Of course, some of these steps (like finding the best learning resource), can only be done once you're already an expert who knows what all of the resources are! There are also a lot of situational things, for example although you may have a preference between videos, documentation and example code, the best to learn from is usually whatever medium the best teacher decided to use.
The more you learn, the faster you can learn
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Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#12Work's firewall is coming up saying this site is malware :S
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Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#13>> , scaled a botnet of over 2,000 bots that made money from a popular trivia game, Did this make anyone else flinch? edit: I do want to comment on the Feynman Technique linked in the article. I've never actually written concepts down as explained, but it's very close to how I _actually_ learn (or at least, feel confident in my knowledge). If I can't explain something in plain language, there's a good chance I've gap…
I wouldn't say it made me flinch, but that is not a throwaway line. It deserves some additional, I'm sure quite interesting, explanation. But I believe he is referring to HQ, and there have been other write-ups on HN about how to automate beating it.
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#14“I left an important part out of the process above - how do you actually find the best resource. I don’t know.
That said, I’ve gotten “lucky” enough times that I think I know how to optimize for finding it.”
Pro tip: No, you don’t.
I’m game to explain it over coffee to the author, who seems to be in the Bay Area, but this writing reads a lot like someone who just started to scratch the surface on abstract learning and metacognition while thinking that it’s a wildly new discovery.
It’s hard to hear/read the reenforcing recitations of new-to-the-(speaker/author) concepts and not see it as a slow-motion replay of a common thought process, akin to sitting in Dolores park listening to musings on democracy and governance in the age of automation... thirty minutes after a batch of pot truffles has sold out...
As a generalist/multi-whatever, let me say this: expert engineers hate the knows-enough-to-be-dangerous guy who thinks he’s god’s gift to learning that can just walk in and be conversant after reading one book. That guy is a pain in the ass know-it-all that spoils conversations, derails projects, and digs bottomless pits of technical debt.
How do I know? I was that guy when I was younger, and I’m sure I drove people nuts.
No doubt there are times when I’m still that guy, but I try to hold my tongue more now until I’m confident in what I know and openly disclose where I think I fall short.
If you can’t take that mechanism for learning and flex it down to the bottom of the rabbit hole, or if you always fall back onto the crutch of relating a complex topic to a comfortable imperfect analogue, you’re aiming to be the engineer that gets handed non-critical work or the manager that nobody wants in a meeting... Or maybe a successful founder of some kick-ass mega unicorn... sigh... whatever.
In the big companies (and Silicon Valley) I hear/see this type of thinking and self-congratulation all the time among engineers with 1-4 years of professional experience. On occasion, those engineers have the horsepower to back it up, but it’s rare. Some of that write-up resonates with how I’ve learned/worked over time, but I’d never write something so stridently confident.
Me 20 years ago?
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#15I agree with the BFS strategy but I’ve never gotten good enough at anything to gain the respect of an SME.
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#16I agree with the BFS strategy but I’ve never gotten good enough at anything to gain the respect of an SME.
SME?
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#17>> , scaled a botnet of over 2,000 bots that made money from a popular trivia game, Did this make anyone else flinch? edit: I do want to comment on the Feynman Technique linked in the article. I've never actually written concepts down as explained, but it's very close to how I _actually_ learn (or at least, feel confident in my knowledge). If I can't explain something in plain language, there's a good chance I've gap…
I wouldn't say it made me flinch, but that is not a throwaway line. It deserves some additional, I'm sure quite interesting, explanation. But I believe he is referring to HQ, and there have been other write-ups on HN about how to automate beating it.
I love telling this story, but that wasn't the point of the post
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#18“I left an important part out of the process above - how do you actually find the best resource. I don’t know. That said, I’ve gotten “lucky” enough times that I think I know how to optimize for finding it.” Pro tip: No, you don’t. I’m game to explain it over coffee to the author, who seems to be in the Bay Area, but this writing reads a lot like someone who just started to scratch the surface on abstract learning an…
Given that software as a arena is a widely competitive and rapidly evolving one, you can never know if the person in front of you is an expert or not. In such a case, what has always helped me is to first remind myself to be humble and use this cheatsheet:
* ask questions that probe your point of concern, instead of pointing out flaws. This allows the other person to reveal his expertise with a solution and also enlighten you in the process or admit their mistake.
* Never claim to know everything. Always be cognizant of the fact that other people ("newer" people) will show you up. Always be willing to learn from anybody who makes a concise argument.
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wouldn't say it made me flinch, but that is not a throwaway line. It deserves some additional, I'm sure quite interesting, explanation. But I believe he is referring to HQ, and there have been other write-ups on HN about how to automate beating it.
I love telling this story, but that wasn't the point of the post
Fair enough. Out of curiosity, was this a big money maker for you? Like 5 or 6 figures?
Re: The more you learn, the faster you can learn
#20Of course, some of these steps (like finding the best learning resource), can only be done once you're already an expert who knows what all of the resources are! There are also a lot of situational things, for example although you may have a preference between videos, documentation and example code, the best to learn from is usually whatever medium the best teacher decided to use.
Experts usually know some great resources, but are often themselves your best resource if you have access to one. I definitely forgot to mention them, the people I worked with at Facebook and ZEIT are on that list.
But when I wasn't working somewhere, I had to find my own resources and trust my own instincts. I didn't know who the best teachers were, so I had to decide for myself, what the best resource for me would be. Often, I got it wrong, but I got better and finding the diamonds in the rough.