We’ve arrived at that fateful day, Back to the Future fans. It’s floated around the web as a meme for years now (always with the year altered) but today is really the day Marty McFly arrived in the future for the first time. It was on Oct. 21, 2015 when Marty stepped out of the DeLorean and tried on a pair of Nike Power Laces.
And from this day forward on re-watch, all events in the films will have transpired in the past. Which, if I’m being honest, sort of makes me sad. But more than anything, it raises important questions about our real-life experience of 2015, like:
- Why don’t we having flying cars yet?
- Where’s my real-deal hoverboard?
- Why don’t my clothes auto resize to fit me?
- Where’s my mounted-on-the-wall fax machine?
Okay, so maybe no one’s asking that last question. But still, the contrast between Marty’s 2015 and ours is stark. Which got me wondering: What would’ve happened if he arrived in our version of 2015? What would his reaction have been like? And being that I write about web development and WordPress for a living, it made me wonder what he’d do for a living if he got stuck here like Doc Brown got stuck in 1885 in Back to the Future III. Given this scenario, what would he do?
Naturally, I think he’d be involved in web development. Allow me to explain why.
But What About His Music Career?
Okay yes, Marty McFly was a pretty good guitar player. His playing was just way too cool for the Battle of the Bands in 1985. And his “Johnny B. Goode” was definitely way too cool for his parent’s prom in 1955. But what about in the future? Wouldn’t his axe skills come in handy?
Unfortunately, I don’t think it would work out. His sound would be long outdated. And faced with the new technology 2015 offers, he’d be much more likely to experiment with creating albums in GarageBand and selling them online. He might get some traction as a retro artist but realistically, we’re talking a hobby at best. To earn a living, he’d have to learn skills applicable to today’s needs. Web development is a natural choice.
He’d Have To Keep A Low-Profile
If Marty stayed in our future, he’d be living right alongside his future self. Well, at least he hits a point in his personal timeline that would irrevocably change the course of his future, thus erasing older Marty altogether. But I digress.
While he’s settling into 2015, he’d have to get a job, but one that doesn’t require going out very much — he couldn’t risk crossing paths with his soon-to-not-exist future self. A career that he could do at home is a safe option. Another point scored for web development!
He’d Get A Glimpse Of Himself And Want More
Now, if you traveled into the future and saw yourself 30 years from now, what would you want to see? Likely, you’d hope you’re in a loving relationship. Maybe you have some kids who are almost grown. Maybe you live in a nice home and have a good job. Reasonable goals, to be certain. In Back to the Future II, Marty has the family but he’s lacking in the stable job department and the neighborhood he lives in isn’t the best.
Let’s say Jennifer sees their future family in our 2015 just as she does in the film and the conditions are similar. It’s likely she’d convince Marty to pursue a career that pays well and offers significant growth potential.
Better yet, I’d imagine she’d want to get in on the gig, too. You’d wind up with a web dev power couple, rewriting their future history one line of code at a time.
He’d Want A Place To Document His Time-Traveling Escapades
If you were able to travel in time in a DeLorean, wouldn’t you want to write about it? It’d have to be presented under the guise of fiction, of course. But still, sharing your unbelievable story with the public would undoubtedly be satisfying — like getting the biggest secret off your chest.
He could self-publish a book, but his audience might be limited. And he could approach major publishers, but Marty’s not a professional writer (though his dad was, so that might be a possibility). What he could do in the meantime is design a website that tells the story of his time-traveling journey. There are plenty of storytelling WordPress themes out there now, too, so he could get a jump start on the project even before he has honed his coding skills. Which is totally the opposite of heavy.
Doc Brown Would Want Him To Build A Site, Too
If Doc Brown got stuck in the future with Marty (rendering Back to the Future III a figment of our collective imaginations — sort of like the Berenstein Bears), he’d want to connect with the science community in some way. I don’t think he’d want to officially offer up the details of time travel. He understood how dangerous that would be if left in the wrong person’s hands. But his scientific mind wouldn’t be able to resist the call of the Internet and the opportunities it presents to connect with those who share his interests.
Learning of Marty’s burgeoning dev skills, he’d hire him to build a website for him postulating time travel as a theory. It’d be complete with chalkboard drawings of chaos theory, alternate timelines, and a built-in forum where science enthusiasts could connect and share their latest calculations and revelations. And Marty would do it for free. It’d make a great portfolio piece.
Welcome To The Future, McFly
Well, the future is finally here. And though our future is lacking in Max Headroom-style waiters, it is full of technological advances hardly anyone was thinking about in 1985. I hope he’d be impressed by the opportunities our tech world has opened up for people like you and me. I know I am.
So, have I convinced you that Marty would be a web developer? If not, why not? Please join in the fun of speculation below.
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