So much to learn, so little time

One of the main characteristics of the information age is that information is widely available. If you want to learn something, the challenge is no longer finding information, it's filtering information.

Even today, a university education is one of the best ways to get a solid grounding in technology fundamentals, but, this focus on fundamentals makes them weak when it comes to having the latest information, and the fact that they may not always be working with the latest technology means that they may also be weak when it comes to skills.

While schools, in many cases, do remain a one-stop-shop for learning technology, there are now alternatives, and many of them are considerably less expensive and faster.

Content curation

In a world where information is available in vast quantities and at low cost, curation has become increasingly valuable.

In some cases, you simply can't understand the content because you haven't yet learned the prerequisites, the concepts and terminology on which it is based or you have to struggle at great length to understand something that you would have absorbed easily had you first taken the time to learn some fundamental concept.

Here are some approaches that you can use to help define your own curriculum:

• With so much information available for free, many in technology are reluctant to spend money on books, but books still excel in one area, they are a source of curation. A book provides content in a logical order where the concepts build on each other, the content of the book is curated by the author who determines which content is important and what is not, the curation along is what justified the cost of a book.

• Different people prefer different types of content. Some learn by reading, some by watching videos or listening to audio content. You should consider the type of content that works best for you when creating your own learning plan.

• People will rarely pay you for what you know. They pay you for what you can do, for your ability to use knowledge and information to solve problems. You can read all of the programming books and watch all of the programming videos in the world, but you're not a programmer until you've written code.

• One of the biggest challenges to learning on your own is finding the necessary motivation and discipline. There are so many distractions in our lives that can get in the way, so it is very important to stay focused.

• A certificate on a single topic may also prove valuable and maybe the deciding factor as to whether or not you get a job. The value of a certificate also depends on who issues it.

• I know not everyone may agree with this, but I believe that learning and working in technology shouldn't just be about a paycheck, it should be fun. Even if you are passionate about your work, take the time if you can to play around with some other technologies.

And the question now is, Where do you go for fun?

This post was inspired by Dan Appleman's course, Learning Technology in the Information Age on Pluralsigth.

I hope you liked this content, thanks for reading me, and happy coding!!!