Learning new information is something that software developers will find themselves doing all the time. It is necessary if you want to stay relevant as a software developer and keep up with the latest trend in technology. The problem is that with so much to learn, it is very easy to get lost and overwhelmed.
If you’re finding yourself lost when trying to learn something new it is important for you to break out of it. Don’t continue digging deeper until you can’t get out. So, how exactly do you address the problem?
Narrow the Scope
Something important to accept is that you can’t know everything. So, if you’re trying to learn everything about X before doing something you’ll likely get lost due to learning in such a board scope.
You need to narrow down what you are trying to learn to make the learning process manageable. When you’re learning something new it is good to start small and then expand as you become more knowledgeable on the topic. Approaching learning in this manner will help you make the information more digestible.
Create a Plan
Once you narrow down the scope to determine what you need to learn, you’ll need to come up with a plan. For example, what specific technologies, frameworks, and etcetera will you need to learn.
Consider what resources you have that can help you learn what you need. Do you have a mentor that can help answer questions you might have? If not try to find one. Aside from a mentor, decide on what other platforms you will utilize such as books, online tutorials, YouTube, Pluralsight, and etcetera, you get the idea.
Breakdown the Problem You Are Trying to Solve
Often times, you are learning something in order to solve a problem. Another way to look at it more broadly is “Learn x so you can do y”.
In most cases, a problem can be broken down into many smaller problems. It is important to break down the problem you are trying to solve because that will help you narrow the scope. This helps you identify what you need to learn to solve the smaller problem.
Don’t Wait Until You Are Ready
The truth is you’ll never be ready because there is far too much information out there. It can be scary diving into the unknown. It’s understandable why you want to arm yourself (learn everything) before entering, but that is just not realistic.
Once you get the basics down, you need to start applying it. You’ll probably not get too far, but that’s okay. The important thing is that you end up learning what works, what don’t and have questions. Using these three key points, you can direct your learning to a narrower scope to reach your goal(s).
I hope this post was helpful to you. If you found this post helpful, share it with others so they can benefit too.
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