The last 3 weeks were a great litmus test for my hacker mentality. I only recently left my day job where I was very productive and an expert in a certain area (a personal opinion) for another remarkably different position. Suddenly, the skills that I acquired and honed in my last position are no longer the skills that I need to stay afloat in my next position. I have a very direct strategy when dealing with such issues. I like to get my hands dirty and spend time learning, experiment and solicit feedback at the initial stage. The feedback could come from anyone or from anywhere, it is always welcome.
This works well – in dealing with Linux for example, where I have familiarity but not expertise at this time. Thanks to key feedback and guidance – I was able to turn the corner pretty to get simple intermediate-level tasks done. However, developing on the LAMP stack appears to be a little harder skill to acquire and might take a little longer. To summarise some lessons from the past week:
- Stay focused on your goal and yet be patient.
- Understanding the tools of the trade is very important.
- Solicit guidance and feedback wherever possible.
- Rely on your knowledge of how things work – but don't be prejudiced in your approach.
- Feel free to experiment.
Related articles:
- "How to be an expert" – Creating passionate users.
- "How to do what you love" – Paul Graham's essays.