You know those “skill pie charts”? You can find them in portfolios and resumes, I would just like to explain myself why I choose not to do one of those.

It feels like writing your skills in percent is like trying to establish how many minutes “soon” is for a three year old (in Sweden we say “Hur långt är ett snöre?/How long is a string?”). I think it is especially hard in a field which moves forward extremely fast, one day you think you’re 100% skilled in something, and the next day that shit is old news. That often happens the exact minute you finally feel you have concurred it, and your self-esteem is boosted up 100%. But don’t be mistaken by that nice warm and cuddly feeling, because I believe if you’re not willing to constantly update your skills, you might get bored, or you just might get as outdated as sporting a mullet.

Therefore I think it is more important to try to define what you’re actually genuine interested in. I do believe it is really hard otherwise to keep yourself updated on the latest studies regarding UX, HCI and interaction design, and the latest and best way to optimise your code (not like I can really adapt that, but I do try). Or how to make your Photoshop file easier to translate for yourself as a front end developer or someone else who needs to work with your shit (how hard can it be to actually name your layers?). Or maybe try some new techniques, methods or programs, it might actually be the right one for you, your client, your project. And even if it wasn’t the best choice for you, you might actually have learnt something.

So well, I talked earlier about the importance of defining things before you can measure them. So if one can’t define what 100% means how can you put your own skill on a scale from 0-100%. You might be able to say you have 100% knowledge in Photoshop if you’re on the team developing Photoshop, or you might be able to say you have 100% knowledge in working with Photoshop from a design perspective or as a photographer. Maybe I’m completely wrong about this, I just feel it’s hard, so I will skip it. I have been thinking about instead trying to define what I’m most interested in, because I believe it is in those fields I will have the most potential in becoming better, and of course where I have the best chance of being able to stay updated and relevant.

//Moa