Resource Inventory

Have you ever found yourself thinking about a resource you used last time but can't remember its name or someone has asked you for resources and you can feel they are somewhere near but you can't seem to get to it?

In this article I will share a little about a tool called a Resource Inventory that can help you package all the resources that you use as a developer.

What is a resource?

This is a term that floats around quite a lot but what is it really? It is simply a service that is of value to an individual or an organisation, an asset. If lost, there will be great loss to the organisation as a whole.

What is an inventory

A inventory is just a listing, a compilation of services that are available for one or more target groups.

Advantages of keeping a Resource Inventory

• Improves your productivity by having easy access to tools for your work.
• Saves you time on searches. There is no need to spend tons of minutes searching when you have a resource to answer those kind of questions.
• Speeds up development.
• Easy to share with colleagues and friends.
• Reduced risk of losing information that is important.
• Makes you a better developer as you will have specific resources for each problem.
• Keeps you organised as you will have everything where you need it.
• It is flexible, adjustable and grows as you grow.
• Mobile and portable since you can access your resources from anywhere provided you also deployed them on the cloud.

What a Resource Inventory can consist of?

We have spoken a little about what a resource inventory is and what you can get from it. To demonstrate this, I have added an example below with a part of my personal resource inventory.

Learning Platforms

• Codecademy : Understanding a new technology in depth, I use this platform. Free and paid courses.

• Udacity : Want to learn from the best and get certified by an internationally recognized organisation. Free and paid courses.

• Pluralsight : Practice by doing. Pluralsight has video content, demos and projects that will expand your horizon and experience. All paid courses, a few free weekend access specials throughout the year.

• Other platforms can be Udemy, Google Digital Skills, Skillshare and so many others. Just keep a short list to make your decision making easier.

Blogs

• Skillcrush : Lifestyle in tech, sharing about numerous careers in tech. This blog is by far the most amazing and inspiring. They have a learning platform too.

• Career Karma : Best advise for your career in tech. This Platform is also bundle with resources for beginners and experts in tech.

• There are so many other blogs out there Github, Sitepoint,
  Codeburst and many others. This all depends on your career path

Download Sites

• Sitepoint : Books
• Syncfusion : Books
• Unsplash : Images
• Coolors : Colour palettes and colour themes
• Icons8 : Icons

Searches

• Google anything you want to find.

• Stackoverflow solutions and contributing to code errors and fixes.

• Mozilla Developer Network or searching in the search engine with an mdn suffix in your query e.g. Javascricpt template literals mdn.

Mentors and Role Models

It is always nice to add a short column for role models nearby that inspire you.

• Sal Khan : Found of Khanacademy and Educator
• Colt Steele : Udemy Web Development Instructor
• Elon Musk : A ferocious engineer and industrial designer, Founder and CEO of SpaceX
• Priscilla Shirer : Christian evangelist, author (The Armor of God) and actress (War Room, Overcomer)

This was just a brief introduction to the potential of a resource inventory in your career. Your resource inventory will grow and become more complex as you advance in your career as a Software Engineer.

Feel free to leave a like or a comment about your read.

Thank you.