The Bad News: Complacency
If you're a developer then what I'm about to tell you isn't new. There's no end to the need to keep learning.
In software the world keeps changing and that means that there's always something new to learn.
So in many ways, almost like Sisyphus, the moment you think you've mastered something, you discover the learning curve is about to start again.
[Tweet ” Like Sisyphus, the moment you think you've mastered something you discover the learning curve is about to start again.”]
The larger challenge is complacency.
It's easy to master something and then sit back and use that skill (over and over again). Soon you're talking about 5 years of experience but that's not reality. People get confused between 5 years of experience and 1 year of experience, 5 times in a row.
[Tweet “People get confused between 5 years of experience and 1 year of experience, 5 times in a row.”]
The Good News: Embracing the Learning Curve
The good news is that you're in total control of your own growth.
In fact, all you need to do is put yourself in a place where you get to interact with people who are learning and growing – challenging themselves.
This past week I attended a developer conference in Las Vegas (LoopConf) where developers put themselves in this kind of environment.
And as they did, they all discovered the same thing: surrounding yourself with people smarter than you can drive your own growth and development.
[Tweet “surrounding yourself with people smarter than you can drive your own growth and development.”]
Sometimes what you need is a mirror. A simple way to determine how much you actually know. And that may be all you need to challenge and inspire you to embrace your learning curve all over again.
The LoopConf Videos
That conference I told you about? Guess what? All the videos of the event are available online already.
This is the mirror you were looking for. Know what I mean?
As you watch these videos (make sure you check out the playlist to see all of them), ask yourself:
- What can I learn from these videos?
- What can I do to keep learning, even after watching these videos?
- Where can I go to keep learning?
- Who can I interact with regularly to challenge myself?
The Best News
If you were looking at those questions wondering where you could go? Who you could connect with?
I have great news. There are simple answers:
- For a community, join the Post Status club.
- For constant learning, join WP Sessions VIP.