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Crossing The Canyon Of Cognizance: A Shared Adventure

pwnela
April 22, 2015

Crossing The Canyon Of Cognizance: A Shared Adventure

Most of the four learning stages - unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence and unconscious competence - are bridged by acquiring experience. But the gap between unconscious incompetence to conscious competence is where the most discomfort and discouragement occurs.

Helping new developers bridge the void ensures a vibrant, accessible community, and having visible members/mentors in each stage encourages newcomers' learning. This talk illustrates (literally!) how to help new colleagues build this bridge and prevent losing them in the what-do-I-even-Google abyss.

Given at RailsConf 2015

pwnela

April 22, 2015
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  1. “It assumes that coding is the goal.” Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror

    blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
  2. “It puts the method before the problem.” Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror

    blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
  3. “It assumes that adding naive, novice, not-even-sure-they-like-this-whole-programming-thing coders to the

    workforce is a net positive for the world.” Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
  4. “It implies that there's a thin, easily permeable membrane between

    learning to program and getting paid to program professionally.” Jeff Atwood, @codinghorror blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code
  5. ⛔Do Not Learn to Code⛔ • “It assumes that adding

    naive, novice, not- even-sure-they-like-this-whole-programming- thing coders to the workforce is a net positive for the world.” • “It implies that there's a thin, easily permeable membrane between learning to program and getting paid to program professionally.”
  6. Raven Covington, @_raven_io “As I began learning, I found that

    there is so much great content out on the internet. That's both awesome and overwhelming. It was difficult for me to chart my own path and figure out where to go next.”
  7. “I want to really dig into programming but I am

    feeling a bit overwhelmed.” /u/Glothr
  8. helpful redditor “The first thing you'll want to do is

    take a look at yourself. Do you like math? Do you like Logic problems?”
  9. helpful redditor “If you answered yes to one or more

    of these, keep reading, if that stuff sounds like a drag, please save yourself some time and look into something else!”
  10. helpful redditor “That is all that programming is, and if

    you delve deeper you will find just that.”
  11. “...people came because they wanted to learn how to make

    websites. Because of those motivations, the curriculum had virtually no math.” Sarah Mei, @sarahmei sarahmei.com/blog/2014/07/15/programming-is-not-math
  12. helpful redditor “…if that stuff* sounds like a drag, please

    save yourself some time and look into something else!” *math
  13. “For every helpful reply, it seems like I'll get 4-5

    useless replies attempting to call me out for my own laziness.” /u/Epsilon1472
  14. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer the

    Question Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
  15. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer the

    Question • Provide enough context Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
  16. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer the

    Question • Provide enough context • Frame the problem Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
  17. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer the

    Question • Provide enough context • Frame the problem • Provide sample code and data Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
  18. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Trying to Answer the

    Question • Provide enough context • Frame the problem • Provide sample code and data • Take time to write something articulately Asking the ✨Perfect Question✨
  19. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Receiving the Answer •

    Provide enough context Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
  20. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Receiving the Answer •

    Provide enough context • Frame the solution Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
  21. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Receiving the Answer •

    Provide enough context • Frame the solution • Provide sample code and data Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
  22. • The Golden Rule: Imagine You’re Receiving the Answer •

    Provide enough context • Frame the solution • Provide sample code and data • Take time to write something articulately Providing the ✨Perfect Answer✨
  23. Sasha Laundy “My current understanding is _____. I expect to

    see _____ here, but instead it's doing _____. What's going on?”
  24. Sasha Laundy “I want to do ____ and I'm trying

    it by _____. What do you think about this approach?”
  25. Hello, I’ve just found this canyon and would like to

    cross it. I don’t know how wide or how deep it is, but I see that some of you have made it across. Can you tell me what you did in order to get there? I would like to build a bridge, but I’m not sure what materials to use. <3 Tenderfoot
  26. Hi Tenderfoot! Crossing the canyon is super easy! All you

    need to do is grab your foo and then bar the baz. (Make sure you don’t baz the bar or else the foo will bazizzle.) See you soon! mechanical_keyboard_kid42
  27. Sara Simon “Trying to understand something […] without having the

    vocabulary to speak coherently about it is a lost cause.”
  28. Sara Simon “By building fluency, you allow connections to fall

    naturally into place. Then, with fluency, you’ll be able to do incredible things.”
  29. Hi Tenderfoot! Crossing the canyon is super easy! All you

    need to do is grab your foo and then bar the baz. (Make sure you don’t baz the bar or else the foo will bazizzle.) See you soon! mechanical_keyboard_kid42
  30. • Partial previous installations • Double installations • Weird OS

    decisions ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Horrors in Installations
  31. • Partial previous installations • Double installations • Weird OS

    decisions • Ancient OS versions Horrors in Installations
  32. • Partial previous installations • Double installations • Weird OS

    decisions • Ancient OS versions • Ancient machines Horrors in Installations
  33. • Partial previous installations • Double installations • Weird OS

    decisions • Ancient OS versions • Ancient machines • VIRUSES Horrors in Installations
  34. • Partial previous installations • Double installations • Weird OS

    decisions • Ancient OS versions • Ancient machines • VIRUSES • Did I mention MALWARE Horrors in Installations
  35. • P • Double installations • W • Ancient •

    Ancient • VIRUSES • D ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  36. “[The command line] looks really matrixy. We’ve all seen it

    in the Matrix. That’s as much command line as I ever had.” Stephanie Morillo, @radiomorillo alterconf.com/speakers/stephanie-morillo
  37. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “How do I get RVM

    installed on my 1995 ThinkPad?” Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  38. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “How do I get RVM

    installed on my 1995 ThinkPad?” • Horrible Answer: Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  39. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “How do I get RVM

    installed on my 1995 ThinkPad?” • Horrible Answer: 
 
 “Get a new Macbook Pro” Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  40. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “I’m having issues installing ______

    on my Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?” Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  41. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “I’m having issues installing ______

    on my Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?” • Horrible Answer: Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  42. • Difficult Question: 
 
 “I’m having issues installing ______

    on my Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?” • Horrible Answer: 
 
 “Because everything is harder on Windows/ Linux.” Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History
  43. Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History • Difficult Question: 
 “I’m

    having issues installing ______ on my Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?” • Horrible Answer: 
 “Because everything is harder on Windows/ Linux. Don’t do this.
  44. Horrible Exchanges in Installfest History • Difficult Question: 
 “I’m

    having issues installing ______ on my Windows/Linux machine. Any ideas why?” • Horrible Answer: 
 “Because everything is harder on Windows/ Linux. Instead:
  45. Hi friend, Sorry, what is a foo? I can’t seem

    to find one. Sorry to ask so many questions, Tenderfoot
  46. Hi Tenderfoot! Oh goodness, did I say a foo? I

    meant to say a norf. Have a great day! mechanical_keyboard_kid42
  47. Hello friends! I have successfully barred the baz!! I have

    a step of my bridge now. Thank you so much! What do I do now to finish my bridge? Thanks again, Tenderfoot
  48. Hi Tenderfoot! Great news! Now just keep at it! You

    have to bar a lot of bazzes to finish building your bridge across this canyon. See you soon! mechanical_keyboard_kid42
  49. “Is it ok if I'm successfully going through code academy

    lessons while not fully understanding some of them?” /u/MathTheUsername
  50. “…I didn't realize how easily you can type something wrong

    and break your program.” Raven Covington, @_raven_io
  51. • Imitation • Manipulation • Develop Precision: Reproduces a skill

    with accuracy, proportion and exactness; usually performed independently of original source. The Five Levels of Psychomotor Skills
  52. “[Companies] who've decided to hire juniors have decided to take

    a risk. You have to connect personally to be the one they take that risk on.” Rebecca Poulson, @rebeccapoulson
  53. Institutional Barriers for Women of Color at Code Schools Stephanie

    Migdalia Pi Herrera, @pi_inthecloud modelviewculture.com/pieces/institutional-barriers-for-women-of-color-at-code-schools
  54. Stephanie Migdalia Pi Herrera “…at every level of these organizations,

    from boardrooms to HR, there are WoC who understand…”
  55. “We are here, and we want to get caught coding

    while black.” Dominic M. Liddel, @dominicmliddell modelviewculture.com/pieces/lessons-learned-while-working-to-build-black-tech-community
  56. Ashley Nelson-Hornstein “Having visible examples of people that look like

    you in an aspirational professional field is powerful.”
  57. S