Don’t just scratch the surface
01 May 2018We tend to get in a comfort zone after scratching the surface, i.e. barely learning about anything.
The little confidence that comes from scratching the surface is good but we don't need to just settle there; we need to keep scratching below the surface.
I have interviewed and worked-with many people over the years; people who have had different educational degrees (bachelor of technology, bachelor of science, master of computer application, etc.).
I realised few knew in depth about any topic; and most only touched the surface. I intentionally didn't use the word scratching because I found they didn't even do that.
Simon Sinek correctly says that this is the age where we lack patience, and want instant gratification for many reasons.
Isn't it easier to google a problem and get results with quick solutions, e.g. one from Stack Exchange family sites (StackOverflow)?
That's useful but not always. If we want to build our career in anything we need to work harder than that.
Most people end up copying code from those green ticked answers. AFAIK, the green tick means the answer is accepted by the person who asked the question?
That means, the answer might not objectively be acceptable in all situations or by everyone?
If one spends some time critically reading & thinking entire thread, some learning (applicable in similar future situations) can be expected to happen.
I believe, StackOverflow and similar sites are very useful provided it's used to enhance learning process, and weigh different options/opinions about a problem.
It takes years to get good at something. There would be some technologies that might not last for years, but there would be many (specially web standards or other standards) that would be there in better forms in years to come.
We can only create or contribute anything useful if we keep learning in systematic manner.
Once we get used to it (systematic manner: discipline, focus, getting below the surface), a momentum is built and it only requires little force to learn new versions of standards/tools/language, and apply effectively.
It's important that beginners spend time learning various jargons, concepts, and fundamentals; and keep reading and practicing everyday (follow a book or a good course - and complete it); take every opportunity to get deeper at the subject in the hand.
Our career is not limited to work hours, hence our learning should keep happening all the time we can manage beyond work hours. I am sure we all can manage enough to shine.
We can't expect to use time at work to learn basics or read books or practice; a good professional won't do that.
A good professional practices and tries to be ready to perform whenever required. Like many other, our field of work requires professionalism and craftsmanship.
Let's say, you are requested to work on an existing project that is being done in JavaScript for frontend (using some framework) and backend (most of stuff - API, workers, etc.).
Assuming you never worked on JavaScript, how would you start contributing to the project as soon as possible?
The answer deserves a long post I will write soon. Meanwhile why don't you share your experience or opinions?
This post was written using WordPress mobile client. Please let me know if you find any typos.