4 ms·

Read. And I don't just mean books (although they are a great place to start). Read technical blogs, read documentation, read other people's code. Seek out chall

Read. And I don't just mean books (although they are a great place to start). Read technical blogs, read documentation, read other people's code. Seek out challenging reads that seem overly ambitious and use them to find out what your unknown-unknowns are, then use that knowledge to steer your learning.

tedmiston 10y ago
^ This year I bought the subscription to Safari Books Online (https://www.safaribooksonline.com https://www.safaribooksonline.com), which offers unlimited access to many books (every O'Reilly book) and some video courses. Though it's not cheap, I think it's the best investment I've made in my own professional development.
- codecurve 10y ago
  Just to add to this, pick up an Amazon Kindle. There's almost no-where you can't read when your entire library fits in a pocket or a rucksack. I've been travelling for most of this year and my kindle comes second to only my laptop on the list of essentials.
  - tedmiston 10y ago
    I actually haven't bought one yet because I was under the impression code rendering was still less than ideal (e.g., lines wrapping to fit the Kindle screen where they shouldn't in code). Is that still an issue?
    - hoodwink 10y ago
      Yes, this is an issue on the Kindle device, but reading textbooks in the Kindle app on the iPad is gamechanging. The speed with which you make highlights, leave notes, and bookmark is great for learning. I can then access the book from my computer for quick reference and/or convert my booknotes to Anki flashcards. This being said, I also own a Kindle Paperwhite and use it at least an hour a day for reading non-technical books. I can't recommend that device enough.
      - abustamam 10y ago
        Would you recommend people who already own a tablet (iPad, Galaxy, Fire, etc) to get a dedicated device to reading?
        bawigga 10y ago
        I have both a tablet and a kindle paperwhite. I like using the tablet for technical references which are commonly in PDF format. For everything else I use the Paperwhite. The backlight is much easier on the eyes, especially when reading in bed.

tedmiston 10y ago

^ This year I bought the subscription to Safari Books Online (https://www.safaribooksonline.com https://www.safaribooksonline.com), which offers unlimited access to many books (every O'Reilly book) and some video courses. Though it's not cheap, I think it's the best investment I've made in my own professional development.

codecurve 10y ago
Just to add to this, pick up an Amazon Kindle. There's almost no-where you can't read when your entire library fits in a pocket or a rucksack. I've been travelling for most of this year and my kindle comes second to only my laptop on the list of essentials.
- tedmiston 10y ago
  I actually haven't bought one yet because I was under the impression code rendering was still less than ideal (e.g., lines wrapping to fit the Kindle screen where they shouldn't in code). Is that still an issue?
  - hoodwink 10y ago
    Yes, this is an issue on the Kindle device, but reading textbooks in the Kindle app on the iPad is gamechanging. The speed with which you make highlights, leave notes, and bookmark is great for learning. I can then access the book from my computer for quick reference and/or convert my booknotes to Anki flashcards. This being said, I also own a Kindle Paperwhite and use it at least an hour a day for reading non-technical books. I can't recommend that device enough.
    - abustamam 10y ago
      Would you recommend people who already own a tablet (iPad, Galaxy, Fire, etc) to get a dedicated device to reading?
      - bawigga 10y ago
        I have both a tablet and a kindle paperwhite. I like using the tablet for technical references which are commonly in PDF format. For everything else I use the Paperwhite. The backlight is much easier on the eyes, especially when reading in bed.