In any interview sessions, I usually ask candidates about
- Books they read
- Famous authors, developers they know
- Sites they visit most.
- …..
I call them the “virtual library“. Some candidates were confused, surprised by my question. Guess what? Most of their answer were close to nothing. They did not have it. They could not name any books, authors, or developers.
“You said you love technologies. How did you learn new stuff?”, I asked. I got many of these
- I learn from doing projects, doing real tasks in my company
- When I need something, I google. (Luckily they still remember there is a website called google).
- I read some code examples….
Why Did I Ask?
First, I know that books, blogs, sites, … are not the only ways to learn technologies, learn new skills. But they are essential.
The mind is a central factory. It controls every aspect of your life including your programming skill. Just like your body, the mind needs food. What is the food of the mind?
- Information
- Wisdom
- Concept
- Good thinking habits from others
There are more. But you get the idea. The mind needs food.
The mind needs food.
When I want to hire a developer, I need to know how he fed his mind.
When you come to Google and ask a question, you must know what to ask. And sometimes, you must know why you ask.
Reality
If one consist that they do not need to enrich their virtual library, ask yourselves these questions
- How are you doing as a developer?
- What is your improvement since last year, last 3 years?
- Have you ever asked why a piece of code works the way it works?
- Have you ever asked what and how to improve a piece of code?
To many developers, the unit test concept is not new. But how many people actually learn to make a proper unit test? a good unit test? If you are asked to improve your unit test skill, what do you do?
Have a Nice Day
A human being is unique. Our body and mind both need food. You feed them well. They work best for you.
If for some reasons, you have not read books before, you should give it a trial. Pick a technical book (because you are a programmer). Read it.
You cannot know what works for you unless you try it.
Good luck and be a great developers, my friends.
