Learning tricks to complex problems
We all know about complex problems or projects we figure out as part of our work or education. But, somehow the trend nowadays is on glorification than actual learning. I see so many certifications that it gets hard to identify what is possibly needed and what we can skip. I myself have gone in a rabbit hole of courses and articles and learning path that it get hard to identify if they are really needed?
Lately i followed few things and its made my life simpler, chasing to complete learning paths was getting me nowhere.
Note down keywords to lookup
As part of project discussion , meetings we will come across many topics which we might not have heard about or know much about. We need to note those and later look them up and understand them in depth. Trust me this bodes towards a successful and confident subsequent meetings. There might be minutes of meeting, but that only carries the action item which is in general. Note your own keywords to look up. And now you wonder who has the time to read this? I use this as 5 minute breaks between work when i need a change of topic, look that keyword up, read up as much as you can.
Never say never
Learn the art of negotiation , if you are assigned something, learn to break it down into small pieces and fit them together. Start small , ask for help if needed, be a life long learner than someone who cannot accept that someone can know it better than you. At the start of my career in IT with an electrical engineering degree, i recall often citing i cannot possibly know it and do it this quick(a story for another day).But, i eventually was able to do it. So, give yourself a minute before snapping with a quick “No”. I am talking about problem solving here and not about overburdening yourself.
Bookmark interesting blogs
I have bookmarked or subscribed to blogs which provide a ton of knowledge in very simple language and summarize the complex topic. Sometimes you learn from actual people with actual problems and not from product technical documentation. This has helped me quickly learn Azure in past few months. When i originally started with learning path on linkedin, linux academy etc. I was just not finding that it was the best use of my time. Instead, i started to lookup videos on youtube on various azure products. I started reading up until i completely understood a topic. This speeded up my knowledge curve.
Chasing certifications
I had been a certification chaser , as in i get the idea of completing some certification and i start preparing, reading, and do the labs etc. But, then i lose track and move to the next one based on work needs. And ofcourse sacrificing my free time , which most likely could have been used to do something useful. Don’t get me wrong i love cloud, i read quite often. But, i have now focused on doing the ones directly related to my work or project. One thing we all need to realize we can know and work on things without a certificate. It really took me a while to understand this. Life is much peaceful.
Network on linkedin
Linkedin a powerful tool, so is github and stackoverflow. I have used the azure groups sometimes to get a external viewpoint on my problem. And there a ton of people who help. Just be cautious to not over abuse the help people give. But, the articles shared by your network really keeps you clued in. Also, just mute connections who share nonsense like personal stories or unrelated stuff. Value every minute you have.
These are just few tricks which seem to work for me, i have gone from trying to learn things from checking a checkbox. I do the same with my new interest on stock market and its analysis. I looked up keywords, watched some videos, tested some theories in last one year, and i can say i have moved from novice to a mid level equity investor. Its quite joyful to make some pocket change out of your hobby. I hope this was useful for you, thanks for reading.
