Keeping technical skills up to date
A second year computer science student wrote to me: “I want to keep my technical skills up to date. How do I develop a strong technical skills when the training at my university is several years old and I do not see it is changing soon. I do not know what to do. Even I will not be graduated in another two years but I want to make sure that I can get a job by that time and not worry too much about my future. Please advice.”
Answer: One of the best ways to improve your technical skills is by reading technical books. Today there are thousand technical e-books that you can read on the internet. You can go to online, search for a particular topic that you wish to learn and follow the instructions. You can also check the on line tutoring on that topic. Many of them are free, you do not have to pay for it. The advantage of online tutorials is that they are simple, easy to learn, and you can watch them at any time. The disadvantage is that they usually are not professionally edited, which can leave them lacking in completeness. However, they also give you interactive demos, lots of examples, and link to other technical websites. The more technical experience you have, the faster you will be able to learn new technology. Even when thing change, you can quickly catch up with a few days.
There are many on line technical forums that you can join. If you spend enough time in these forums, you will learn a lot. Most of these forums are created by technical people who want to share their knowledge, discuss ideas, debate technical issues and basically learn from each others. Most technical forums can also help you with your technical questions and they always welcome new members of any skill level.
Another better way to learn technical skills is by working part-time for a technology company. Many students do not consider working during school year, some do not even work in the summer. Nothing better than actual experience, you learn by doing. If you have a desire to learn, contact local software companies and talk to them. You are not looking for a job but want an opportunity where you can learn. Volunteer to work for them in exchange for the chance to learn something. Most companies would be glad to have someone who are eager to learn on their staff. The better you learn new technology, the more value you become and every companies would be willing to hire people with strong technical skills.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
