Today is the day that I stopped thinking about doing something new, and started actually doing it. I’m talking about Ruby on Rails.
I wanted to learn something outside of my comfort zone (not too difficult for an embedded guy to get out of his comfort zone). I tried to learn Ruby once before, but that was well before I knew how to learn.
Back then, I didn’t really know what being a software engineer was all about. In the book, Apprenticeship Patterns, there is a group of patterns called “Perpetual Learning“. An apprentice needs to replace ignorance with concrete skills in order to continue to improve and get better, and ultimately, Walk The Long Road.
One way to replace ignorance is by expanding your bandwidth. To me, this basically means – learn how to learn more (hence the name of the group of patterns is Perpetual Learning).
When I first tried to learn RoR, I didn’t know how to learn new things. I didn’t know where to look for manuals and tutorials (short of going to Google and letting them guide me). Now, a few years later, I feel like I am more resourceful, and my bandwidth is larger; therefore, allowing me to learn new things.
Burke definitely gave me some nudges in the right direction, and over the last couple of days I have gotten completely set up with Ruby and Rails. I’ve also completely exhausted TryRuby and am actively working through RailsForZombies. (Which are both pretty fun, I might add…yes, I said fun!)
If you have worked through the TryRuby guide, then you’ll understand the title of this blog. This style of learning aligns well with many of the Apprenticeship Patterns. I hope to continue learning, expanding my bandwidth, and practicing.
Today, Mt. Hood was stolen…tomorrow, I will aim a little higher.
