If you don't define where you're going, how are you going to get there?
Many junior or aspiring devs I talk to only have a loosely defined goal for why they're learning something. While the high level goal might be in place (e.g. "getting a full time job"), the motivation to learn a specific topic (DS&A) tends to be driven by anxiety, imposter syndrome, or even a known skills gap.
Sometimes we hear people talking about a hot language or framework and think “I gotta learn that” and we jump right into tutorials.
Taking the time to write down your goals will help you choose the right learning resources, the right level of intensity for your training, and will help you stay on course once you begin.
A few questions to consider:
- How does learning this skill fit into your broader career goals?
- What do you hope to be able to do with the skill(s)? Here you want to visualize success, and list as many things as possible. For example, if you're learning DS&A, are you hoping to be able to solve any LeetCode challenge? Interview with more confidence? Write more efficient programs?
- At what level do these skills need to be (conversational, junior practitioner, professional, senior)?
Answering these questions will help you choose tutorials and courses more effectively, and to measure your progress against your learning.
Define SWBATs
If you really want to level-up your learning, take this exercise a step further and pair your high level objectives with some tangible, action-oriented target outcomes.
One tool that great teachers use when writing learning objectives is creating SWBATs. This acronym means “students will be able to” and it’s the prefix of a short sentence describing a student's capabilities after taking a course (or reading a book or article).
Some of my SWBATs for this article include:
- Students will be able to articulate high level learning goals tied to their near-term career objectives.
- Students will be able to write well-formed SWBATs for their personal learning plan
It's ok if you're not 100% sure of everything - after all, you're not expert in the topic area. But this exercise will encourage you to do some preliminary research about the topic to understand what people are doing with it in the real world.
As you're crafting this list, consider tapping into the wisdom of the crowd. Ask a developer community for advice and ideas for how to measure your proficiency in the skill.
And you can always add to your list of SWBATs as you know more. That's one of the paradoxes of learning: the more you learn, the more aware you become of other topics you need to learn.
One added bonus to completing this step: you're creating a way to assess your skills. If you're able to do everything listed in your SWBATs, you're probably ready to move on.
More Tips to Level Up Your Learning
Be sure to follow the rest of our series - The Developer's Learning Toolkit - for more tips on how to get the most from your learning.
- Crafting Better Learning Goals (THIS POST)
- Avoid Tutorial Hell: Choosing Great Learning Resources
- How to Fit Learning into a Busy Schedule
- Celebrate Your Learning Progress (and Your Bugs)
- Learn, Build, Teach: Taking Your Learning to the Next Level
- Should You Really Learn in Public?
- Regaining Momentum After a Learning Break
-Happy Learning & Coding!
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