problem if you give up. It is not a problem if you dive into trying to learn, and feel reinvigorated and challenged. It is a different type of problem when you have a bookmarks folder with 250 articles to read after three days, because of your research, and suggestions from folks within and without your place of employment.  The kind of problem that’s nice, and life-affirming. That, I can handle.

Explore other posts:

• July 11, 2010 -- First LAT app (or the butterfly on my windowsill)
• February 9, 2010 -- Treemapping Gov. Quinn’s State of the State
• March 8, 2010 -- Data Delver: Anthony DeBarros, USA Today
• August 17, 2010 -- Fighting for my life: The largest battle I ever won
• February 5, 2012 -- How To Count Queried Rows in a Google Fusion Table
• February 3, 2011 -- PBS post: Sharing our work, does it make “Census”?