How to learn

While there are loads of tools, technologies and frameworks out there, it is natural to get overwhelmed. How to learn new things at this rate? To answer this question, it is important to know atleast one tool / technology / framework. To know something in depth it takes time, and this is where experience counts. It is important to invest in the learning mindset early on and to continue with this throughout. Embrace the learning culture throughout and never settle down.

Breadth vs depth

I often get asked this question about how to learn.

Early years - breadth first

If you are early on in your career or beginning your career I advice folks to try out various topics before deciding what to focus in depth. Be curious, ask questions and learn new topics. Think like a child, who is curiously exploring various topics. The surrounding environment needs to be supportive too and should arouse your curiousity. It is very important to have mentors at this stage who will guide you and show you directions to explore more.

Like a child who should first learn to crawl before learning to walk, during early years it is also important to focus on the core fundamentals which will serve to be the basis as you advance.

Let’s say you are interested in frontend development. During the early years you should not settle only on frontend but focus on core programming skills and get exposure to various topics. This is how a typical software engineering curriculum works or how we are exposed to various subjects in school before we deep dive into certain streams based on our interests.

To beginners my advice is to focus on breadth vs depth, be open to exploring different areas and topics until you get to settle down on something which you truly enjoy. This phase will come but you need to be patient (3/5)

— Princiya 👧‍ (@princi_ya) February 27, 2021

Later on - depth first

Once you are past the early years phase is a good time to focus on niche areas or deep dive into the topics that you were passionate about during your breadth first exploration phase.

Now is a good time to indentify if you want to focus on frontend, backend, fullstack, etc. Learn more about the subject, do more of it, practice more of it to get better.

To mid level, my advice is to focus on a niche area, get better at it or even excel on that topic. For eg. web performance, accessibility, web security, etc. to name a few...(4/5)

— Princiya 👧‍ (@princi_ya) February 27, 2021

Life is a fullstack circle

When you feel you are comfortable on a specific topic, move onto the next one and continue this loop. A child learns to crawl, walk, run, talk. These are the basics. These core skills are used every walk of life and as we advance we grow wiser. When you reach seniority in your career or subject then you need to pick up something new and start the cycle all over again.

When you are a senior in your profession you need to start all over again but this time in an area you didn’t cover while being beginner or mid-level. Mentoring, people management, business knowledge, communication, etc. to name a few. And then the recursive loop continues (5/5)

— Princiya 👧‍ (@princi_ya) February 27, 2021

Learning does not stop, it should not stop.