Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#1

Post by AbstractH24 » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 2:49 PM UTC

As I sit here debating spending this beautiful fall Sunday inside learning about databases the question came to mind.

On the weekend I [should] get off my computer, explore other hobbies and socialize. During the work day I need to provide results not just learn, or my employer isn’t benefiting from me in a way that justifies my salary, and on weeknights, after work, I’m tired from working all day.

Feels like the pace of change and expectation you’ve mastered the latest and greatest is greater than it’s been in a long time. And give the job market it’s hard to fall behind.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#2

Post by oceanplexian » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 5:39 PM UTC

> I’m tired from working all day.

This is the root of the problem.

The reason I say that is because I feel this post describes myself.

I often feel tired when I’m working somewhere that’s not intellectually challenging, and after working at a couple companies I have enough perspective to recognize it fairly quickly. Work shouldn’t feel draining. My best recommendation would be to take some time off, at least 2+ weeks, and see if the energy comes back.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#3

Post by Oras » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 5:47 PM UTC

From someone who’ve been 23 years in the industry, go out, have fun, and build a network.

Your skills will not take you further, your network will.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#4

Post by chime » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 5:56 PM UTC

I learn on and off the job. Everyone benefitted including my past employers when I learned on the job. They weren’t paying me to perform based on my existing knowledge. They were paying me to solve problems and if that meant I needed to learn a new tech or skill, that was their cost of doing business.

I have a number of young devs working for me and I give them the same advice. None them knew how to handle sessions using JWT tokens, use pgvector, or run our containers on Fly.io when they were hired. They learned it on the job, on the clock, and I am so proud of them for it.

I’ve been learning since early 90s and have frankly forgotten more than I remember but none of that matters. What matters to me is if you can solve problems, even if you need a bit of guidance and coaching from others. If your current employer doesn’t feel that way, I hope you can find one that does someday. It is why I am still coding three decades later.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#5

Post by joemazerino » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 6:07 PM UTC

Put yourself in a position to have to learn.

If you want to learn carpentry: buy a house or work land

If you want to expand IT skills: attach it to revenue/savings

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#6

Post by apwell23 » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 6:18 PM UTC

Oras wrote: post #3

From someone who’ve been 23 years in the industry, go out, have fun, and build a network. Your skills will not take you further, your network will.

too shy

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#7

Post by trashburger » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 6:19 PM UTC

At work I always try to do things that I didn't know about and dive as deeply as I can afford to. At my previous job I learned Kubernetes from nothing to the point where I had a nice GitOps based CD pipeline. At my current job, I dived into Bazel (again with no prior experience) and now have four internal rulesets building a multi-language monorepo. It keeps the job entertaining, too.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#8

Post by salomonk_mur » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 6:48 PM UTC

apwell23 wrote: post #6

Oras wrote: post #3

From someone who’ve been 23 years in the industry, go out, have fun, and build a network. Your skills will not take you further, your network will.

too shy

There's the thing to change.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#9

Post by layer8 » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 7:21 PM UTC

> During the work day I need to provide results not just learn, or my employer isn’t benefiting from me in a way that justifies my salary

This is the thing to change. Make time on the job, or find a new job where you can do a reasonable amount of learning on the job. If salary is your highest priority, I’d suggest to change that as well.

Re: Ask HN: When do you block out time to learn new things?

#10

Post by marginalia_nu » Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 7:23 PM UTC

If you aren't able to challenge yourself at your job through your work, I'd suggest you talk to your boss and say you're feeling you could do more and see if you can move to another role, or look for a new job entirely.

It's really hard to do much productive thinking outside of a full time job. Trying will make you burn out pretty hard. Use that time to fullfill the needs your job can't. Go to the gym, socialize, etc.