Excellent Reference Materials December 12, 2010
Posted by hoitomt in Education, Observations, Programming, Self Improvement.add a comment
I have recently encountered two excellent resources:
1). Michael Hartl’s tutorial on Rails3. This is an excellent overview of Rails3, Test Driven Development, and the most popular tools for developing applications in Ruby on Rails. This tutorial is really for anyone that is involved with producing applications for the Internet. If you are a graphic designer it will help you learn to start adding database functionality to your sites. If you are a developer the tutorial will introduce you to the best language/framework available for creating web-based applications (Ruby on Rails). And if you already know Ruby On Rails the tutorial is truly like “looking over the shoulder of an expert RoR programmer” as the quotes claim. Fantastic and well worth the $95 for book and videos.
2). The Intelligent Entrepreneur by Bill Murphy Jr. I came across this book accidentally when my wife brought it home from the library for herself. I picked it up and started reading and couldn’t put it down. The title of the book sounds stuffy and the quotes don’t make it seem like it is going to be an inspiring read but this is an excellent book for anybody that has entrepreneurial dreams. The stories are inspiring and show you 3 ways in which businesses can be started. They also form an anecdotal account of the business climate of the late 90′s early 00′s, most notably the Internet boom and collapse. It is fascinating to read about actual entrepreneurs dealing with the challenges of that time.
One particular line prompted me to write this blog post. On the second to last page of the book he refers to a book written by a Harvard Business School professor that tries to “show readers how to juggle … the four key elements in work and life: happiness, achievement, significance, and legacy.” That line nailed it for me for that is exactly what what I’m searching for. I have asked myself the question often: Why do I want to run my own business? I have a great life with a well-paying job and low stress. After reading that line I realized that I only have 1 of the 4 (happiness). I want them all. In my opinion those four factors define complete self-fulfillment.
Credentials August 11, 2009
Posted by hoitomt in Education.add a comment
Regardless of whether you decide to improve yourself through unguided study or guided study, if you want to make money from your new skill you will need credentials. A credential is something that tells a perfect stranger that you know how to perform your skill. Your college degree is a good example. A professional certification is another good example.
Some credentials are stronger than others. A bachelors degree from MIT is a “stronger” credential than bachelors degree from Backwoods University (I don’t want to offend anybody by stating a real university, but you know what I mean). Credential “strength” doesn’t mean one person is smarter or better at their skill than another, it just indicates that usually a degree’d graduate from MIT is going to perform better than a degree’d graduate from Backwoods U.
A credential can also be in the form of work examples. This is very popular in creative industries such as graphic design where it doesn’t matter where you learned it, but you need to demonstrate that you’ve learned it. Your credentials consist of a portfolio of your work.
Some other forms of credentials are: letters of reference from known entities confirming your proficiency at a task; a license; and solid work history (more on this in a moment). If you want to make money from your new skill you NEED some type of credentials.
In my case I have one type of credential and I’m going for another. I’m trying to become a programmer with my current employer. Because I’ve been a good employee with them and have a good reputation with our IT group they are willing to give me a shot. So my solid work history is my credential, in addition to the classes I’ve taken.
In addition to “solid work history” I’m going to be looking for a professional certification. Sun offers the SCJP (Sun Certified Java Programmer) certification, among others. Microsoft also offers MC (Microsoft Certified…) certifications as well. Regardless of what you are going to be learning seek out professional certifications and start building your portfolio as you learn it.
My Reference Source August 11, 2009
Posted by hoitomt in Education.add a comment
As I stated earlier, I’m not a very good book learner. I need the threat of a bad grade to force me into practicing the material. So I chose the guided study route, after a couple of years of unsuccessful unguided study.
I started looking on-line for accredited on-line classes through a university. Fortunately for me two things were in place: 1) my company has a tuition reimbursement plan. 2) Major universities offer certificates for computer programming. Harvard, Illinois and Stanford, among others I’m sure, offer Software Engineering/Computer Programming certificates. Harvard’s Extension school was the best fit for me due to the cost of the classes, which was less than Illinois and Stanford, and the fact that they have a certificate plan.
The Harvard program is phenomenal! All of the lectures are online and you can watch them whenever you want. There is a syllabus with assignments due so I would typically watch the lectures as soon as they were available so as to keep up with the course work. If you are looking for a flexible way to start taking classes again I would recommend looking into one of the programs offered by a major university starting with Harvard.
Plus it’s cool to say you go to Harvard… even though it is technically the Harvard Extension
Getting educated August 11, 2009
Posted by hoitomt in Education.add a comment
In order to learn something you need a reference source that provides more information about a topic than you already know. In my mind there are two sources for personal improvement:
1). Unguided study via books and web sites.
2). Guided study via classes, seminars, conferences, tutors, etc…
The primary challenge with Unguided study is determining the best reference source. Without a required text book, a conference/seminar agenda, or a similar guide, it is difficult to get started on the correct path. The benefit of unguided study is that it is typically cheap, particularly with the Internet. However the financial savings have a huge time cost. Without a guide you end up stopping and starting as you correct your path when you hit a dead end such as a bad website, an unhelpful tutorial, or useless book.
Guided study offers the benefit of a proven set of reference materials. It could be an expert speaker/presenter or a list of required readings. Once you spent some time unsuccessfully trying unguided study, this list of proven references becomes invaluable. However the time savings provided by the list of references typically comes at a financial cost.
Guided study is experiencing a revolution right now. The most recent issue of Fast Company has an article about on-line courses being offered for free from some of the most prestigious universities in the US. This is not a utopia yet though, you still need to know which classes to take.
I unsuccessfully spent 2 years attempting unguided study as a way to learn programming. I kept thinking the next tutorial or website or library book was going to be the silver bullet. It never was. After going to class again I realized that it was mostly my fault. My professor said that “You can’t learn to drive by reading about it. You have to drive the car. And you can’t learn programming by reading a book, you have to write code”. I needed the structure of a class with homework assignments and exams to force me into focused practice.
If you go the unguided study route, make sure you practice what you are trying to learn. Find books with practice problems and do a lot of them. Create your own syllabus and follow it just like you are in a class. That is the only way you are going to learn the material at the level necessary.
