Alt+Ctrl+Start

Watch this YT video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxj8jnlooP8
Note – this is a long video, you’re not expected to finish it nor understand its full content, especially if you are new to IT. This post is directed at those who aren’t in the dev space but want to address their curiosity and knowledge around the SDLC process and dev space. Further to add, I have no affiliation with this creator/dev. I’m merely using this video as an example to explain my process of thinking.

So let’s say you watched part of the video or the whole video. What do you think the takeaways are? Do you think you’ve learned anything, something… nothing? Watching these types of videos or any kind of resource that is deep in content can put you in a frame of confusion, rapid thinking, and put you at a point of ‘why am I learning this?’

This is exactly the feeling I experienced many times over the course of my 14-year IT career. This isn’t a post on developing or coding, but a post on how to break down the material in front of you. When we first watch videos or read material like this, we instantly rush through the gate and try to grasp immediately what the material is presenting. Let me break down a few things for you that you can apply to other videos and resources. This thinking process can really only be applied after consuming the content from start to finish (I found it difficult to apply this process while consuming content).

• What are these screens, programs, apps, interfaces (tools) the creator is showing?
  • The first thing I try to understand when presented with complex material is, are these available for me to try?
    • What do these tools actually do
      • E.g. coding tool, GUI for a system, CMS system etc
    • What is the name of this tool
    • Can I consume other resources i.e. watch other YT videos showing a basic demo or simplified version of this tool
    • Is there a free trial I can sign up for (preferably no credit card to be entered 🙂 )
    • How can can I install this tool on my machine
      • Can I test and trial this new tool. Can I create a simple project with this tool?
        • How do I log into these tools
        • Are there existing examples of this tool creating simple projects
    • Do I actually want to learn this or I’m ok just sitting on the sidelines, observing, learning, absorbing and taking notes
• Can I touch and navigate around the app being created?
  • Ok so we’re building a mapping / location app, does the final project exist somewhere
    • Can I actually click around, press a button, see what xyz do, turn on and turn off etc?
  • Do I actually know the basics around this app being built
    • Hmm…. ok I know how to user Uber, ok I enter my ‘to’ and ‘from’ address, select the vehicle and wa-la I have to wait x amount of hours (or minutes) for my ride
      • Is this a similar flow to how we’re building this new app
• Do I actually know the fundamentals / foundations of this video material?
  • Ok, I don’t know coding, I don’t know the topic, nor do I have any experience in the dev space, but….
    • Can I ask what the plan is?
      • Are we building a new app, system, address an issue, reinventing the wheel
    • What are the top 5-10 words being mentioned in this video?
      • E.g. API, system, react, repository/github, mapbox, resources, assets, stack, curl, GET etc etc etc
        • I think I should research these words, terms to get a better understanding of the video and it’s contents
        • Can I again watch another YT video detailing these terms, to get a better explanation
        • Or can I AI it
          • E.g. AI provide me the meaning of GET request, and provide me an example etc
    • Where is this app going to live?
      • Cloud, on-prem, someone’s house?
        • Why is this important….. Well everything needs to live somewhere, that includes apps
          • (Me writing down note to myself. This app will be based in AWS….)
• What is something similar / identical to this video
  • Hmm this video is about building a mapping / location app. Wonder how Uber or Lyft built their app?
    • Is there anything I can find / research showing me how other devs writing a similar app
  • How about if I research another video showing a dev building a similar mapping/location app
    • Does this other video use the same tools and processes as the first video I watched?
      • If the dev is using the same tools and processes is there anything similar and different to how they use it
        • If so what are the similarities and differences. Maybe I should write it down for later learning and absorbing
• I’ve consumed this video, have I actually learned anything……?
  • Ok so I know these tools, they do this, that etc etc
  • I know these new terms in the scope of coding and development
  • Do I or have I documented some items that still might be a grey area for me
    • I might know these terms yet, but if I have them written down somewhere I can at least track or research this grey area later
  • Do I have an understanding of the general nature of this app and it’s flow

From this post example, as you can see there are many questions to ask first and basics to learn before actually learning a particular subject/topic. New IT professionals consume new content and then after trying to understand it, get confused, their minds wonder, they think harder, and feel a whole lot of emotions which eventually wear them out. Once the new IT professional feels this, they give up. They go back to a state trying to comfort their ways of thinking, which is usually a lesser / mundane process.

Summary:

• Consume the content first (summarise, watch the full video etc), walk away or get on with your day. After you have done what you needed to do, ask yourself what is the meaning of this content
  • E.g. are we building a new app, fixing an existing problem, improving a particular situation?
• What are the basics of this video?
  • Terms, words, concepts
  • Can I research these to get a more basic understanding?
• Final thoughts
  • During our education journey, from K-12 we’re just rushed through our education
  • Be sure to observe, absorb, learn and review the content being presented to your