From programmer to Project Manager (5): Programmer gas Station, not everyone knows the essentials of learning

Source: http://blog.jobbole.com/29411/

Source: Sissy Blowing snow

Learning is a fundamental ability. However, "obscurity also has a career, and the knowledge is also boundless." "If you learn not to pay attention to the method, it will be" with the infinite, is almost the same.

A. Learning is also a kind of ability

Seeing this headline, someone would say: "Learn, who won't." Indeed, learning is like eating and sleeping, is a human instinct, everyone has the ability to learn. When we were born, we didn't know anything, it was a real white paper, and we learned to walk, talk and dress by learning instinct. Later, we went to school, the teacher put the knowledge of the book 1.1 points into our brains, we grasp more and more knowledge, at the same time, our learning ability seems to be more and more poor, accustomed to being fed by others, seems to have forgotten how to feed themselves.

Learning is only a kind of instinct, not what ability, however, after more than 20 years of continuous learning, learning has become a real ability, because we slowly lost it, it is more precious.

In school we basically passive learning, but out of the ivory tower, no one will be responsible for you, no one will take the initiative to teach you, we need to actively learn. The so-called learning ability, in fact, is the ability to learn independently.

A few years ago, there was a popular management book called "The Fifth Discipline", which advocated the establishment of learning organizations, because in the long run, the only sustainable competition in an organization is the ability to learn faster and better than competitors.

A company like this, a person is not so. Known now is a knowledge explosion time generation, knowledge update very quickly. It is said that the knowledge that a university graduate learns, within 2 years after graduation, is effective but only 5%, not to mention our school and society need to be badly derailed. What we rely on is not how much knowledge we have now, but how strong we are in learning.

Learning is not only a kind of ability, but also a vital ability, and the core of this ability is the method and mentality of learning.

two. Buying books is the most cost-effective investment

Ancient Cloud: "The book has its own gold house, the Book of Yanruyu." "It shows that the sages have long recognized that buying books is the most cost-effective investment.

When I first debut, holding a very meager salary, one time I complained to the director: "Now the book is really expensive Ah, this salary even food can not afford to eat, let alone buy books." "The director said to me:" Do not hesitate to buy books money, rather endure not to eat, also do not endure not to buy books, because buy books is the highest return on investment. ”

The director's words made me very shaken. Later, when I saw the book I liked, I had no mercy. I continue to study, development capacity has been improving, the wage level has also been greatly improved. A year later, my one-month salary increase is enough to buy two years of books. Do you think there's a more cost-effective investment?

A book, even if only a page of paper is useful, it will produce a potential value far more than the price of the book itself. Of course, the book is not much, can be down to digest a good book, may be more than general and read 10 ordinary books, to be more valuable.

three. Read more classic Books

Ten years ago, when I first entered the IT industry, I was really thirsty for knowledge, and every week I went to the book Center, unfortunately, the books that programmers read were not as many as they are now, and there are fewer books of high quality. At that time, my impression of the more classic books is "Windows Programming", "com Essence", "Java Programming ideas", there is rectification "C language programming." Other flooded shelves, is similar to the "21 days proficient in XXX", "xxx from the beginning to proficient", "xx Treasure book" such books.

Looking back on the past, I am more depressed one thing is in my most learning motivation, look at the high-quality books too little, as if it is in the long body, every day to eat is not nutritious bubble noodles. Of course, this with no guidance also has a great relationship, alone study, let me go a lot of detours.

Software development Books, I broadly divided it into three categories:

(1) Superficial introductory books.

The title of this kind of books is often "XX days proficient xxx", "xxx from the beginning to proficient", "XX development actual combat", etc., this kind of books often from the installation of software, like to translate help files. It is unfair that some people criticize this book as bad books and worthless. At least I have learned something from these books. Even if the 21-day series of books, there are suitable to see the crowd, but it is generally only to see only 21 days, after they can be thrown into the garbage heap. This book is only suitable for beginners who have not yet started, from middle school to some introductory moves. This kind of book in the beginning of the general buy a copy on it. If you are good at using search engines, this book can also be saved.

(2) domestic and foreign experts to write the actual combat class books.

This book is very practical, the technology and the principle of a thorough talk. such as "Windows environment 32-bit assembly language Program design", "Deep Analysis of MFC", "Delphi Deep Exploration", "Understanding WPF", "Deep analysis of ASP." Before this kind of books are translated from abroad or imported from Taiwan, now more and more domestic experts, from the domestic author is also more and more. If you look at two or three books in every direction you study and digest them through practice, you will undoubtedly become a good programmer.

(3) books written by foreign Daniel, revealing the essence and having rich thoughts.

This book is the so-called classic books, such as "Code Encyclopedia", "Programming Zhu Ji Nanxiong", "design mode", "Refactoring", "Code Clean Road" and so on. Classic book is like a deep, thoughtful friend, he will give you inspiration, every reading will have a new harvest, this kind of books have a true collection value. Reading the classic book is always the right choice, it will never waste your time, because the classic book is countless people haystack, help you choose the result.

However, reading this book is not an easy task, readers need to have a wealth of development experience in order to resonate with the author. Really can digest the classic book of people actually not much, it is like drinking, a novice in any case also can not taste the mellow grape wine. In the wine table, everyone to drink a cup of wine, when someone reviews "This wine is good", I can only reluctantly smile, really is the bitterness of self-knowledge.

If a classic book you look very hard, it is likely because you do not have enough skills, this situation do not worry, slow down, may as well first put its first on the shelf, more look at the second type of actual combat books, after a period of time to look back, maybe you will have new surprises.

(Bole online supplement recommendation: → "foreign programmers recommend: Every programmer should read the book")

Four. Don't read in the office hours .

A good learner, first of all, be good at using all the time to learn. I do not know is the great uncle Lei Feng or Lu Xun Grandpa once said: "Time is like a sponge in the water, as long as willing to squeeze, there is always some." "However, when we squeeze time from work time to learn, we must pay attention to, do not read in the office hours."

Working time reading is not only a very sensitive thing, but also very eye-catching, will soon cause the surrounding discomfort. First, the boss was upset, he thought: "I give you money is to let you work, not to learn." Secondly, colleagues are not happy: "We do not finish the work, see, this kid really busy." "It won't be long before you become an outcast."

Of course, you may say, "I have finished my work, the manager has not arranged, of course, can learn", it is not. You have done one thing, not equal to all the things have been done. A good employee should be active to work, not passive. After the work is done, you can at least:

(1) Proactively report to your manager, ask him to check your results and arrange for new tasks;

(2) If the company this period of time is indeed relatively idle, there is no specific task, you can do code refactoring, optimization;

(3) You can also take the initiative to volunteered, taking on extra work or more arduous tasks.

(4) If you must learn, but also only to the computer screen to learn, paper books can only be used to read, and can not always hold, so as not to affect other people's emotions.

v. To study only work-related things

I have found that many programmers can not find the direction of learning, one will learn C #, one will learn Java, read the latest programming language rankings, and feel that the learning C + +. This left scratching and scratching the right will only make you feel more itchy.

Learn the most taboo half-hearted. As the saying goes: "Hurt its ten fingers as broken one refers to", each door to learn a little, rather than concentrate on learning a direction. Everyone knows this truth, but which direction should we learn? Can only follow the feeling to go.

No. The most practical direction, you should follow the work, what the job requires, what we learn, and the skills required to master the work. Why should we learn and work weakly related things? Is it for career change or job-hopping? However, if we do not even work now, how can we guarantee the new position, with the newly-learned skills can do better.

There are many benefits of learning and working with the things that you need:

First of all, you can concentrate and delve deeper in one aspect. The so-called "hundred strokes will be inferior to a recruit absolutely", has the trick, you also feared cannot in "martial arts" foothold. "Tianlong Eight" in the Murong Fu Fu learned incomparable, and finally not only a strokes of the six-pulse sword of the "Duan Yu hit the head.

Second, you can learn faster and deeper, because learning is more targeted, and can be used immediately in the work, you can immediately test the effect of learning, the existing problems can be carried out in-depth research, so the knowledge will be more solid.

Thirdly, the study and work together, working time also becomes the study time, this breakthrough three 8 small limit. Some people say that every day we have the time can be divided into three 8 hours, 8 hours of work, sleep 8 hours, plus 8 hours of their own free time to control. Work and sleep for two or 8 hours everyone is the same, the height of life is decided by the other 8 hours. When we put the focus of learning on work-related knowledge, a large part of the working time, but also become a valuable learning time, this is really double benefit good things ah.

Six. Weaving web-style learning

The breadth and depth of knowledge is important. As a programmer, in-depth mastery of technical details is the guarantee of writing high-quality code. But for a project manager, the breadth of knowledge is more important. Problems encountered in the project are often comprehensive, only with extensive knowledge, can quickly analyze and locate the problem. In the programmer's path to the project manager, we must consciously expand our knowledge and form a more perfect system.

Everyone's knowledge system is like a net, we learn in fact is to weave such a net. I have seen the weaving of nets, fishing nets, although large, but also a node start, a point of a point of the knitting out, weaving process, there is always only one main line.

Learning is not so, the large network of knowledge system is composed of many small nodes, to knot such a net, can only be started by a point. Holding a main line, weaving a point, from the point band to come forward, finally to form this big net.

I have written a network information acquisition software, this software can be set up from the list page site by field settings collection information, support custom fields, page Multilevel association, download attachments, support a variety of databases, visual definition and other features. At first, think this software is also a relatively large function point, and later found that the obscure function associated with a lot of knowledge points, in the development process, I follow the conquer, to a lot of knowledge points for a detailed study of the study, software development, the personal Knowledge system network has been further supplemented and improved.

Figure 1 Knowledge network formed by knowledge points

Seven. The problem is the best learning opportunity

Panasonic, a Japanese business man, once said: "Work is a process of constantly discovering problems, analyzing problems, and ultimately solving problems, and the goalkeeper is always open to those who are ready to solve the problem." "Visible, there are problems in the work process is normal, no problem that is the real problem." In the event of problems can, can face the problem, solve the problem of the people, is the company's real core backbone.

In reality, many people always try to avoid the problem, when the boss to arrange a difficult task, but also try to dodge. As everyone knows, for individuals, the problem is the best learning opportunities. Often those who are willing to accept difficult work will become more and more powerful because they have made great progress in overcoming the difficulties.

When you encounter difficulties, you must not refuse the best chance of learning.

Eight. Regular thinking Summary

Zi Yue: "Learning without thinking is not the case". Only learning without thinking, will be confused, difficult to grasp the nature of the matter. This is like a person who learns martial, only to acquire its shape, but not the God, it is difficult to become a real master.

A programmer from the beginning, to become a master of the process, often have to go through a few epiphany. Epiphany will let you jump out of the jungle of knowledge, all the enlightened, as if through the whole body of the odd through the eight veins generally wonderful. Remember me once, Epiphany came to a very simple conclusion: "The original class library in the high-level programming language is encapsulated with the Windows API." "When I came across a few features that came with my own class library, I thought I could actually do it by calling the Windows API. Using this idea, I solved some seemingly difficult problems, get the boss's appreciation, and quickly get promoted.

Insight is very valuable, but it is not casually happen, but after a hard thought, after a flash of the results. The process of thinking, in fact, the external knowledge into their own knowledge of the process, and Epiphany, is the implementation of the bulk of this internalized, will be countless points of knowledge connected together to achieve mastery of the realm.

Nine, overcoming "plateau phenomenon"

Love to learn people will have this experience, learning lasted a period of time, often there will be a bottleneck period, long time seems to have no progress, so the heart is very anxious.

In fact, this is a kind of "plateau phenomenon" which is decided by the law of human learning. According to research, learners in the beginning of rapid progress, followed by an obvious or long or short progress of the pause period, late progress slow, the middle of the pause period is called Plateau period.

Figure 2 Skill Learning exercise curve

In my opinion, Plateau period is the essence of a digestive period , because the early learning accumulated too much knowledge points, these knowledge points in the brain whack, has not formed a knowledge system. It takes a certain amount of time to digest it, assimilate it, and often think about it to quickly help you cross the plateau.

In the plateau period, you can also change a related direction to learn, such as programming linguistics is not down, you can learn the design patterns, design patterns can not be learned, and then replaced by the database. By learning these related knowledge, not only the short board in the knowledge system is fulfilled, but also the various knowledge points can inspire each other to help you realize the Epiphany and cross the plateau period.

10, learning to have a good attitude

(1) Learn to meditate

To be anxious is a common mentality in the learning process. This can be understood, after all, as a programmer, to learn something really too much, and the society is so impetuous, let people feel that everything is so insecure, not sure, it seems that only learn faster, to keep up with the pace of society.

But "make haste", want to learn quickly, often will form a hammer in the east, a wooden club learning style, every point has no thoroughly understand. If the heart sinks, the knowledge will not sink down. To become a true master, can only calm down, step by step climb.

(2) learning is a process that lasts a lifetime

The process of life is a process of self-improvement.

Confucius once said: "My ten have five and ambition to learn, 30 stand, 40 and perplexed, 50 and know the destiny, 60 and Biddings, 70 and histrionic, not over the moment." Confucius is also not a natural saint, but also in the continuous learning, progress, from the "Zhi to learn" to the last "histrionic, not over the moment", Confucius took a total of 55 years of time.

As a programmer, it is necessary to constantly update their knowledge. What we know, like a white circle, is the dark unknown world outside the circle. The larger the circle, the more dark parts it touches. We only keep learning, break more darkness, find more light.

(3) remain hungry and remain foolish

After reading "Jobs biography", my favorite sentence is "If you are hungry , if you are ignorant" (Stay hungry,stay Foolish), in fact, I prefer it more original ecological translation "to keep hungry, to remain foolish." Only when we realize that we are hungry and foolish, do we need to learn and love to learn as much as we do not eat enough.

Of course, easier, knowing and doing oneness is the highest level of learning. I am also always a learner, always on the road.