A little more than a month has passed. And we are coming to the end of the Reset Phase. This first month was about learning (especially Learning How To Learn) new things, problem-solving. And of course, grasping as well new experiences.
There is so much to cover about, that just a couple of paragraphs does not seem enough, but I will try my best.
Feedback and Communication
Every week I send out my assignments, and I don’t get grade it, I get something more valuable: feedback. Sometimes it can be hard to acknowledge where you have messed up, especially in the work environment. But once you accept it as something to grow on, learning from feedback can come as natural as drinking water (reminder to drink water!)
You cannot learn from feedback if you are not open to communication, especially if you are applying techniques like pair programming or rubber duck debugging (communication within yourself).
These aspects can also come in handy when building closer relationships: mentor-mentee, friend-friend, etc. Listening to the concerns of others, and yours as well will not only create better knowledge, but also special bonds.
Teamwork and Learning
Now we are aware that we really don’t know everything, and clearly, that’s okay. More than okay, I’ll say. The key concept is to always be open to learning and learning from others. Taking a mindset of openness not only breaks our ego and makes us a little bit more vulnerable. But you are also taking every opportunity that comes in your way.
Teamwork is more than just breaking down tasks, more than doing some stuff in parallel, and hopefully coming up with something seemingly great. For me is about helping every single one of us in times of need and when something feels a feeling of unconcern, be there to find a solution together.
For me, the only way to master teamwork and learning is by being continuous. Continuos work, continuous communication, etc. Not only use it when you need or when others need it, make a habit out of it and practice it every single day. In your work, on your way to school, or maybe in the house chores, the key is not to be close-minded, breaking the ego is the first step. Remember that.
Testing and Tech Tools
Okay, I have said that is okay to make mistakes and not know everything. Is really great to learn from failure, actually for me sometimes is the only way that something sticks; by failure.
But how we exactly learn from it?
By testing, testing, testing everything!
Along this path of a month, we have learned a serious of techniques to learn this approach like:
- Test-Driven Development
- Unit Testing
- The Pretotype Technique
I mean, the whole idea behind Test-Driven Development is to fail first! Remember that in software engineering everything is about tools, how fast we can learn them, and use them to our advantage.
For example, the pretotype technique also though us about the importance of failing, but failing fast. Is great to have the concept, but in order to know it will work is by execution, failing, and repeat.
Habits and Success
Across the whole month, we acquire the knowledge of making habits, especially good ones. The million-dollar question is how to make a habit stick? We learned some key concepts like cue, craving, response, and reward.
And actually, I did achieve habits without even realizing it!
I started making weekly schedules with school, the internship, and my personal manners. In my very first essay, and quoting myself I said:
Every time you are creating a habit, you are making a new you. You are not throwing your old self away, but it sure is a change.
I have become a more disciplined and self-driven person. We have deadlines, sure, but the reward of making a good job at the end of every week was satisfaction enough on improving myself.
And this brings me to my next and final lesson of the month: success. Success is a tricky business, we see every day and every passing hour.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.”
Something like that, right? Moonshot Thinking is a very popular mindset and in some matter a really accurate one. But success doesn’t have to be Moon size. Ask yourself that next time when you are in a room with a mosquito. It is a really small animal, and in the end, it is bugging you, right?
Success can be a salty plate if you let it be, you can be mad and ask yourself why everybody is else is succeeding and not me? But the point realizes something bigger. Change and success are not only for you but for your community as well. If you care about something that is right and good, success is just the following consequence.
What’s next?
I really don’t know if I would be writing these essays in the next phases. But one thing I can assure you, one hundred percent, hands down is: the learning would never stop.
