From programmers to project managers (5): Programmer gas Stations, not everyone knows the point of learning

Learning is a foundational ability. However, "obscurity also has a career, and the knowledge is boundless." , if the study does not pay attention to the method, it will be "with the infinite, perilous."

A Learning is also a kind of ability

See 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 know nothing, is a real white paper, we learn by instinct, learn to walk, talk, wear clothes ... Later, we went to school, the teacher put the knowledge of the book 1.1 points into our mind, we have more and more knowledge, at the same time, our learning ability seems to be getting worse, accustomed to being fed by others, seems to have forgotten how to feed themselves.

Learning is just 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 Practice, which advocates the establishment of a learning organization, because in the long run, an organization's only sustainable competitive advantage is faster and better learning ability than competitors.

A company so, a person is also not so. As we all know, now is a knowledge explosion of the time generation, knowledge update very quickly. It is said that the knowledge that a university graduate has learned, within 2 years after graduating, is effective but 5%, not to mention that our school and society need to be seriously derailed. What we rely on is not how much knowledge we have now, but how strong we are at learning.

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

Two Buying books is the most cost-effective investment.

Ancient Cloud: "The book has its own Golden House, the book from the Yanruyu." "This means that the sages have long realized that buying books is the most cost-effective investment."

When I first started, with very meager wages, once I complained to the supervisor: "Now the book is really expensive Ah, this salary even rice can not afford to eat, let alone buy books." "The director said to me:" Do not begrudge the money to buy books, rather endure not to eat, also do not endure not to buy books, because buying books is the highest rate of return investment. ”

The director's words made me very shaken. Later, I saw a favorite book, there is no mercy. I continue to study, development capacity has also been improved, wage levels have also been greatly improved. A year later, my one-month salary rise will be enough to buy two years of books. Do you think there is a better investment than this?

A book, even if only a sheet of paper is useful, it will produce the potential value of the book itself will be far more than the price. Of course, the book is not much, can be down to digest a good book, probably 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 so thirsty that I had to go to the center of book shopping every week, but unfortunately, the books that were given to programmers weren't as many as they are now, and the quality of the books was even less. At that time, my impression of the classic books is "Windows Programming", "com Essence", "Java Programming ideas", there is Tan Haoqiang's "C language programming." Other full shelves, is similar to the "21 days proficient in XXX", "xxx from the beginning to proficient", "xx treasure" such books.

Looking back on the past, make me more depressed one thing is that I have the most motivation to learn, to see the quality of books too little, as if in the long body, eat every day is no nutritional bubble noodles. Of course, this has a lot to do with no one to guide the relationship, alone to learn, let me take many detours.

Software development books, I have roughly divided it into three categories:

(1) Easy to get started category books.

The title of this kind of books is often "xx days proficient in xxx", "xxx from the beginning to proficient", "XX development combat", this kind of books often from the installation of software, like to translate help files. It is not fair that some people criticize this kind of book as bad books and worthless. At least myself, I have learned something from these books. Even the 21-day series, there are suitable to see the crowd, but it generally can only see 21 days, after which can be thrown into the garbage heap. This kind of book is only suitable for beginners who have not yet started, from learning to some introductory moves. This kind of book at the beginning of the time generally buy a book 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 class books.

This kind of encyclopedia is very practical, the technology and principles are very thorough. For example, "Windows environment 32 assembly language Programming", "In-depth analysis of MFC", "Delphi Depth Exploration", "profound understanding of WPF", "in-depth analysis of asp.net component design." In the past, this kind of books were translated from abroad or introduced 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 each direction of your 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 kind of books is called the classic book, such as "Code Encyclopedia", "Programming Zhuji", "design mode", "Refactoring", "Code neat Way" 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 Classics is always the right choice, it will never waste your time, because the classics are the result of countless people Shari and help you choose.

However, reading this kind of books is not an easy thing, readers need to have a wealth of development experience, in order to resonate with the author. Really can digest classics of people actually not many, this is like drinking, a novice in any case also does not produce grape wine mellow. In the wine table, everyone will drink a cup of wine, when someone reviews "This wine is good", I can only reluctantly a wry 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, may wish to first shelved, look at the second type of actual combat-type books, after a period of time to look back, perhaps you will have new surprises.

(Bole online Supplementary Recommendation: → "Foreign programmers recommended: Every programmer should read the book")

Four Don't read in the office hours.

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

Reading at work is not only a very sensitive thing, but also very eye-catching, and soon will cause the discomfort around you. First, the boss in his heart, he thought: "I give you money is to let you work, not to learn." "And then colleagues are not happy:" We do not finish the work, see, this kid is really idle. "It won't be long before you become an outcast."

Of course, you might say, "I have finished my work, the manager has no plans, of course I can learn". When you have finished one thing, it does not mean that everything is done. A good employee, should be active to work, rather than passive and so on. After the work is done, you can at least:

(1) Report to your manager proactively, ask him to check your results and arrange new tasks;

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

(3) You can also volunteer to take on extra work or more difficult 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.

Learn 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 study of C + +. This left scratching, right scratching, will only make you feel more itchy.

Learn the most bogey half-hearted. As the saying goes: "Hurt its ten fingers than the first point", each door to learn a little, but also concentrate on learning a direction. Everyone knows this truth, but which direction should be studied. Can only follow the feeling to go.

No. The most practical direction, should follow the work to go, what the job needs, we learn what, the work needs of skilled mastery. Why do we have to learn things that are related to weak jobs? Is it to change careers or job-hopping? However, if we can not do a good job now, how can we guarantee to the new post, with the newly learned skills will be able to do better.

There are a lot of benefits to learning and doing what you need to do:

First, you can concentrate and delve deeper into one aspect. The so-called "hundred strokes will not be as good as a recruit", with a unique trick, you still afraid can not be in the "martial arts" foothold it. "Tianlong Eight" in the Murong Fu Kung Fu learned incomparable, and finally is not only a recruit six pulse God Sword Kudus beat.

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

Third, the combination of learning and work, working hours have become learning time, thus breaking through the three 8 small limit. It is said that every day we have all the time can be divided into three 8 hours, work 8 hours, sleep 8 hours, plus 8 hours of their own free time. Working and sleeping for two or 8 hours everyone is the same, deciding the height of life is another 8 hours. When we put the focus of the study on work-related knowledge, a large part of the work time, but also become a valuable learning time, it is a good thing to kill two birds with one stone.

Six Web-Weaving Learning

The breadth and depth of knowledge are important. As a programmer, deep grasp of technical details, is to write high-quality code assurance. But for a project manager, the breadth of knowledge is more important. The problems encountered in the project are often comprehensive, only with a wide range of knowledge in order to quickly analyze the problem and positioning. On the path of programmer to project manager, we must consciously enlarge our knowledge and form a more perfect system.

Everyone's knowledge system is like a net, we learn is actually to weave such a net. I have seen the weaving process of fishing nets, although the net is large, but also a knot start, a point of the compilation, weaving process, always only a main line.

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

I have written a network information collection software, this software can be from the list of Web sites in the field set to collect information, support custom fields, page Multilevel association, download attachments, support a variety of databases, visual definitions and other characteristics. At the beginning, I think this software is a relatively large function point just, later found that this obscure function associated with a large number of knowledge points, in the development process, I followed, broken, a lot of knowledge points for a detailed study of the study, software development completed, the personal Knowledge system network has been further supplemented and improved.

Fig. 1 Knowledge network formed by knowledge points

Seven The problem is the best learning opportunity

Panasonic, the Japanese god of business, has said: "Work is a process of discovering problems, analyzing problems, and ultimately solving problems, and the promotion keeper is always open to those who can solve problems at any time." "Visible, there are problems in the process is normal, no problem that is the real problem." In the event of a problem can be, the courage to face problems, solve problems, 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 a matter of fact, 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 difficulties.

When you meet difficulties, you must not reject this best learning opportunity.

Eight Often think about the summary

Zi Yue: "Learn without thinking is no." Only study without thinking, will be confused, difficult to grasp the nature of things. This is like a study of martial people, only the acquisition of its shape, without its God, it is difficult to become a real master.

A programmer from the beginning, to become a master of the process, often through several insights. Epiphany will let you jump out of the jungle of knowledge, all the enlightened, as if through the whole body of the odd through eight veins general wonderful. I remember one time, the epiphany came to a very simple conclusion: "The original class library in the Advanced programming language is encapsulated by the Windows API to implement." "When I came across some features that I couldn't implement with my class library, I thought I could actually do that by invoking the Windows API." Using this idea, I solved some seemingly difficult problems, got the boss's appreciation, and soon got promoted.

Insight is very valuable, but it is not random, but after a lot of hard thinking, the results of Flash. The process of thinking, in fact, is the external knowledge into their own knowledge of the process, and insight, is the bulk of the realization of this internalized, countless points of knowledge connected together to achieve mastery of the realm.

Ix. overcoming the "plateau phenomenon"

Love to learn people will have such an experience, learning lasted a period of time, often there will be a bottleneck, 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 at the beginning of rapid progress, followed by a clear or long or short progress of the pause period, late progress slow, the middle of the pause is called Plateau period.

Fig. 2 Skill Learning Practice curve

In my opinion, Plateau period essence is a digestive period, because of early study accumulated too many 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, to combine it, and often to think and summarize can quickly help you across the plateau period.

In the plateau period, you can also change a related direction to learn, such as programming linguistics does not go on, you can learn design patterns, design patterns can not go down, and then replaced by the database. By learning these relevant knowledge, not only the short board in the knowledge system, but also each knowledge point can inspire each other, to help you realize epiphany, across the plateau period.

Ten, learn to have a good mentality

(1) Learning to meditate

To be anxious is a kind of mentality that is prevalent in the learning process. This can be understood, after all, as a programmer, there are too many things to learn, and the society is so impetuous, people feel that everything is so unsafe, uncertain, it seems only to learn faster, to keep up with the pace of society.

But "haste makes waste", want quick study, often will form the East a hammer, West a mallet learning way, each point has not thoroughly digested. The heart can not go down, the knowledge will not sink. Want to become a real master, can only calm down, step climb.

(2) Learning is a process that lasts a lifetime

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

Confucius once said: "I have five and aspire to learn, 30, 40 and perplexed, 50 and know Destiny, 60 and Lshun, 70 and Conter, not more than moments." "It can be seen that Confucius is not born sage, but also in the continuous learning, progress, from" Zhi to learn "to the last" Conter, not more than moments, "Confucius spent 55 years of time.