Continuous Learning - Revision history

Clintshank at 15:36, 3 August 2009

Clintshank — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:36:47 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 15:36, 3 August 2009
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	* Read books, magazines, blogs, twitter feeds, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining a mailing list or newsgroup.		* Read books, magazines, blogs, twitter feeds, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining a mailing list or newsgroup.
	* If you really want to get immersed in a technology, get hands on — write some code.		* If you really want to get immersed in a technology, get hands on — write some code.
-	* Always try to work with ~~somebody better than you,~~ a mentor~~. You never want to be~~ the top guy. If you can't find ~~anybody~~, consider moving on.	+	* Always try to work with a mentor, as being the top guy can hinder your education. Although you can learn something from anybody, you can learn a whole lot more from someone smarter or more experienced than you. If you can't find a mentor, consider moving on.
	* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.		* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.
	* Get to know the frameworks and libraries you use. Knowing how something works makes you know how to use it better. If they're open source, you're really in luck. Use the debugger to step through the code to see what's going on under the hood. You'll get to see code written and reviewed by some really smart people.		* Get to know the frameworks and libraries you use. Knowing how something works makes you know how to use it better. If they're open source, you're really in luck. Use the debugger to step through the code to see what's going on under the hood. You'll get to see code written and reviewed by some really smart people.

Clintshank at 15:33, 3 August 2009

Clintshank — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:33:08 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 15:33, 3 August 2009
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	We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable. Otherwise, you'll become a dinosaur, stuck in the same job until, one day, you'll no longer be needed or your job gets outsourced to some cheaper resource.		We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable. Otherwise, you'll become a dinosaur, stuck in the same job until, one day, you'll no longer be needed or your job gets outsourced to some cheaper resource.

-	So what do you do about it? ~~Your current employer has an interest in keeping you where you~~ are. ~~They'll only train you in~~ the ~~areas they need~~, ~~when they~~ need to~~. You need to look out~~ for ~~number one. Nobody else will~~.	+	So what do you do about it? Some employers are generous enough to provide training to broaden your skill set. Others may not be able to spare the time or money for any training at all. To play it safe, you need to take responsibility for your own education.

	Here's a list of ways to keep you learning. Many of these can be found on the Internet for free:		Here's a list of ways to keep you learning. Many of these can be found on the Internet for free:

-	* Read books, magazines, blogs, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining a mailing list or newsgroup.	+	* Read books, magazines, blogs, twitter feeds, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining a mailing list or newsgroup.
-	* If you really want to get immersed in a ~~subject~~, get hands on — write some code.	+	* If you really want to get immersed in a technology, get hands on — write some code.
	* Always try to work with somebody better than you, a mentor. You never want to be the top guy. If you can't find anybody, consider moving on.		* Always try to work with somebody better than you, a mentor. You never want to be the top guy. If you can't find anybody, consider moving on.
	* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.		* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.

Kevlin at 09:45, 19 July 2009

Kevlin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:45:23 GMT

Clintshank at 12:51, 15 March 2009

Clintshank — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:51:51 GMT

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:51, 15 March 2009
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	Technology changes fast. Don't get left behind.		Technology changes fast. Don't get left behind.
		+
		+
		+	by [[Clint Shank]]
		+
		+	This work is licensed under a
		+	[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ Creative Commons Attribution 3]
		+
		+
		+	Back to [[97 Things Every Programmer Should Know]] home page

Clintshank: New page: We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable...

Clintshank — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:47:48 GMT

New page: We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable...

New page

We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable. Otherwise, you'll become a dinosaur, stuck in the same job, until one day, you'll no longer be needed or your job will be outsourced to some cheaper resource.

So what do you do about it? Your current employer has an interest in keeping you where you are. They'll only train you in the areas they need, when they need to. You need to look out for #1. Nobody else will.

Here's a list of ways to keep you learning. Many of these can be found on the internet for free:

* Read books, magazines, blogs, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining the mailing list or newsgroup.
* If you really want to get deeper into a subject, get hands on - write some code.
* Always try to work with somebody better than you, a mentor. You never want to be the top guy. If you can't find anybody, consider moving on.
* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.
* Get to know the frameworks and libraries you use. Knowing how something works makes you know how to use it better. If they're open source, you're really in luck. Use the debugger to step through the code to see what's going on under the hood. You'll get to see code written and reviewed by some really smart people.
* Whenever you make a mistake, fix a bug, or run into a problem, try to really understand what happened. It's likely that somebody else ran into the same problem and posted it somewhere on the web. Google is really useful here.
* A really good way to learn something is to teach or speak about it. When people are going to listen to you and ask you questions, you'll be highly motivated to learn. Try a lunch-n-learn at work, user group, or local conference.
* Join or start a study group (a la the patterns community) or a local user group for a language you are interested in.
* Go to conferences. Many of the talks are online for free.
* Long commute? Listen to podcasts.
* Ever run a static analysis tool over the code base or look at the warnings in your IDE? Understand what they're reporting.
* Follow the advice of [http://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpp/the-pragmatic-programmer The Pragmatic Programmer] and learn a new language every year. At least learn a new technology or tool. Branching out gives you new ideas you can use in your current technology stack.
* Not everything you learn has to be about technology. Learn the domain you're working in so you can better understand the requirements and help solve the business problem. Learning how to be more productive - how to work better - is another good option.
* Go back to school.

It would be nice to have the capability that Neo had in ''The Matrix'', and simply download the information we needed into our brains. But we don't, so it will take a time commitment. You don't have to spend every waking hour learning. A little time, say each week, is better than nothing. There is (or should be) a life outside of work.

Technology changes fast. Don't get left behind.

←Older revision		Revision as of 09:45, 19 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable. Otherwise, you'll become a dinosaur, stuck in the same job, until one day, you'll no longer be needed or your job ~~will be~~ outsourced to some cheaper resource.	+	We live in interesting times. As development gets distributed across the globe, you learn there are lots of people capable of doing your job. You need to keep learning to stay marketable. Otherwise, you'll become a dinosaur, stuck in the same job until, one day, you'll no longer be needed or your job gets outsourced to some cheaper resource.

-	So what do you do about it? Your current employer has an interest in keeping you where you are. They'll only train you in the areas they need, when they need to. You need to look out for #1. Nobody else will.	+	So what do you do about it? Your current employer has an interest in keeping you where you are. They'll only train you in the areas they need, when they need to. You need to look out for number one. Nobody else will.

-	Here's a list of ways to keep you learning. Many of these can be found on the ~~internet~~ for free:	+	Here's a list of ways to keep you learning. Many of these can be found on the Internet for free:

-	* Read books, magazines, blogs, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining ~~the~~ mailing list or newsgroup.	+	* Read books, magazines, blogs, and web sites. If you want to go deeper into a subject, consider joining a mailing list or newsgroup.
-	* If you really want to get ~~deeper into~~ a subject, get hands on - write some code.	+	* If you really want to get immersed in a subject, get hands on — write some code.
-	* Always try to work with somebody better than you, a mentor. You never want to be the top guy. If you can't find anybody, consider moving on.	+	* Always try to work with somebody better than you, a mentor. You never want to be the top guy. If you can't find anybody, consider moving on.
-	* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.	+	* Use virtual mentors. Find authors and developers on the web whom you really like and read everything they write. Subscribe to their blogs.
-	* Get to know the frameworks and libraries you use. Knowing how something works makes you know how to use it better. If they're open source, you're really in luck. Use the debugger to step through the code to see what's going on under the hood. You'll get to see code written and reviewed by some really smart people.	+	* Get to know the frameworks and libraries you use. Knowing how something works makes you know how to use it better. If they're open source, you're really in luck. Use the debugger to step through the code to see what's going on under the hood. You'll get to see code written and reviewed by some really smart people.
-	* Whenever you make a mistake, fix a bug, or run into a problem, try to really understand what happened. It's likely that somebody else ran into the same problem and posted it somewhere on the web. Google is really useful here.	+	* Whenever you make a mistake, fix a bug, or run into a problem, try to really understand what happened. It's likely that somebody else ran into the same problem and posted it somewhere on the web. Google is really useful here.
-	* A really good way to learn something is to teach or speak about it. When people are going to listen to you and ask you questions, you'll be highly motivated to learn. Try a lunch-n-learn at work, user group, or local conference.	+	* A really good way to learn something is to teach or speak about it. When people are going to listen to you and ask you questions, you'll be highly motivated to learn. Try a lunch-n-learn at work, a user group, or a local conference.
-	* Join or start a study group (a la the patterns community) or a local user group for a language you are interested in.	+	* Join or start a study group (à la the patterns community) or a local user group for a language, technology, or discipline you are interested in.
-	* Go to conferences. ~~Many of the~~ talks ~~are~~ online for free.	+	* Go to conferences. And if you can't go, many conferences put their talks online for free.
-	* Long commute? Listen to podcasts.	+	* Long commute? Listen to podcasts.
-	* Ever run a static analysis tool over the code base or look at the warnings in your IDE? Understand what they're reporting.	+	* Ever run a static analysis tool over the code base or look at the warnings in your IDE? Understand what they're reporting and why.
-	* Follow the advice of [http://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpp/the-pragmatic-programmer The Pragmatic ~~Programmer~~] and learn a new language every year. At least learn a new technology or tool. Branching out gives you new ideas you can use in your current technology stack.	+	* Follow the advice of [http://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpp/the-pragmatic-programmer The Pragmatic Programmers] and learn a new language every year. At least learn a new technology or tool. Branching out gives you new ideas you can use in your current technology stack.
-	* Not everything you learn has to be about technology. Learn the domain you're working in so you can better understand the requirements and help solve the business problem. Learning how to be more productive - how to work better - is another good option.	+	* Not everything you learn has to be about technology. Learn the domain you're working in so you can better understand the requirements and help solve the business problem. Learning how to be more productive — how to work better — is another good option.
	* Go back to school.		* Go back to school.

-	It would be nice to have the capability that Neo had in ''The Matrix'', and simply download the information we needed into our brains. But we don't, so it will take a time commitment. You don't have to spend every waking hour learning. A little time, say each week, is better than nothing. There is (or should be) a life outside of work.	+	It would be nice to have the capability that Neo had in ''The Matrix'', and simply download the information we needed into our brains. But we don't, so it will take a time commitment. You don't have to spend every waking hour learning. A little time, say each week, is better than nothing. There is (or should be) a life outside of work.

	Technology changes fast. Don't get left behind.		Technology changes fast. Don't get left behind.