Honestly the best way to learn is to be lucky enough to work at a company that faces scalability issues. Second best is to try to speak with engineers who work

Honestly the best way to learn is to be lucky enough to work at a company that faces scalability issues. Second best is to try to speak with engineers who work on this kind of stuff. FWIW I work at such a company (Microsoft/Yammer). I've learned more in 2 months on the job than the previous year I spent reading stuff on the side. Nothing like hearing the wisdom of seasoned engineers. I'm happy to chat if you are interested.