Whilst you are all tucking into your curried turkey, i’ve been busy. Today has been about fixing “small” jobs.

Small is in double quotes, because small jobs are sometimes frustrating, and reminds me how everyone learns differently.

Having the opportunity to learn is so important.

A rubbishey video**, with an inaccurate title, interspersed with the latest sofa** (end of year) sale interlude, is not learning. Some half-baked documentation from a sample of code which is six-years-old, is not learning. Looking at some old API is not going to help.

Learning (for me) is all about flow. It’s all about knowing what I want to achieve, and trying to do that in a specific timeframe

Flow is about learning effectively, step-by-step.

Moving forward, feeling productive, and enjoying (being in the right place at the right time).

Effective learning is better than frustratedly, joining the dots.

“Today has not been a flow day”

Coding was this mornings opportunity. I wanted to work through an up-to-date practical example.

The example didn’t work, with an error relating to an invalid keystore. The server would not start. Incorrect certificates. Adios flow opportunity…

This afternoon was spent trying to fix a door, which had been adjusted, bodged, and re-adjusted, by all and sundry. No opportunity for flow :D

So, I could have been really frustrated by today.

I’m not. I have worked with both situations, learnt some things, and will keep chipping away.

The intention is to keep a clear view on what I want to accomplish, in a set period of time.

Software Engineering and DIY are full of pitfalls which prevent learning via flow.

Some tasks (like generating self-signed certificates) rely on wading through content, example after example, and other frustrated individuals musings. Going round in circles, you run out of time…

DIY is a minefield. (we are) back to the frustration of self-assembly furniture.

This may sound amusing, but from a career perspective, this frustration often leads to people leaving the Tech, Development profession.

Experience allows you to become adaptable, deal with the frustration, and develop your own way of learning….

The flip-side, is that all of us started out sometime. It’s important to remember that.

I cannot comment on DIY, because that is not my career.

But as a Developer, building an opportunity, for learning flow, into whatever you produce is important.

Regardless of code, design, support, blueprint, document, infrastructure, demonstration.


** Multiple video streaming platform, and sofa-sales exist.