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I think this is especially important for programmers. While learning a new technology (or programming in general), many get trapped in an endless consumption cy
by eliben 12y ago
I think this is especially important for programmers. While learning a new technology (or programming in general), many get trapped in an endless consumption cycle - there are enough books and blogs to fill many lifetimes of reading for any semi-popular topic. It's extremely important to balance consumption with a healthy amount of creation (practice). Otherwise it's really hard to gain real knowledge.
- thenomad 12y agoYeah, that's a problem in a lot of fields, not just programming. Just from my own experience, writers, marketers, filmmakers (and all the sub-disciplines within filmmaking), poker players, and entrepreneurs all suffer the same challenge these days. It's all too easy to get caught in the read -> feel you don't know enough to start yet -> read more -> never actually finish anything trap.
- tomjen3 12y agoThat is definitely me. The problem is how little reading do I need? What if the next article is really important?
- thenomad 12y agoMy advice, if you want it: try and make the thing you want to make. If you get absolutely stuck, read more to find the solution. Otherwise, finish that thing, then think about what could have gone better with that thing. Research ways to do those things better. Make the next thing. Repeat. (Not theory - this is how I'm approaching learning a fairly major new discipline to me right now. It seems to be working OK.)
- Kronopath 12y agoThe way I get around this, at least with programming, is I read just enough so that I can start putting something together, and then I start on a small and silly project. If I run into any obstacles in building the thing, then I go back to my resources and read a bit more until I can get around that obstacle. It works pretty well.