When The Going Gets Tough...

It has been awhile since I’ve posted anything, not for lack of material, on the contrary!!! For some exciting news, I applied for and was accepted into the Microsoft LEAP program! I was on pins and needles til I got word, and ever since, my life turned into a whirlwind preparing for the trip.

I’m going to make sure and post about the application and interview process, as well as what happens next. Personally, I was scouring the net trying to find any info so will definitely make sure and share what I can to help others out.

That’s for another post though! Today I’d like to share a question someone asked me on LinkedIn and my response.

Do you have any tips or recommendations when learning difficult new material?

Well let’s see… off the bat, I can say that developing the skill to learn new things is pretty important, because there will always be another language, library, framework or concept that you will have to learn. It’s never ending. That can be both frustrating and exciting…you’ll never get bored, thats for sure 🙂

When I find something difficult to wrap my head around, I look for another resource to help me out. Often times, its not the learning curve, but how the material is being presented. Everyone has different teaching / learning styles so just because one site is super popular, or someone you know learned everything from some resource, is no reason to get discouraged if it doesn’t work for you. I’ll usually take pause then look around for other resources to see if I can find something that explains things in a different way.

Another thing that is super important (but I’ll admit, I suck at this) is to take a step away completely and give your brain a rest. I have the tendency to hammer away at a problem determined to figure it out. Then, when I have to step away for a bit, when I come back the answer is as clear as day. Since I have such a hard time stepping away completely, Ill sometimes just move on to another lesson, or work on another project, then come back to what was troubling me. At least that way, Im still working on something, but taking a break from the thing that is making my brain melt.

One other thing, that I also have problems with (yes, I have problems taking my own advice lol) is to reach out and ask questions!! The only thing more frustrating than not being able to figure something out, is hours later realizing it was something silly like a typo or syntax error, that if you asked someone else to help, would have seen it right away and saved you a ton of grief. Also, asking questions, that person would be able to (ideally) not just give you the answer, but explain the reasoning behind the process, which will help you with other problems in the future.

I hope that helps!

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