When it comes to tech, I believe that baseline skills and the ability
to learn, are more important than just skills alone. If a software
developer knows core programming (OOP), mathematics, data structures,
algorithms, and SQL, he/she should be able to learn any other associated
technology rather quickly. Because the developer has a baseline
knowledge and knows how to correctly use the foregoing, picking up on
newer topics and trends should be a breeze.
I use this specific learning algorithm for new company related technologies.
(2hrs * WDW) + 5hrs = WST
WST * 4 = MST
The
5hrs are weekend study hours. The WDW means weekdays worked, WST means
weekly study time, and MST means monthly study time. To get the monthly
study time, MST, just take WST * 4 = MST. So if a person works a five
day work week for one month, the MST would be approximately 60. Two
months on a new job should yield around 120 hours of studying, which
will normally put a new employee at a very effective spot. The reason I
say approximate because of monthly length deviations in our calendars.
All
study hours while using this method should be applied off the clock,
unless your company is cool with it. I love learning and don't mind
studying on my own time in order to keep increasing productivity.