Why I only have 8 entries this month

Warning: This entry has to do with personal/professional goals not technical content

To give you an idea of where I am coming from with this post, I'll give you a little background on me first.  Last week after reading Scott Reynolds' entry about computer science and the corporate developer, it got me thinking about my current learning plan (more on that later) and thinking about priorities of subjects/projects that I am focusing on this year.  Like Scott, I don't have a Computer Science degree and do at times feel like I am missing a foundation in some areas (data structures and algorithms say).  So what did I study you might ask?  International business ... finance (what my first major was) was a little boring so I widened the scope to International Business.  I also was lucky enough to get to study abroad (Guadalajara, Mexico) for a year (weather was beautiful year round), which ended up giving me enough credit in Spanish to have a major in Spanish as well (accidental I assure you).  So at graduation time, living in Indiana having an international business and Spanish degree ... what was I going to do?  I wish I knew ... but I didn't.  All I knew is that I needed to change “fish bowls” so to speak.  Since I had a friend going to school out here in Boston at that time, I figured that Boston would be a good place to figure out what I really wanted to do.

To make a long story short, a year after moving to Boston my old knack of programming (started with BASIC - when it had line numbers - in the 5th grade) came back.  I was actually an administrative assistant to start out ... but soon after automating a manual process that took 6-8 hours down to 5 minutes using Microsoft office 95 products (Access, Word, Excel) ... because I knew there was a better way than the current (and frankly I couldn't stand typing on those 3 carbon copy templates with a type writer) I was moved to the IT department.  Ever since I started that automation project (in order to solve my own business problem at that time), I have been reading and tinkering with whatever would help me along the road to becoming a “real developer”.  So far the road has taken me from the IT department to a startup ASP, back to another IT department and now to a software product shop.

Now that I have 7 years experience in developing, I have come to the following conclusion for developers in similar situations as mine (read: “holds a Sr. Software Engineer title but does not have a degree in Computer Science“): 
Know your strengths and know your weaknesses.  Work as much as you can on becoming stronger in both and don't forget the gaps.  Also develop your vertical (business) knowledge, because that is most likely one of the “cards“ you have that others do not.  Create a list of goals that you want to achieve (be a real programmer is a very very bad one ... you need to have specifics that are defined and obtainable, like be able to write device drivers in C++ say). Create a plan that will help you achieve your goals.  Execute and stick to that plan like you are being graded on it, but re-evaluate everything every couple of months or so to make sure you are still headed where you want to go (which will change a little from time to time).

This year is the first year I have actually put together a “Learning Plan“.  Originally it was a 3 month plan (quarterly), but last week after re-evaluating it I beefed it up a little and made it a 6 month plan (sort of like school semesters).  I came up with 5 topics to do with technology and 1 to do with my vertical (well sort of, my vertical is actually more of financial services).

Topics are:

  • Learn more about something I already know
  • Best Practices and quality of developmentTopic Learn
  • Computer Science and Software Engineering
  • Improve productivity and efficiency
  • Learn more about something I don't already know
  • Current news in International Business

Each topic has 1-3 books to read, 1-2 articles to write and 1-4 “code entries“ to write.  This sort of corresponds to being in college.  Having to read books, take exams or prepare presentations and produce term projects.

Here is my learning plan for Spring 2005:

Topic

Learn more about something I already know

Books

Essential ASP.Net
Customizing the .Net Framework and CLR

Topic

Computer science and computer engineering

Books

Design Patterns in C#
Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
Refactoring to Patterns

Topic

Improve productivity and efficiency

Books

Inside Visual Studio.Net
Getting Things Done

Topic

Learn more about something I don’t already know

Books

Beginning C++
C++ Coding Standards
Programming C++

Topic

Current news in International Business

Books

Weekly Economist Magazine

I am also supplementing my topics with community events such as the following:

  • Boston .Net User Group
  • Beantown .Net User Group
  • Boston Code Brew
  • Boston Area Geek Dinners
  • Code Camp

Right now I am about 2 - 3 weeks behind where I want to be ... so that is why I only have 8 entries this month so far ;)

posted on Saturday, March 26, 2005 5:02 AM

Feedback

# re: Why I only have 8 entries this month


Hey Jason,

As a person with a MS in computer science I can't agree with more your plan. I strongly recommend the design patterns book as it will improve you productivity--you won't have to waste a lot of time coming up with designs, and your designs will be better yielding better software.

But also, as a programmer for a long time I've been getting a little burned out and am finding I want, as I realized in a the shower one morning, "new paint brushes". That is, I'm getting tired of the same problems over the years and solving them in the same way. I need new interesting ways to do it. Design Patterns are, I believe, what will do that for me!

Craig
3/26/2005 3:06 AM | Craig Smith

# re: Why I only have 8 entries this month

i do a similar study plan. mainly 'stuff i want to know', 'stuff i used to know but has changed', and 'interdisciplinary topics'.

one thing i saw about your plan is 3 design pattern and 3 C++ books. you might try spreading those out over a little bit longer time period? i like to read multiple books on the same subject too, but generally like to get at least 3 months in between readings. a) so i dont feel like i just read the same book b) give me a little time to almost forget, so when i read it the 2nd or 3rd time it really starts to sink in c) let me learn other topics that might help me digest the later books better
3/26/2005 10:09 AM | casey chesnut

# re: Why I only have 8 entries this month

Man, I wish I still lived in Boston...we don't have user groups and whatnot where I am...I'll have to try to plan my next trip up there around one of the meetings!

Your plan is cool, and I think I may adopt a little more of your philosophy to my own plan, whereas I was just taking it one thing at a time...as the whim occurred to me (algorithms today, whatever tomorrow).

My input: I found the design patterns in C# book (if I read the same one) to be kinda weak, a GoF ripoff and an incomplete one at that. However, I am reading Head First Design Patterns, and I think it's excellent, so maybe check it out.
3/26/2005 2:20 PM | Scott C. Reynolds

# re: Why I only have 8 entries this month

Craig:
Its nice to hear you say that. We should meet at Starbucks (or your favorite coffee shop) some Sat morning when you are in Salem next. I will probably be doing another geek dinner and movie in April or May (I think I'll just pick the movie this time then people can decide if they want to come).

Casey:
I know what you are saying. I have been playing around with what works the best for me for covering 6 subjects. Jan and Feb I tried altering subjects everyday (I have 3 hours of commuting on a train a day) and then picking one to really spend some time on during the weekend. March I have been trying one subject a week and then one other on the weekend (or two depending).

My conclusion so far is this: I have an attention span of a four year old and need to change subjects more often than once a week or otherwise my mind will be thinking about something else while I am reading the same book on the third day. So I am now going to try to do 2 days a subject and then switch to another subject (sort of an in between of the two approaches I have tried so far). So until I find the optimal mix I will still be playing around with how often I switch subjects.

Scott:
Let me know next time you come up to Boston and I'll plan a geek dinner. I use to do the one subject and then whatever too, but I finally notice the reality that my mind needs to switch subject more often than the time it takes me to read 400 pages. Actually I use to buy books and really be working on one, but have about 5 or 6 started ... so this year I finally decided to put a plan together that would better organize what I was actually doing anyways.

I still have mixed feelings on taking classes or online courses, althought the MIT open course stuff you mentioned has interested me ... but I have yet to committ to taking anything.

I might look at the Heads First Patterns book in another month or two. It does look like its style might help me wrap my head around patterns better because of they learning style they are going for seems to go well with how I learn.
3/27/2005 2:11 AM | Jason Haley

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