Jackstones: the Journey to Mastery

Transcript

1. Jackstones: the Journey to Mastery
   Dan North
   @tastapod
   

   View Slide

2. @tastapod
   Part 1: Mastery
   

   View Slide

3. @tastapod
   Mastery is capability in a context
   P = p - i
   Let's look at some different contexts
   

   View Slide

4. @tastapod
   The concert pianist
   Learns:
   – music theory
   – piano theory
   – mechanics of playing
   piano
   – individual pieces
   Practices:
   – pitch, chords, scales
   and progressions
   – pieces, section by
   section
   – physical and mental
   repetition
   Mastery is consistently flawless performance
   

   View Slide

5. @tastapod
   The composer
   Learns:
   – (usually) everything a
   musician learns
   – music history
   – theory of composition
   Practices:
   – (usually) everything a
   musician practices
   – composing and
   playing pieces
   Mastery is creating your magnum opus
   

   View Slide

6. @tastapod
   The ice hockey player
   Learns:
   – how to skate
   – rules of hockey
   – tactics and techniques
   – combinations and
   game plays
   Practices:
   – individual techniques
   – team techniques and
   strategies
   – offensive and
   defensive techniques
   Mastery is consistently playing at your best
   

   View Slide

7. @tastapod
   The soldier
   Learns:
   – Discipline
   – Survival techniques
   – Decision-making
   under pressure
   – Personal physical and
   mental boundaries
   Practices:
   – Repetition of basic
   skills
   – Unfamiliar scenarios
   Mastery is adapting instinctively to unfolding events
   

   View Slide

8. @tastapod
   What is mastery to you?
   Producing beautiful code
   Developing wonderful products
   Creating business impact
   

   View Slide

9. @tastapod
   Part 2: Software mastery
   

   View Slide

10. @tastapod
    As an apprentice
    Solve real problems
    – don't learn to
    swim-with-armbands
    Use Indirect Learning
    – create artificial
    constraints
    – try several approaches
    Optimise for feedback – from software and from people
    Find people who do
    what you want to do
    – model them, stalk them
    Study the basics
    – theory and methods
    – languages and tools
    – XP, TDD, Clean Code,
    SOLID principles
    

    View Slide

11. @tastapod
    As a journeyman
    Build a portfolio
    – Try different
    approaches
    – Try different domains
    Learn how you learn
    – and how you practice
    Listen like you don't
    know the answer
    – because you might not
    If it ain't broke...
    – fix it anyway!
    What if you could make a computer do anything..?
    

    View Slide

12. @tastapod
    As a master
    Remember where you started
    – and what it felt like
    The best programmers I know make time
    – let the learner make the discoveries
    – share in the excitement!
    

    View Slide

13. @tastapod
    Part 3: Jackstones
    

    View Slide

14. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

15. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

16. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

17. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

18. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

19. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

20. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

21. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

22. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

23. @tastapod
    

    View Slide

24. @tastapod
    Conclusion: the Journey to Mastery
    Decide on your goal
    – you can always change your mind
    Understand your process
    – learn to learn, learn to practice
    The journey never ends!
    

    View Slide

25. @tastapod
    Thanks for listening
    @tastapod
    http://dannorth.net
    dan@dannorth.net
    

    View Slide