Finding the time is just one of the dilemmas when it comes to learning new software, talents or languages. I download new apps after reading the reviews and looking at the features list, but then it comes to a screaming halt. How do I actually use this product? Where do I find the best resources for learning it? When will I have the time to learn it?
A prime example of this was with Visual Studio 2019 and the .NET Core 2.1 WebAPI template. You would think as a seasoned developer, producer of many WebAPI’s, that this would be a simple process. But it turned into a demotivating way to spend New Years Eve. Previously I have harnessed the Microsoft .NET Identity Framework to build authentication systems to sit behind a mobile app. The project templates provided some boiler plate UI for creating and maintaining users. Not this time. There were some better API examples, but very little documentation in the project and when you start following URL’s it quickly became a rabbit warren. The frustration kicks in when you realise you have not achieved 1/10th of what you wanted after hours in front of the keyboard.
It’s not limited to development frameworks and the like though. I dabble in Photoshop, but find it a struggle to locate resources that are succinct yet meaty enough to teach me the things I want to learn about usage. I don’t want to spend hours watching home baked YouTube videos filled with non-professional speakers filling their gaps with “erm” and “uh”. I tried to watch one just the other day and his wife called in the middle of the recording to which he spent a minute trying to explain why that should not have happened.
Many apps can be downloaded straight to our OS from an AppStore of some kind, developers websites contain sparse detail on usage, product manuals are a thing of the past. Am I the only one who sees a problem here?
Maybe the issue is my learning style? Just show me a handful of techniques and let me at it, then I want to come back with more questions. Maybe it’s because modern applications have so much more to offer that traditional CBT no longer fits?
I’m thinking of dedicated a set amount of time each week just to improving my skills with key software that I work with, then a period of time to increase my knowledge on the new frameworks and technologies. Ah, then I have to set aside some more time for the foreign languages I want to learn. Still begs my original question…. *When* will I learn?
Please drop me a comment on what works best for you and why.