This week I want to present you with a challenge: push yourself to learn something new.
Early in my career as a software developer I read “The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master” by . It is made up of numerous “tips” with the goal of filling in the gaps in knowledge a new software developer may have. One of these tips I took to heart was number eight: “Invest regularly in your knowledge portfolio”. The goal behind this tip was to remind the reader that learning is a lifelong skill. Now, with a number of years under my belt, I believe it is a skill that everyone should have.
Reading was the main avenue for learning when t
he book was released, but over time new technologies allowed for new means of learning. Podcasts, websites, YouTube, and online training (like Pluralsight); I use all of these when there is a topic I want to learn study.
Let me share a recent example:
Though I earn my living in the virtual world, writing code, I find great enjoyment in cooking. My wife used to a work at a kitchen supply store, so she loves kitchen gear and gadgets. Recently an Instant Pot arrived at my house (my wife swears it was nefarious individuals with reverse thievery in mind). I had no idea what to do with this thing, let alone how it works. In fact, a pressure cooker was not something I had wanted to use because they are scary. How many cooking challenge shows were lost to a faulty and potentially explosive pressure cooker? Now I had one and that made me uncomfortable.
Discomfort is actually something I stay on the lookout for in my life, I have learned that it usually is an opportunity to grow through learning. I responded to this unease with a plan to learn. Starting with how to videos on YouTube I learned the basics of how the Instant Pot worked. After that I started using the Instant Pot to make various meals. These went from simple Mac and Cheese to pot roasts, to soups. With each success and each failure I learned more about how the Instant Pot worked. Now I no longer fear the Instant Pot but recognize it for what it is, another tool in my kitchen.
This is the experience I want to share with you. Take something you are curious about, or want to learn more about. Watch a video, listen to a podcast, practice. In a little time you will be comfortable where you weren’t previously, and you will have grown in the process.
JeremyCodes 