Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) has been the buzz of the development and operations world for the last several years. "DevOps" is the magic word that signals that this IT team is serious and cutting edge. There is no denying the power of the CI/CD model and the pipeline for development that allows features to be integrated more quickly and bugs to be squashed within a day or two. Rarely does a day go by when I can't launch the "App Store" on my iPhone and not have at least a handful of updates to my favorite apps. A continuous stream of new features and new bugs are the new norm.
Well, let me tell you about the new and more personal development pipeline. This model won't get your software to market any quicker. It won't allow your company to squash any UI bugs. But it will help you to be a more well-rounded, happy, and relevant person. It's something I like to call "CL/CD" Continuous Learning, Continuous Development. Small, iterative learning that accumulates to big knowledge over time. If you continue to learn, you can continue to develop new knowledge and skills. Yes, I'm capitalizing on the marketing buzz, but on a personal level, this has helped shape my philosophy for staying sharp. It's helped me to move away from treating learning as that thing I do just before my next cert expires.
Here is the breakdown:
- Prioritize your learning
This is the hard part. Figuring out what you want to learn, and laying out somewhat of a plan. This doesn't have to be hyper-targeted, though it can be. I've broken up my learning into a couple areas. "Networking" because it's the job. This is where most of the staying relevant in my career comes in. "Leadership Development" because as the manager of a team, and father, I think there is much to learn. This is the area where my skills could use a lot of development.
- Learn more than just the skills for your Job
There is more to life than work. I encourage all of my team members to learn something more than skills for work. This can include learning a new language, a musical instrument, another technology outside of the job, etc. I recently asked my team what they were learning. After I convinced them that I really wanted to know what they were learning that wasn't related to network engineering, I found out that two of them are learning guitar, one is learning German, another Haitian Creole. Not only did this allow us to talk about something other than work, it gave me insight into how they are continuing to sharpen themselves as individuals. I really do want my team to have a life outside of our busy work schedule. Life is too short to do it all for work.
- Find just a little bit of time each day to learn
If you only have one takeaway from this blog, this is it! Don't wait to plan it all out and set aside 4-hour chunks for learning. Find ways to get a little bit in each day. I've found that by finding material that's easy to consume, and doing it when I can, I get a lot more done than I had planned. I have 4 young kids at home, when the workday is over, I was convinced that I simply didn't have the time, which was true. When the kids were all in bed, at 8:00 or 8:30 each night, my brain was shot, picking up a book on routing was daunting and fruitless at that hour of the night. So I started small. I found a podcast and began to listen in the car while driving. Suddenly, I'm learning a little every day. Don't let those "idle" times go to waste, they add up. A commute, shower time, mowing the lawn, etc.
- Grow it
From there it grows. This step kinda happens on its own sometimes. Before you know it, you have several podcasts you enjoy listening to and learning from. A podcast subscription is a "gateway drug". Suddenly you find yourself you're walking around the grocery store with Bluetooth earphones stuck in your ears. Now it's Audible books too, I try to have a few in queue ready to listen to.
And sometimes it DOESN'T just happen. One of the more difficult steps in growing my learning for me was finding time to read the written word, partially that's just where I am in life with a young family. I was determined to find more time to read. I found, that every morning when I get up and make a cup of coffee, I normally spend a little time reading. Then I would open my email and social media and dive-in. If I don't do that, which takes discipline, I can almost get in an hour of reading each morning. Email and social media can wait and are more conducive to passive perusing throughout the day. Getting anywhere in a book takes a little more dedicated time. So far it's working out well and finishing books isn't taking me nearly as long as it once was.
I've adopted the CL/CD lifestyle and make sure to learn a little every day. I only wish I had stopped looking at learning as a massive undertaking that takes just the right timing years earlier. If you know what you want to learn and start small, you can begin moving down the path towards that knowledge immediately. That's what continuous learning is all about.
Well, let me tell you about the new and more personal development pipeline. This model won't get your software to market any quicker. It won't allow your company to squash any UI bugs. But it will help you to be a more well-rounded, happy, and relevant person. It's something I like to call "CL/CD" Continuous Learning, Continuous Development. Small, iterative learning that accumulates to big knowledge over time. If you continue to learn, you can continue to develop new knowledge and skills. Yes, I'm capitalizing on the marketing buzz, but on a personal level, this has helped shape my philosophy for staying sharp. It's helped me to move away from treating learning as that thing I do just before my next cert expires.
Here is the breakdown:
- Prioritize your learning
This is the hard part. Figuring out what you want to learn, and laying out somewhat of a plan. This doesn't have to be hyper-targeted, though it can be. I've broken up my learning into a couple areas. "Networking" because it's the job. This is where most of the staying relevant in my career comes in. "Leadership Development" because as the manager of a team, and father, I think there is much to learn. This is the area where my skills could use a lot of development.
- Learn more than just the skills for your Job
There is more to life than work. I encourage all of my team members to learn something more than skills for work. This can include learning a new language, a musical instrument, another technology outside of the job, etc. I recently asked my team what they were learning. After I convinced them that I really wanted to know what they were learning that wasn't related to network engineering, I found out that two of them are learning guitar, one is learning German, another Haitian Creole. Not only did this allow us to talk about something other than work, it gave me insight into how they are continuing to sharpen themselves as individuals. I really do want my team to have a life outside of our busy work schedule. Life is too short to do it all for work.
- Find just a little bit of time each day to learn
If you only have one takeaway from this blog, this is it! Don't wait to plan it all out and set aside 4-hour chunks for learning. Find ways to get a little bit in each day. I've found that by finding material that's easy to consume, and doing it when I can, I get a lot more done than I had planned. I have 4 young kids at home, when the workday is over, I was convinced that I simply didn't have the time, which was true. When the kids were all in bed, at 8:00 or 8:30 each night, my brain was shot, picking up a book on routing was daunting and fruitless at that hour of the night. So I started small. I found a podcast and began to listen in the car while driving. Suddenly, I'm learning a little every day. Don't let those "idle" times go to waste, they add up. A commute, shower time, mowing the lawn, etc.
- Grow it
From there it grows. This step kinda happens on its own sometimes. Before you know it, you have several podcasts you enjoy listening to and learning from. A podcast subscription is a "gateway drug". Suddenly you find yourself you're walking around the grocery store with Bluetooth earphones stuck in your ears. Now it's Audible books too, I try to have a few in queue ready to listen to.
And sometimes it DOESN'T just happen. One of the more difficult steps in growing my learning for me was finding time to read the written word, partially that's just where I am in life with a young family. I was determined to find more time to read. I found, that every morning when I get up and make a cup of coffee, I normally spend a little time reading. Then I would open my email and social media and dive-in. If I don't do that, which takes discipline, I can almost get in an hour of reading each morning. Email and social media can wait and are more conducive to passive perusing throughout the day. Getting anywhere in a book takes a little more dedicated time. So far it's working out well and finishing books isn't taking me nearly as long as it once was.
I've adopted the CL/CD lifestyle and make sure to learn a little every day. I only wish I had stopped looking at learning as a massive undertaking that takes just the right timing years earlier. If you know what you want to learn and start small, you can begin moving down the path towards that knowledge immediately. That's what continuous learning is all about.
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