Exceptional Frontend

The first newsletter I ever sent was about the Museum of Death’s website.
Bad accessibility, weird overlay, and a sketchy badge in the footer.
In yesterday's issue I "brought it back from the dead"
https://exceptionalfrontend.substack.com/p/visiting-the-museum-of-deaths-website

What’s your most unforgettable dev moment?

Mine are never about tweaking a color or adding text. It’s the hard problems. The ones that finally click after hours or days.

More in tomorrow’s Exceptional Frontend:
https://exceptionalfrontend.com/

Most people think learning to code starts at Level 1.
But sometimes, the real challenge is Level 0 — your beliefs.

I wrote today about how your mindset and beliefs can multiply your results:
https://exceptionalfrontend.substack.com/p/your-mindset-and-beliefs-multiply?r=51wtg

Standing out is about finding small ways to zig when everybody is zagging.

I'm just saying, if companies like "vibecoding" so much, why don't they like "vibehiring"?

The internet right now be like:

Every failed project is still progress.

Every line of code you wrote but didn’t release.
Every mistake you made.
Every course you took but didn't use yet.

It all adds up. Keep pushing forward, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Vibe-coding jobs are a thing now. And becoming something companies actually want.

That's... sort of... I don't know! Weird? Interesting? Sad? Insane? I have a load of observations and thoughts on it that would be fun to just share. Latest post on https://exceptionalfrontend.com

What’s everybody’s opinion on “vibe coding”?

Tomorrow’s email will have my take on it but I’m super curious to see those who are for and against it.

Should Your Website's Links Open in a New Tab? The short answer? No, your website's links should not open in a new window or tab (with rare exception). Here's why.

Today I learned it's not recommended to allow links that open in a new tab from a UX point of view.
https://www.digital.ink/blog/website-links-new-tab/

Today I learned that the 1996 movie SpaceJam featuring Michael Jordan has a website that never went down. It's still up today, it's ugly, accessible and exactly what I love about the internet.

Enjoy
https://www.spacejam.com/1996/

You are never alone.

Imposter syndrome will always be there for you ❤️

The thing with depending on software engineering "content" right now is most of it is pretty surface-level or tactical. Not strategic or foundational.

The more boring it is, the more important it probably is. If it's hard to wrap your head around it, it means you're learning.

Join the exceptional frontend newsletter Exceptional Frontend is a bi-weekly newsletter that uses humor to secretly teach you how to be exceptional, level up in your career and become an overall better developer.

And subscribe to Exceptional Frontend while you're there 😎

It's a story-first newsletter for frontend devs who want to stand out, earn more, and engineer their ideal career

exceptional-frontend.kit.com/sign-up

Framing the truth in frontend development

Of course, crafting a narrative is hard. It takes retrospection, clarity, and deciding who you want to be known as

But the effort pays off

It's similar to an idea I wrote about a few newsletter issues ago on framing the truth as a front-end developer:

exceptional-frontend.kit.com/posts/framin...

Instead, choose one or two angles.
Focus. Make it easy for recruiters to see where you fit.

In a sea of AI sameness, this is how you stand out.

All of these can be true at once. But if you emphasize everything, nothing stands out.

Your story gets lost and you're less memorable.

And if your story gets lost, so do opportunities.

What perspective do you want people to have about you?
What part of your story should stand out in an interview?

Are you the:
🔹 Meticulous dev obsessed with pixel perfection?
🔹 Aspiring leader ready for manager roles?
🔹 Accessibility advocate making the web inclusive?

Here’s an example. Imagine you're a dev who:
✅ Turns Figma designs into 1:1 pixel-perfect websites
✅ Leads small teams and loves mentoring
✅ Knows accessibility inside and out

Cool, right? But here’s the question...

A strong narrative is what turns a list of “stuff you’ve done” into something meaningful.

It’s how people remember you.

And guess what happens when people remember you?
They hire you.

AI can’t craft a real narrative from your experiences.

It won't look at your career, pick the right pieces, and weave a story people (and recruiters) remember.

And that is what makes the difference.

You're right – It is hard to stand out in a world where everyone is using AI.

AI can write your resume. It can optimize your portfolio. It can even generate a cover letter.

All in seconds. A few clicks. Boom. Done.

But here's the thing AI can't do: 🧵

This is the first time I've EVER heard of them as Donald Musk and it looks like they fused dragon ball style somehow.

This is why I love the internet

In honor of me going back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off, I made software development inspired trolley problems

Internet speeds just got 4.5 million times faster - Interesting Engineering This rate is the fastest ever recorded, achieved by utilizing specific new wavelength bands that have not been previously used in fiber optic systems.

Okay it's been back since yesterday BUT I also found out that last year scientists were able to find a way to make internet speeds go a 4.5 million times faster. They made speeds of up to 301 terabits per second. Just HOW is THIS a THING?!
interestingengineering.com/innovation/4...

Streaming over the web at the speed of light

I released an email yesterday on how incredible technology has advanced in the last decade. And broke down how information travels literally at the speed of light.

exceptional-frontend.kit.com/posts/stream...

I also learned that last night the whole PSN network and service is down

Was this me?

Honestly spectacular job on categorizing all the complaints. I didn't realize how much little annoying things happen until you and the other 1600 people pointed them out.

"Oh yeah, it IS annoying when you resize the terminal"

Join the exceptional frontend newsletter Exceptional Frontend is a bi-weekly newsletter that uses humor to secretly teach you how to be exceptional, level up in your career and become an overall better developer.

So if that sounds like something fun you'd like to experience, sign up here!

exceptional-frontend.ck.page/sign-up

(Signing up also lets you experience one of the most interesting welcome series ever made for a tech newsletter) 😄

Exceptional Frontend is for mid-level devs who want to stand out, earn more, & actually enjoy their career.

No fluff. No boring tutorials. Just fun, real-world stories on:
• Marketing yourself (without being cringey)
• Proving your value & getting promoted
• Thinking sharper & learning faster

✅ An ode to the death of fun placeholder image generators like placecorgi and placebeyonce. RIP.

✅ How to be evil as a frontend dev by introducing the concept of dark patterns and examples of them