Building a Learning System
Leveling Up Predictably and Repeatably
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My Suspiciously Familiar Plight as a Dev Advocate
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How can I consistently learn useful, practical stuff
without getting burned out?
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Top Take-Aways
The value of a systematic approach to learning
Ingredients to predictable and repeatable growth
Practical tips on building your learning system
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@samjulien
Sam Julien
samjulien.com
Sr. Developer Advocate Engineer at Auth0
GDE & Angular Collaborator
UpgradingAngularJS.com, Thinkster, & egghead
@samjulien
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Feedback Welcome
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The Need for a Learning System
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Learning as a Developer
Overwhelming to know what to learn
Difficult to cross things off the list
Unclear what’s useful (lack of context)
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Don’t think of dev as a dictionary to memorize.
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Think like an explorer.
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Wandering vs Exploring
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You make less progress wandering aimlessly.
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One reason for this is that we’re programmed to
seek comfort and familiarity.
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Comfort is the enemy of growth.
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@samjulien
Systems > Motivation
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@samjulien
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⚠ Comfort !== Self Care!
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@samjulien
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall
to the level of your systems.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
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Qualities of an Effective
Learning System
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@samjulien
Good news! If you’re working in a dev job right now,
you’ve already got some version of this in place.
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Predictable and repeatable growth
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What causes us to grow?
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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Doing Challenging Things Quickly
Trackable
Measurable
Production-Focused
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We grow by doing challenging things
quickly and getting feedback.
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Getting Feedback
Learning in Groups
Learning in Public
Does it work?
This can and will look different for you! Focus on the
concepts. If you don’t think the same way I do, that’s
totally awesome. Think of these as signposts.
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One “inbox” for each learning area
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Regular review process
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“Heavy lift” vs “slow burn”
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Reliable project management system
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Areas vs. Projects
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“Learn JavaScript” vs. “Display my name on the page.”
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Identify the smallest unit of work
you can get done and do it fast!
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Then repeat.
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Stuck? Break it down smaller.
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Remember: small = doable!
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Stuck? Zoom out a level.
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I need to…
build a system with it or fit it into an existing system.
solve a problem with it.
do something small with it.
do literally anything with it.
Zooming Out While Learning a Framework
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The learning is in the speed of action.
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It’s not a failure, it’s a test!
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Three Tools
Scratchpad, task manager, knowledge system
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Scratch Pad
Examples: Notepad++, Google Docs, Drafts
Look for: speed, ease of use, ability to export
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Task Manager
Examples: OmniFocus, Things, Google Keep
Look for: works with your brain, ability to add context/tags