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This is a very good article. What stumps me though is how the 10x engineers/architects make such sound technical choices without knowing a lot of things. I pe

This is a very good article. What stumps me though is how the 10x engineers/architects make such sound technical choices without knowing a lot of things. I perennially feel ignorant of Computer Science concepts that many others seem to possess. This article helps me to understand it's not only me. But I would still like to make the best tech choices most of the times...But the problem is..WHAT TO LEARN NEXT? THERE'S BILLION THINGS, WHAT TO PICK UP?

pg_bot 8y ago
Your thought process is backwards. Instead of starting with a technology you want to learn, start with a problem that you have. Then do research on tech that can solve your problem and you will learn by solving the problem you have. Most technology companies are also terrible at explaining what they do so you need to be able to do a bit of reading to understand their value proposition. For example Docker, their website's homepage states. Future proof your Windows apps and drive continuous innovation Protect your legacy, invest in your future. Which is techobabble nonsense, and doesn't tell me a fucking thing about what Docker does. Docker isn't just for windows apps, so I don't know why they are alienating linux users. It makes no sense, and I would assume most people would move on unless they already knew what it was. This is sad, because I like and use Docker and want them to succeed. How I would describe Docker to the uninitiated. Docker is a file. In that file you can run a series of commands to install and compile all the software necessary to run your application. Once you execute the file, it outputs another file which you can send to someone else who will automatically know how to run it. That's all it is, there is no reason for confusion.
yawaramin 8y ago
They make good choices because they work in teams where members have different strengths and help each other.
douglaswlance 8y ago
I have an Airtable that I maintain of everything I want to learn (mostly harvested from job listings), then I sort them by priority.
commandlinefan 8y ago
I first started coding professionally in the early 90’s, just as “the web” started to take off. I found myself surrounded by people who talked about the network stack all the time; I put together that there was an important concept called “TCP/IP” in there. So I did what I thought was the most logical thing: I picked up a copy of Richard Steven’s “TCP/IP Illustrated” and read it cover to cover. Then a funny thing happened - I found out I actually knew WAY more about the network stack than all the people around me who were blathering about it non-stop as though they were experts (which I didn’t and still don’t consider myself). That experience has made me take other’s claims of expertise with a grain of salt.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  I think a corollary here is that reading a technical book cover to cover isn't really that hard. Personally I'm trying to make it my default approach for learning things - books over articles (where that makes sense; books on continuously changing software are a waste of paper).

pg_bot 8y ago

Your thought process is backwards. Instead of starting with a technology you want to learn, start with a problem that you have. Then do research on tech that can solve your problem and you will learn by solving the problem you have. Most technology companies are also terrible at explaining what they do so you need to be able to do a bit of reading to understand their value proposition. For example Docker, their website's homepage states. Future proof your Windows apps and drive continuous innovation Protect your legacy, invest in your future. Which is techobabble nonsense, and doesn't tell me a fucking thing about what Docker does. Docker isn't just for windows apps, so I don't know why they are alienating linux users. It makes no sense, and I would assume most people would move on unless they already knew what it was. This is sad, because I like and use Docker and want them to succeed. How I would describe Docker to the uninitiated. Docker is a file. In that file you can run a series of commands to install and compile all the software necessary to run your application. Once you execute the file, it outputs another file which you can send to someone else who will automatically know how to run it. That's all it is, there is no reason for confusion.

yawaramin 8y ago

They make good choices because they work in teams where members have different strengths and help each other.

douglaswlance 8y ago

I have an Airtable that I maintain of everything I want to learn (mostly harvested from job listings), then I sort them by priority.

commandlinefan 8y ago

I first started coding professionally in the early 90’s, just as “the web” started to take off. I found myself surrounded by people who talked about the network stack all the time; I put together that there was an important concept called “TCP/IP” in there. So I did what I thought was the most logical thing: I picked up a copy of Richard Steven’s “TCP/IP Illustrated” and read it cover to cover. Then a funny thing happened - I found out I actually knew WAY more about the network stack than all the people around me who were blathering about it non-stop as though they were experts (which I didn’t and still don’t consider myself). That experience has made me take other’s claims of expertise with a grain of salt.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
I think a corollary here is that reading a technical book cover to cover isn't really that hard. Personally I'm trying to make it my default approach for learning things - books over articles (where that makes sense; books on continuously changing software are a waste of paper).