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I understand that new things can be hard. But valuable skills pay back in more ways than one. Yes, getting comfortable with Rust takes time. I'm still on that
by dj-wonk 10y ago
I understand that new things can be hard. But valuable skills pay back in more ways than one.
Yes, getting comfortable with Rust takes time. I'm still on that journey. However, I am encouraged the simple maxim: "Discomfort is often a good sign of learning."
Learning and productivity are coupled. If you stop investing in learning, your productivity will not grow optimally. (Argument from the "Capability Trap", a systems dynamics assessment of working harder versus working smarter.)
I'd like to share two personal examples of tough learning curves.
1. Learning inferential statistics deeply can be challenging sometimes. It requires that I think differently and more precisely. Still, I have found it rewarding.
2. I had a large amount of cognitive dissonance in a particular class in graduate school where we read widely and shifted perspectives on sustainable development every week. The economic, environment, moral, human, and architectural aspects of the topic do not neatly reconcile. This awareness is really important and builds the ability to connect with people with many different worldviews without dismissing them.
It seems to me that sometimes people don't see why a set of new concepts or approaches is worth the effort. I get it. I can see why someone might get disappointed at first. But I think such a view is too narrow. Once you get over the hump, I have found the learning curve pays off.
- newsat13 10y agoSorry, this logic makes no sense. Just because you are having discomfort does not mean it has any value.
- dj-wonk 10y agoI think you would agree that learning is not only about adding more information to your brain. Concepts must be reconciled. For many people, feeling some internal inconsistency (call it cognitive dissonance if you like) is strongly associated with challenging one's preconceived notions. The trigger is often external stimulus. That's why many people find that feeling uncomfortable is a useful proxy to pushing yourself intellectually.
- newsat13 10y agoI honestly don't understand what you are talking about.
- dj-wonk 10y agoThe general topics I'm talking about quite interesting: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology_of_learning I recommend this systems dynamics paper for proposing a simple model to help quantify the tradeoff between investment and execution: http://web.mit.edu/nelsonr/www/Repenning=Sterman_CMR_su01_.pdf http://web.mit.edu/nelsonr/www/Repenning=Sterman_CMR_su01_.p... The logic there applies to many contexts, including: * working "smarter" vs. harder * investing in a new skill vs. executing using existing skills * investing in workforce education vs pushing them to work longer hours If you are interested in a conversation and trying to understand, may I request that you ask specific questions?